Boulder vs Dix Blue
Boulder (Cloverdale Paint) and Dix Blue (Farrow & Ball) come from different manufacturers. Hue-wise, Boulder belongs to the beige-greige family and Dix Blue to the blue-grey family. Their light reflectance values are nearly the same — 39 vs 41 — so neither will read significantly brighter or darker than the other. A ΔE of 16.3 puts these firmly in different territory — two distinct design choices rather than close alternatives. Below you'll find 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Boulder vs Dix Blue in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Boulder and Dix 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
A living room wall sees more varied light than almost any other surface in the house, which makes the choice between these two more nuanced than a chip suggests. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Bedroom
Bedrooms are typically lit with warmer, lower light than the rest of the house — a condition that flatters warm tones and deepens cool ones. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
Dining Room
Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. Side by side like this, the difference is easy to read — which is exactly why seeing them in a real space is more useful than comparing chips.
Bathroom
Small bathrooms intensify color. A shade that seems quiet in a larger room can feel immersive when you're surrounded by it on four walls. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
Color Details
Boulder vs Dix Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Boulder on one side and Dix 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.
More Boulder comparisons
See how Boulder stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 39, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 39), opening up a space where Boulder encloses it.
Boulder reads slightly lighter (LRV 39 vs 30), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 39), opening up a space where Boulder encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 39, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
A 12-point LRV gap (39 vs 27) makes Boulder the marginally brighter of the two.
French Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 43 vs 39), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 55 vs 39, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
A 5-point LRV gap (44 vs 39) makes Hardwick White the marginally brighter of the two.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 39), opening up a space where Boulder encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 39, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 39, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 39 vs 12, Boulder is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 39 vs 8, Boulder is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 39, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 39 vs 12, Boulder is decisively the brighter choice.
A 7-point LRV gap (45 vs 39) makes Saybrook Sage the marginally brighter of the two.
Boulder reads slightly lighter (LRV 39 vs 31), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Boulder reflects far more light (LRV 39 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.