Buffed Plum vs Dix Blue
Buffed Plum is a Cloverdale Paint color while Dix Blue comes from Farrow & Ball. These are both blue-greys, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within blue-grey to land. At LRV 45 vs 41, Buffed Plum will read as the brighter of the two — a 4-point gap that matters most in north-facing or low-light rooms. At ΔE 11.4, these are genuinely distinct colors — a strong contrast if used together, or a meaningful choice between two different directions. Below you'll find 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Buffed Plum vs Dix Blue in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Buffed Plum 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
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. Buffed Plum has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Bedroom
Bedroom walls are often seen under warm artificial light, a context that shifts both colors from how they look on a chip. The brightness difference is modest but present — Buffed Plum gives the walls a little more lift.
Dining Room
Dining room light is typically the warmest in the house, which shifts both colors toward the red end of the spectrum compared to daylight. Buffed Plum reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Bathroom
Bathrooms amplify color — the enclosed space and reflective surfaces make what reads subtle elsewhere feel more present here. The brightness difference is modest but present — Buffed Plum gives the walls a little more lift.
Color Details
Buffed Plum vs Dix Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Buffed Plum 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 Buffed Plum comparisons
See how Buffed Plum stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 45), opening up a space where Buffed Plum encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 45, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 45 vs 6, Buffed Plum is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reads slightly lighter (LRV 52 vs 45), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Buffed Plum reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
A 7-point LRV gap (52 vs 45) makes Mizzle the marginally brighter of the two.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 45), opening up a space where Buffed Plum encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 45, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 45 vs 27, Buffed Plum is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 45 and 43, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Buffed Plum reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
A 10-point LRV gap (55 vs 45) makes Tranquil Dawn the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 45 vs 13, Buffed Plum is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 45 vs 44), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 45), opening up a space where Buffed Plum encloses it.
Buffed Plum reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 45, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 45, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 45, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Pigeon reads slightly lighter (LRV 51 vs 45), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 45 vs 12, Buffed Plum is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 45 vs 8, Buffed Plum is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 45, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 45 vs 12, Buffed Plum is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 45 vs 45), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Buffed Plum reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Buffed Plum reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.