Blue Refrain vs Dutch Cocoa
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Hue-wise, Blue Refrain belongs to the blue family and Dutch Cocoa to the grey family. Blue Refrain (LRV 64) reflects noticeably more light than Dutch Cocoa (LRV 18), a difference of 46 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Blue Refrain runs cool while Dutch Cocoa is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 44.0, 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 10 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Blue Refrain vs Dutch Cocoa in Real Spaces
10 real rooms side by side. Seeing Blue Refrain and Dutch Cocoa 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
In a living room, color works across both daylight and evening light — the same wall can read very differently at noon and at 8pm. The LRV gap is large enough that Blue Refrain will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Dutch Cocoa would.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. Blue Refrain reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Dutch Cocoa.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Blue Refrain reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Dutch Cocoa.
Dining Room
A dining room lit by a dimmed pendant or candles is one of the most forgiving environments for paint — warm light softens almost everything. Blue Refrain returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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. Blue Refrain reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Dutch Cocoa.
Home Office
The test for a home office color isn't how it looks in a quick glance — it's whether it still feels right after a full day of work. Blue Refrain reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Dutch Cocoa.
Mudroom
Mudrooms are seen in passing, often under whatever light comes through the door — a context that favors colors with some depth. Blue Refrain returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Patio
Outside, paint color competes with sky, landscaping, and direct sun — all of which shift how both of these read compared to an indoor chip. Blue Refrain returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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. Blue Refrain reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Dutch Cocoa.
Front Door
A front door is a focal point — small color differences read clearly at this concentrated scale. The LRV gap is large enough that Blue Refrain will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Dutch Cocoa would.
Color Details
Blue Refrain vs Dutch Cocoa Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Blue Refrain on one side and Dutch Cocoa 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 Blue Refrain comparisons
See how Blue Refrain stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 64, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Ammonite reads slightly lighter (LRV 69 vs 64), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 64 vs 6, Blue Refrain is decisively the brighter choice.
Blue Refrain reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 52), opening up a space where Purbeck Stone encloses it.
Blue Refrain reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
At LRV 64 vs 52, Blue Refrain is decisively the brighter choice.
Blue Refrain reads slightly lighter (LRV 64 vs 60), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 7-point LRV gap (64 vs 58) makes Blue Refrain the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 64 vs 27, Blue Refrain is decisively the brighter choice.
Blue Refrain reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
Blue Refrain reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
A 9-point LRV gap (64 vs 55) makes Blue Refrain the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 64 vs 13, Blue Refrain is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 64 vs 44, Blue Refrain is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 64), opening up a space where Blue Refrain encloses it.
Blue Refrain reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 66 vs 64), so neither reads brighter in a room.
A 10-point LRV gap (74 vs 64) makes Shoji White the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 83 vs 64, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 64 vs 12, Blue Refrain is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (68 vs 64) makes Skimming Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
Blue Refrain reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 41), opening up a space where Dix Blue encloses it.
Calamine reads slightly lighter (LRV 68 vs 64), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Blue Refrain reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 25), opening up a space where Treron encloses it.
At LRV 64 vs 12, Blue Refrain is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 64 vs 45, Blue Refrain is decisively the brighter choice.
Blue Refrain reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Blue Refrain reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Blue Refrain reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
Blue Refrain reads slightly lighter (LRV 64 vs 57), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.