Japonica vs Dix Blue
Where Japonica belongs to Cloverdale Paint's range, Dix Blue is a Farrow & Ball color. Hue-wise, Japonica belongs to the beige family and Dix Blue to the blue-grey family. They have nearly identical light reflectance values (42 vs 41), so they'll read as similarly Medium in most lighting conditions. With a ΔE of 54.5, 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 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Japonica vs Dix Blue in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Japonica 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
In a living room, color works across both daylight and evening light — the same wall can read very differently at noon and at 8pm. 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.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Dining Room
A dining room lit by a dimmed pendant or candles is one of the most forgiving environments for paint — warm light softens almost everything. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
Color Details
Japonica vs Dix Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Japonica 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 Japonica comparisons
See how Japonica stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 42, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reads slightly lighter (LRV 52 vs 42), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Japonica reads slightly lighter (LRV 42 vs 30), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 42), opening up a space where Japonica encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 42, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 42 vs 27, Japonica is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 43 and 42, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 55 vs 42, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 44 vs 42), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 42), opening up a space where Japonica encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 42, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 42, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 42 vs 12, Japonica is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 42 vs 8, Japonica is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 42, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 42 vs 12, Japonica is decisively the brighter choice.
A 3-point LRV gap (45 vs 42) makes Saybrook Sage the marginally brighter of the two.
Japonica reads slightly lighter (LRV 42 vs 31), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Japonica reflects far more light (LRV 42 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.