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Q&A / Brands / Is there a cheaper alternative to Edward Bulmer Ethereal Blu…
Brands · answered by Fini

Is there a cheaper alternative to Edward Bulmer Ethereal Blue?

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Quick answer

Yes — COAT's Hamilton is the closest cheaper alternative at ΔE 2.4, and Dulux Highland Falls 3 isn't far behind at ΔE 2.6. Both are near-identical to the naked eye and a fraction of the price.

Edward Bulmer makes lovely paint — proper natural pigments, plant-based, genuinely breathable. But it's premium-priced, and if it's purely the *colour* of Ethereal Blue you're after, you've got two cracking alternatives that come in cheaper.

The best match is COAT::Hamilton at ΔE 2.4 from the original. Anything under 2.5 is what we'd call very close — you'd struggle to tell them apart on a wall. COAT is water-based, low-VOC, and sells direct so the pricing is sharp. Hamilton sits at LRV 48.1, so it bounces a fair bit of light around — a softly luminous mid-blue that'll feel calm rather than cold.

Close behind is Dulux::Highland Falls 3 at ΔE 2.6, with an LRV of 45.5. That's a hair more measured than the original, and Dulux availability means you can grab a tester from any decorator's merchant tomorrow. For the money, it's a sensible shout.

I'd steer you away from Crown::Curiosity here — at ΔE 5.4 and LRV 37.2 it's noticeably darker and reads as a different, deeper colour entirely. Not a match, even if it's in the same family.

Now, the honest caveat: a ΔE match gets you the colour, not the finish. Edward Bulmer's pigments give a particular chalky, light-absorbing depth that the cheaper acrylics won't replicate exactly, especially in low north-facing light. If Ethereal Blue is going on a feature wall you'll live with closely, order testers of both Hamilton and Highland Falls 3 and paint them up big — A4 minimum, two coats, viewed morning and evening.

If breathability and natural ingredients were the *reason* you wanted Edward Bulmer in the first place, don't swap — you'd be losing the point. But if it's just the blue you love, Hamilton gets you there for less.

Colours from the answer

LRV 44
Edward Bulmer
Ethereal Blue
LRV 45.5
Dulux
Highland Falls 3
LRV 37.2
Crown
Curiosity
LRV 48.1
COAT
Hamilton

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