French Country Blue
36BB 46/231 · #9BB3DD · LRV 46 — cool blue tone, mid-tone — versatile but shifts visibly with light.
- 1Charcoal Blue19
- 2Resolute Blue40
- 3French Country Blue46
- 4Honolulu Blue62
- 5After Rain68
What Color Is French Country Blue, Really?
French Country Blue reads as a cool blue tone — mid-tone — versatile but shifts visibly with light. The notes below cover how Glidden 36BB 46/231 behaves in different light and the closest matches at competing US brands.
Best Rooms and Uses for French Country Blue
French Country Blue is versatile enough for full rooms but has enough depth to anchor a space, so it suits living rooms, bedrooms and cabinetry alike. Blues calm a room, which makes them popular in bedrooms, bathrooms and home offices.
How Lighting Changes French Country Blue
French Country Blue sits in the mid-range at LRV 46, so it shifts visibly through the day — lighter and more open in morning light, deeper and moodier after dark. 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. South-facing rooms will pull it lighter and warmer, while north light cools it down.
Most complaints about French Country 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 Glidden 36BB 46/231 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherwin-Williams | Awesome VioletSW 6815 · Sherwin-Williams | 4.5 | 45 | Color page → |
| Behr | Veranda Iris620D-4 · Behr | 1.8 | 43 | Color page → |
| Benjamin Moore | Summer Blue2067-50 · Benjamin Moore | 2.5 | 45 | Color page → |
| Valspar | Wings of PegasusV073-3 · Valspar | 2.7 | 42.3 | Color page → |
| PPG / Glidden | SuenosPPG17-01 · PPG / Glidden | 1.8 | 41 | Color page → |
| HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams | Gentry VioletHGSW 1404 · HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams | 4.5 | 45 | Color page → |
Similar Glidden Colors
The nearest shades to French Country Blue within Glidden'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 #9BB3DD in HSL space. Pair French Country Blue with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.
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