Distant blue vs Down Pour
Where Distant blue belongs to RAL Classic's range, Down Pour is a Sherwin-Williams color. Both sit in the blue family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. They have nearly identical light reflectance values (16 vs 15), so they'll read as similarly Dark in most lighting conditions. The ΔE 6.9 gap is real but not dramatic — close enough to use together, distinct enough to matter as a choice. Below you'll find 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Distant blue vs Down Pour in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Distant blue and Down Pour are close enough that the difference can be hard to judge from a chip alone — these photos show how each reads at scale, across different spaces and lighting conditions.
House
Seen across an entire facade, subtle tonal differences become pronounced. What reads as nearly the same on a chip often reads as clearly different at scale. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
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
Distant blue vs Down Pour Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Distant blue on one side and Down Pour 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 Distant blue comparisons
See how Distant blue stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
