Drawing Room Blue
No. 253 · #465172 · LRV 8 — cool blue tone, very dark — reads black in most rooms.
- 1Anchors Aweigh3
- 2Drawing Room Blue8
- 3Waterloo13
- 4Charcoal Blue19
What Color Is Drawing Room Blue, Really?
Drawing Room Blue reads as a cool blue tone — very dark — reads black in most rooms. The notes below cover how Farrow & Ball No. 253 behaves in different light and the closest matches at competing US brands.
Best Rooms and Uses for Drawing Room Blue
Drawing Room Blue earns its keep as a statement: accent walls, a front door, cabinetry, a moody powder room, or exterior trim where you want sharp contrast. Blues calm a room, which makes them popular in bedrooms, bathrooms and home offices.
How Lighting Changes Drawing Room Blue
At LRV 8, Drawing Room Blue is about as dark as paint gets — it reads near-black on a wall and reveals its character only in direct daylight or under warm bulbs. Its blue undertone is the part to watch: it gets picked up by whatever sits next to it, so test it against your trim, floor and the room's main light before committing. In rooms with little natural light it can feel heavy, so reserve it for spaces you want to feel enveloping.
Most complaints about Drawing Room Blue are a light mismatch. Upload a photo of your actual room and see it on your walls — then ask for the same wall in north light or evening lamps before you buy a single sample.
Need It From Another Brand?
Any paint counter can custom-tint Farrow & Ball No. 253 directly. If you would rather stay in one brand's own deck, these are the closest stock matches, measured as ΔE2000. Under 2 is a difference you will not see on the wall.
| Brand | Closest color | ΔE | LRV | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Behr | Signature BlueUL240-22 · Behr | 1.2 | 8 | Color page → |
| Benjamin Moore | Indi Go-GoCSP-565 · Benjamin Moore | 4.6 | 9 | Color page → |
| Valspar | Sapphire Earbobs8003-46F · Valspar | 3.4 | 9 | Color page → |
| PPG / Glidden | Royal HyacinthPPG1169-7 · PPG / Glidden | 2.9 | 7 | Color page → |
| Glidden | Rich Navy50BB 08/171 · Glidden | 2.1 | 8 | Color page → |
| Dutch Boy | Tranquility241-6DB · Dutch Boy | 1.9 | 9 | Color page → |
Similar Farrow & Ball Colors
The nearest shades to Drawing Room Blue within Farrow & Ball's own range, ranked by perceptual color distance — useful when you want the same look a touch lighter, darker, or warmer.
WCAG 2.1: AA is 4.5 : 1 for normal text, 3 : 1 for large text, AAA is 7 : 1.
Coordinated palette
Generated by hue-rotating #465172 in HSL space. Pair Drawing Room Blue with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.
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