Champlain Blue vs French Gray
Where Champlain Blue belongs to Behr's range, French Gray is a Farrow & Ball color. Champlain Blue reads as blue, while French Gray reads as beige-greige — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. French Gray (LRV 43) reflects noticeably more light than Champlain Blue (LRV 9), a difference of 34 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Champlain Blue runs blue while French Gray is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 47.8, 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.
Champlain Blue vs French Gray in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing Champlain Blue and French Gray 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 French Gray will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Champlain Blue would.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. French Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Champlain Blue.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. French Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Champlain Blue.
Color Details
Champlain Blue vs French Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Champlain Blue on one side and French Gray 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 Champlain Blue comparisons
See how Champlain Blue stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 9), opening up a space where Champlain Blue encloses it.
At LRV 69 vs 9, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
Champlain Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 9 vs 6), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 52 vs 9, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 30 vs 9, Evergreen Fog is decisively the brighter choice.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 9), opening up a space where Champlain Blue encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 9, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 9), opening up a space where Champlain Blue encloses it.
Denim Drift reflects far more light (LRV 27 vs 9), opening up a space where Champlain Blue encloses it.
A 4-point LRV gap (9 vs 4) makes Champlain Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 9), opening up a space where Champlain Blue encloses it.
Bancha reads slightly lighter (LRV 13 vs 9), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 9), opening up a space where Champlain Blue encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 9, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 21 vs 9, Artichoke is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 9), opening up a space where Champlain Blue encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 9), opening up a space where Champlain Blue encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 9), opening up a space where Champlain Blue encloses it.
With LRVs of 12 and 9, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 9), opening up a space where Champlain Blue encloses it.
At LRV 41 vs 9, Dix Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 9, Calamine is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 25 vs 9, Treron is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 12 and 9, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 9), opening up a space where Champlain Blue encloses it.
At LRV 31 vs 9, Pale Green is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 9 vs 7), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 24 vs 9, Cement grey is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 57 vs 9, Guilford Green is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 72 vs 9, Just Walnut is decisively the brighter choice.