Chic Taupe vs French Gray
Where Chic Taupe belongs to Behr's range, French Gray is a Farrow & Ball color. Both sit in the beige-greige family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. French Gray (LRV 43) reflects noticeably more light than Chic Taupe (LRV 33), a difference of 10 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Chic Taupe runs red while French Gray is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 11.0, 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 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Chic Taupe vs French Gray in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Chic Taupe 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 Chic Taupe would.
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. French Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Chic Taupe.
Color Details
Chic Taupe vs French Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Chic Taupe 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 Chic Taupe comparisons
See how Chic Taupe stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 33, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 33), opening up a space where Chic Taupe encloses it.
At LRV 33 vs 6, Chic Taupe is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 33), opening up a space where Chic Taupe encloses it.
With LRVs of 33 and 30, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 52 vs 33, Mizzle is decisively the brighter choice.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 33), opening up a space where Chic Taupe encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 33, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
A 6-point LRV gap (33 vs 27) makes Chic Taupe the marginally brighter of the two.
Chic Taupe reflects far more light (LRV 33 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 33, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 33 vs 13, Chic Taupe is decisively the brighter choice.
A 11-point LRV gap (44 vs 33) makes Hardwick White the marginally brighter of the two.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 33), opening up a space where Chic Taupe encloses it.
Chic Taupe reads slightly lighter (LRV 33 vs 21), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 66 vs 33, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 33, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 33, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 33 vs 12, Chic Taupe is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 33, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Dix Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 41 vs 33), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Calamine reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 33), opening up a space where Chic Taupe encloses it.
Chic Taupe reads slightly lighter (LRV 33 vs 25), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 33 vs 12, Chic Taupe is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 45 vs 33, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 33 and 31, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Chic Taupe reflects far more light (LRV 33 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Chic Taupe reads slightly lighter (LRV 33 vs 24), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Guilford Green reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 33), opening up a space where Chic Taupe encloses it.
Just Walnut reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 33), opening up a space where Chic Taupe encloses it.