Zen vs Purbeck Stone
Zen (Behr) and Purbeck Stone (Farrow & Ball) come from different manufacturers. Hue-wise, Zen belongs to the green-grey family and Purbeck Stone to the greige-grey family. The 6-point LRV gap — 52 for Purbeck Stone vs 46 for Zen — means Purbeck Stone will open up a space more effectively. Where Zen leans green, Purbeck Stone reads warm — a distinction that shifts noticeably depending on the light source and surrounding finishes. ΔE 8.8 means they're clearly different, but not dramatically so — they'd pair well in the same room. Below you'll find 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Zen vs Purbeck Stone in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Zen and Purbeck Stone 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. Purbeck Stone reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Bathroom
Small bathrooms intensify color. A shade that seems quiet in a larger room can feel immersive when you're surrounded by it on four walls. Purbeck Stone has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Color Details
Zen vs Purbeck Stone Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Zen on one side and Purbeck Stone 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 Zen comparisons
See how Zen stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 46, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Zen reflects far more light (LRV 46 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 46), opening up a space where Zen encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 46, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 46 vs 27, Zen is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 46 and 43, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
A 9-point LRV gap (55 vs 46) makes Tranquil Dawn the marginally brighter of the two.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 46 vs 44), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 46), opening up a space where Zen encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 46, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 46, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 46 vs 12, Zen is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 46, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 46 vs 12, Zen is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 46 vs 45), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Zen reflects far more light (LRV 46 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Zen reflects far more light (LRV 46 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Zen reflects far more light (LRV 46 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
Guilford Green reads slightly lighter (LRV 57 vs 46), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Just Walnut reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 46), opening up a space where Zen encloses it.