Hicks' Blue vs Colonial Yellow
Hicks' Blue (Little Greene) and Colonial Yellow (Sherwin-Williams) come from different manufacturers. Hue-wise, Hicks' Blue belongs to the blue family and Colonial Yellow to the beige-yellow family. Colonial Yellow has an LRV of 60. Where Hicks' Blue leans blue, Colonial Yellow reads warm — a distinction that shifts noticeably depending on the light source and surrounding finishes. A ΔE of 66.6 puts these firmly in different territory — two distinct design choices rather than close alternatives. Below you'll find 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Hicks' Blue vs Colonial Yellow in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Hicks' Blue and Colonial Yellow in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
Living Room
A living room wall sees more varied light than almost any other surface in the house, which makes the choice between these two more nuanced than a chip suggests. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
House
A full exterior is the most demanding test for a paint color — scale and outdoor light both amplify differences that seem small on a swatch. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
Front Door
On a front door, the color is both the first and last thing you see — a context where even a modest tonal difference reads clearly. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Kitchen Cabinets
Cabinet color is always seen in context — against countertops, backsplash, and hardware — which amplifies undertone differences that might disappear on a plain wall. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
Color Details
Hicks' Blue vs Colonial Yellow Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Hicks' Blue on one side and Colonial Yellow 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.
