Blue Square vs Ocean Abyss
Both from Behr's palette. Both sit in the blue family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Blue Square (LRV 20) reflects noticeably more light than Ocean Abyss (LRV 7), a difference of 13 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Both lean blue, so they'll behave similarly in mixed or changing light conditions. With a ΔE of 21.6, 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 6 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Blue Square vs Ocean Abyss in Real Spaces
6 real rooms side by side. Seeing Blue Square and Ocean Abyss 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 Square will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Ocean Abyss 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 Square reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Ocean Abyss.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Blue Square reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Ocean Abyss.
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 Square reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Ocean Abyss.
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 Square reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Ocean Abyss.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Blue Square reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Ocean Abyss.
Color Details
Blue Square vs Ocean Abyss Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Blue Square on one side and Ocean Abyss 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 Square comparisons
See how Blue Square stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 69 vs 20, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 20), opening up a space where Blue Square encloses it.
Blue Square reflects far more light (LRV 20 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 20, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
A 11-point LRV gap (30 vs 20) makes Evergreen Fog the marginally brighter of the two.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 20), opening up a space where Blue Square encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 20, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 20), opening up a space where Blue Square encloses it.
Denim Drift reads slightly lighter (LRV 27 vs 20), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 43 vs 20, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 20 vs 4, Blue Square is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 20), opening up a space where Blue Square encloses it.
Blue Square reads slightly lighter (LRV 20 vs 13), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 20), opening up a space where Blue Square encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 20, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 21 vs 20), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 20), opening up a space where Blue Square encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 20), opening up a space where Blue Square encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 20), opening up a space where Blue Square encloses it.
At LRV 51 vs 20, Pigeon is decisively the brighter choice.
Blue Square reads slightly lighter (LRV 20 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Blue Square reads slightly lighter (LRV 20 vs 8), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 20), opening up a space where Blue Square encloses it.
At LRV 41 vs 20, Dix Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Blue Square reads slightly lighter (LRV 20 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 20), opening up a space where Blue Square encloses it.
A 11-point LRV gap (31 vs 20) makes Pale Green the marginally brighter of the two.