Perfect Taupe vs Hardwick White
Perfect Taupe (Behr) and Hardwick White (Farrow & Ball) come from different manufacturers. These are both greige-greys, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within greige-grey to land. Their light reflectance values are nearly the same — 42 vs 44 — so neither will read significantly brighter or darker than the other. Where Perfect Taupe leans red, Hardwick White reads warm — a distinction that shifts noticeably depending on the light source and surrounding finishes. A ΔE of 2.3 puts them in subtle territory — distinguishable in direct comparison, less so from across a room. Below you'll find 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Perfect Taupe vs Hardwick White in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Perfect Taupe and Hardwick White are close enough that the difference can be hard to judge from a chip alone — these photos show how each reads at scale, across different spaces and lighting conditions.
Living Room
A living room wall sees more varied light than almost any other surface in the house, which makes the choice between these two more nuanced than a chip suggests. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Bedroom
Bedrooms are typically lit with warmer, lower light than the rest of the house — a condition that flatters warm tones and deepens cool ones. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Dining Room
Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Kitchen Cabinets
Cabinet color is always seen in context — against countertops, backsplash, and hardware — which amplifies undertone differences that might disappear on a plain wall. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Color Details
Perfect Taupe vs Hardwick White Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Perfect Taupe on one side and Hardwick White 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 Perfect Taupe comparisons
See how Perfect Taupe stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 42, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 42), opening up a space where Perfect Taupe encloses it.
At LRV 42 vs 6, Perfect Taupe is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reads slightly lighter (LRV 52 vs 42), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Perfect Taupe reads slightly lighter (LRV 42 vs 30), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 9-point LRV gap (52 vs 42) makes Mizzle the marginally brighter of the two.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 42), opening up a space where Perfect Taupe encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 42, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 42 vs 27, Perfect Taupe is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 43 and 42, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Perfect Taupe reflects far more light (LRV 42 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 42, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 42 vs 13, Perfect Taupe is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 42), opening up a space where Perfect Taupe encloses it.
Perfect Taupe reflects far more light (LRV 42 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 42, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 42, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 42, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 42 vs 12, Perfect Taupe is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 42, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 42 and 41, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Calamine reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 42), opening up a space where Perfect Taupe encloses it.
Perfect Taupe reflects far more light (LRV 42 vs 25), opening up a space where Treron encloses it.
At LRV 42 vs 12, Perfect Taupe is decisively the brighter choice.
A 3-point LRV gap (45 vs 42) makes Saybrook Sage the marginally brighter of the two.
Perfect Taupe reads slightly lighter (LRV 42 vs 31), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Perfect Taupe reflects far more light (LRV 42 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Perfect Taupe reflects far more light (LRV 42 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
Guilford Green reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 42), opening up a space where Perfect Taupe encloses it.
Just Walnut reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 42), opening up a space where Perfect Taupe encloses it.