Dockside Blue vs Faded Flaxflower
Both are Sherwin-Williams colors. These are both blues, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within blue to land. With LRVs of 43 and 44, they'll behave almost identically in terms of how much light they reflect back into a room. They share a cool quality — useful to know if you're layering them in the same space. With a ΔE of 1.9, the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side to reliably tell them apart. Below you'll find 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Dockside Blue vs Faded Flaxflower in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Dockside Blue and Faded Flaxflower 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.
Living Room
Living rooms test a color across a full range of conditions — morning sun, afternoon shade, and evening lamp light all shift how both of these read. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Bathroom
Bathrooms amplify color — the enclosed space and reflective surfaces make what reads subtle elsewhere feel more present here. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Front Door
Front doors are seen in isolation against the rest of the facade, which makes them a high-stakes surface where even subtle differences matter. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Kitchen Cabinets
On cabinetry, undertone and temperature become more pronounced against countertops and hardware. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Color Details
Dockside Blue vs Faded Flaxflower Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Dockside Blue on one side and Faded Flaxflower 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 Dockside Blue comparisons
See how Dockside Blue stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 43), opening up a space where Dockside Blue encloses it.
At LRV 69 vs 43, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
Dockside Blue reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
A 9-point LRV gap (52 vs 43) makes Purbeck Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 43 vs 30, Dockside Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Mizzle reads slightly lighter (LRV 52 vs 43), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 60 vs 43, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 43), opening up a space where Dockside Blue encloses it.
Dockside Blue reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 43 vs 43), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 43 vs 4, Dockside Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reads slightly lighter (LRV 55 vs 43), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Dockside Blue reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
With LRVs of 44 and 43, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 84 vs 43, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 43 vs 21, Dockside Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 43), opening up a space where Dockside Blue encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 43), opening up a space where Dockside Blue encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 43), opening up a space where Dockside Blue encloses it.
Dockside Blue reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 43), opening up a space where Dockside Blue encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 43 vs 41), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 68 vs 43, Calamine is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 43 vs 25, Dockside Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Dockside Blue reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
With LRVs of 45 and 43, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
A 12-point LRV gap (43 vs 31) makes Dockside Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 43 vs 7, Dockside Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 43 vs 24, Dockside Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 57 vs 43, Guilford Green is decisively the brighter choice.