Pencil Sketch vs French Gray
Pencil Sketch is a Behr color while French Gray comes from Farrow & Ball. Hue-wise, Pencil Sketch belongs to the grey family and French Gray to the beige-greige family. At LRV 43 vs 33, French Gray will read as the brighter of the two — a 10-point gap that matters most in north-facing or low-light rooms. The tonal difference — Pencil Sketch's blue character against French Gray's warm — becomes most visible against white trim or in morning light. At ΔE 15.3, these are genuinely distinct colors — a strong contrast if used together, or a meaningful choice between two different directions. Below you'll find 1 real-room photo comparison where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Pencil Sketch vs French Gray in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. Seeing Pencil Sketch 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.
House
At full exterior scale, the difference between these two colors becomes much easier to judge than from a small chip. The LRV gap is large enough that French Gray will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Pencil Sketch would.
Color Details
Pencil Sketch vs French Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Pencil Sketch 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 Pencil Sketch comparisons
See how Pencil Sketch stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
