Oval Room Blue vs RAL 180-M
Where Oval Room Blue belongs to Farrow & Ball's range, RAL 180-M is a RAL Effect color. These are both blue-greys, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within blue-grey to land. RAL 180-M (LRV 35) reflects noticeably more light than Oval Room Blue (LRV 32), a difference of 3 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. The ΔE 5.3 gap is real but not dramatic — close enough to use together, distinct enough to matter as a choice. Below you'll find 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Oval Room Blue vs RAL 180-M in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Oval Room Blue and RAL 180-M are close enough that the difference can be hard to judge from a chip alone — these photos show how each reads at scale, across different spaces and lighting conditions.
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 brightness difference is modest but present — RAL 180-M gives the walls a little more lift.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. RAL 180-M reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
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. RAL 180-M reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. RAL 180-M reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Color Details
Oval Room Blue vs RAL 180-M Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Oval Room Blue on one side and RAL 180-M 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 Oval Room Blue comparisons
See how Oval Room Blue stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 69 vs 32, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 32), opening up a space where Oval Room Blue encloses it.
Oval Room Blue reflects far more light (LRV 32 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 32, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 32 vs 30), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 32), opening up a space where Oval Room Blue encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 32, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 32), opening up a space where Oval Room Blue encloses it.
Oval Room Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 32 vs 27), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 11-point LRV gap (43 vs 32) makes French Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 32 vs 4, Oval Room Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 32), opening up a space where Oval Room Blue encloses it.
Oval Room Blue reflects far more light (LRV 32 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
Hardwick White reads slightly lighter (LRV 44 vs 32), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 84 vs 32, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
A 11-point LRV gap (32 vs 21) makes Oval Room Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 32), opening up a space where Oval Room Blue encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 32), opening up a space where Oval Room Blue encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 32), opening up a space where Oval Room Blue encloses it.
At LRV 51 vs 32, Pigeon is decisively the brighter choice.
Oval Room Blue reflects far more light (LRV 32 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Oval Room Blue reflects far more light (LRV 32 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 32), opening up a space where Oval Room Blue encloses it.
A 9-point LRV gap (41 vs 32) makes Dix Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
Oval Room Blue reflects far more light (LRV 32 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 32), opening up a space where Oval Room Blue encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 32 vs 31), so neither reads brighter in a room.