Paean Black vs Hicks' Blue
Where Paean Black belongs to Farrow & Ball's range, Hicks' Blue is a Little Greene color. Hue-wise, Paean Black belongs to the grey family and Hicks' Blue to the blue family. Paean Black has an LRV of 6. Paean Black runs neutral while Hicks' Blue is decidedly blue, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 14.1, 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.
Paean Black vs Hicks' Blue in Real Spaces
6 real rooms side by side. Seeing Paean Black and Hicks' 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.
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. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
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. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Front Door
A front door is a focal point — small color differences read clearly at this concentrated scale. 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.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Color Details
Paean Black vs Hicks' Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Paean Black on one side and Hicks' 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 Paean Black comparisons
See how Paean Black stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 69 vs 6, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 6), opening up a space where Paean Black encloses it.
With LRVs of 6 and 6, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 52 vs 6, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 30 vs 6, Evergreen Fog is decisively the brighter choice.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 6), opening up a space where Paean Black encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 6, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 6), opening up a space where Paean Black encloses it.
Denim Drift reflects far more light (LRV 27 vs 6), opening up a space where Paean Black encloses it.
At LRV 43 vs 6, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 6 vs 4), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 6), opening up a space where Paean Black encloses it.
Bancha reads slightly lighter (LRV 13 vs 6), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 6), opening up a space where Paean Black encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 6, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 21 vs 6, Artichoke is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 6), opening up a space where Paean Black encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 6), opening up a space where Paean Black encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 6), opening up a space where Paean Black encloses it.
At LRV 51 vs 6, Pigeon is decisively the brighter choice.
Pewter Green reads slightly lighter (LRV 12 vs 6), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
With LRVs of 8 and 6, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 6), opening up a space where Paean Black encloses it.
At LRV 41 vs 6, Dix Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Vintage Vogue reads slightly lighter (LRV 12 vs 6), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 6), opening up a space where Paean Black encloses it.
At LRV 31 vs 6, Pale Green is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 7 vs 6), so neither reads brighter in a room.