Dockside Blue vs Hinting Blue
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Both sit in the blue family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Hinting Blue (LRV 68) reflects noticeably more light than Dockside Blue (LRV 43), a difference of 25 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Both lean cool, so they'll behave similarly in mixed or changing light conditions. With a ΔE of 14.7, 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 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Dockside Blue vs Hinting Blue in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Dockside Blue and Hinting Blue 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 Hinting Blue will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Dockside Blue would.
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. Hinting Blue reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Dockside Blue.
Color Details
Dockside Blue vs Hinting Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Dockside Blue on one side and Hinting Blue 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.