Distant blue vs Down Pour
Where Distant blue belongs to RAL Classic's range, Down Pour is a Sherwin-Williams color. Both sit in the blue family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. They have nearly identical light reflectance values (16 vs 15), so they'll read as similarly Dark in most lighting conditions. The ΔE 6.9 gap is real but not dramatic — close enough to use together, distinct enough to matter as a choice. Below you'll find 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Distant blue vs Down Pour in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Distant blue and Down Pour 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.
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.
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
Distant blue vs Down Pour Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Distant blue on one side and Down Pour 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 Distant blue comparisons
See how Distant blue stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 69 vs 16, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 16), opening up a space where Distant blue encloses it.
Distant blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 16 vs 6), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 52 vs 16, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 30 vs 16, Evergreen Fog is decisively the brighter choice.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 16), opening up a space where Distant blue encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 16, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 16), opening up a space where Distant blue encloses it.
Denim Drift reads slightly lighter (LRV 27 vs 16), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 43 vs 16, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
A 12-point LRV gap (16 vs 4) makes Distant blue the marginally brighter of the two.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 16), opening up a space where Distant blue encloses it.
With LRVs of 16 and 13, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 16), opening up a space where Distant blue encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 16, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
A 5-point LRV gap (21 vs 16) makes Artichoke the marginally brighter of the two.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 16), opening up a space where Distant blue encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 16), opening up a space where Distant blue encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 16), opening up a space where Distant blue encloses it.
At LRV 51 vs 16, Pigeon is decisively the brighter choice.
Distant blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 16 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Distant blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 16 vs 8), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 16), opening up a space where Distant blue encloses it.
At LRV 41 vs 16, Dix Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Distant blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 16 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 16), opening up a space where Distant blue encloses it.
At LRV 31 vs 16, Pale Green is decisively the brighter choice.