Cathedral Gray vs Denim Drift
Where Cathedral Gray belongs to Behr's range, Denim Drift is a Dulux color. Hue-wise, Cathedral Gray belongs to the grey family and Denim Drift to the blue-grey family. Cathedral Gray (LRV 40) reflects noticeably more light than Denim Drift (LRV 27), a difference of 13 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Cathedral Gray runs red while Denim Drift is decidedly cool, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 15.3, 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 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Cathedral Gray vs Denim Drift in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing Cathedral Gray and Denim Drift 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. The LRV gap is large enough that Cathedral Gray will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Denim Drift would.
Dining Room
A dining room lit by a dimmed pendant or candles is one of the most forgiving environments for paint — warm light softens almost everything. Cathedral Gray returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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. Cathedral Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Denim Drift.
Color Details
Cathedral Gray vs Denim Drift Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Cathedral Gray on one side and Denim Drift 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 Cathedral Gray comparisons
See how Cathedral Gray stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 40), opening up a space where Cathedral Gray encloses it.
At LRV 69 vs 40, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
Cathedral Gray reflects far more light (LRV 40 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
A 11-point LRV gap (52 vs 40) makes Purbeck Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
A 10-point LRV gap (40 vs 30) makes Cathedral Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
Mizzle reads slightly lighter (LRV 52 vs 40), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 60 vs 40, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 40), opening up a space where Cathedral Gray encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 43 vs 40), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 40 vs 4, Cathedral Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 40), opening up a space where Cathedral Gray encloses it.
Cathedral Gray reflects far more light (LRV 40 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
Hardwick White reads slightly lighter (LRV 44 vs 40), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 84 vs 40, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 40 vs 21, Cathedral Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 40), opening up a space where Cathedral Gray encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 40), opening up a space where Cathedral Gray encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 40), opening up a space where Cathedral Gray encloses it.
Cathedral Gray reflects far more light (LRV 40 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 40), opening up a space where Cathedral Gray encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 41 vs 40), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 68 vs 40, Calamine is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 40 vs 25, Cathedral Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Cathedral Gray reflects far more light (LRV 40 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Saybrook Sage reads slightly lighter (LRV 45 vs 40), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 9-point LRV gap (40 vs 31) makes Cathedral Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 40 vs 7, Cathedral Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 40 vs 24, Cathedral Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 57 vs 40, Guilford Green is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 72 vs 40, Just Walnut is decisively the brighter choice.