Hicks' Blue vs Black Bean
Where Hicks' Blue belongs to Little Greene's range, Black Bean is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, Hicks' Blue belongs to the blue family and Black Bean to the grey family. Black Bean has an LRV of 4. Hicks' Blue runs blue while Black Bean is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 23.3, the contrast is hard to miss. These aren't variations on a theme — they're two different answers to the same question. Below you'll find 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Hicks' Blue vs Black Bean in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing Hicks' Blue and Black Bean in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
Bathroom
Bathrooms are one of the few spaces where you're genuinely enclosed by the paint color, which makes the choice between these two more consequential. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Front Door
A front door is a focal point — small color differences read clearly at this concentrated scale. Side by side like this, the difference is easy to read — which is exactly why seeing them in a real space is more useful than comparing chips.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Color Details
Hicks' Blue vs Black Bean Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Hicks' Blue on one side and Black Bean on the other.
Digital color is approximate. These simulations are generated from the manufacturer's hex values and overlaid on grayscale room photos — your screen's calibration, brightness, and viewing angle all affect how they render. Before committing to either color, test physical samples in your own space under the light you actually live with.
More Hicks' Blue comparisons
See how Hicks' Blue stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
