Barely Teal vs French Gray
Where Barely Teal belongs to Benjamin Moore's range, French Gray is a Farrow & Ball color. Barely Teal reads as blue, while French Gray reads as beige-greige — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Barely Teal (LRV 81) reflects noticeably more light than French Gray (LRV 43), a difference of 38 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Barely Teal 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 26.5, 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 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Barely Teal vs French Gray in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Seeing Barely Teal 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 Barely Teal will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than French Gray 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. Barely Teal reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than French Gray.
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. Barely Teal reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than French Gray.
Front Door
A front door is a focal point — small color differences read clearly at this concentrated scale. The LRV gap is large enough that Barely Teal will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than French Gray would.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Barely Teal reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than French Gray.
Color Details
Barely Teal vs French Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Barely Teal 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 Barely Teal comparisons
See how Barely Teal stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 83 vs 81), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Barely Teal reflects far more light (LRV 81 vs 69), opening up a space where Ammonite encloses it.
At LRV 81 vs 6, Barely Teal is decisively the brighter choice.
Barely Teal reflects far more light (LRV 81 vs 52), opening up a space where Purbeck Stone encloses it.
Barely Teal reflects far more light (LRV 81 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
At LRV 81 vs 52, Barely Teal is decisively the brighter choice.
Barely Teal reflects far more light (LRV 81 vs 60), opening up a space where Agreeable Gray encloses it.
At LRV 81 vs 58, Barely Teal is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 81 vs 27, Barely Teal is decisively the brighter choice.
Barely Teal reflects far more light (LRV 81 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 81 vs 55, Barely Teal is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 81 vs 13, Barely Teal is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 81 vs 44, Barely Teal is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 84 and 81, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Barely Teal reflects far more light (LRV 81 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
At LRV 81 vs 66, Barely Teal is decisively the brighter choice.
A 7-point LRV gap (81 vs 74) makes Barely Teal the marginally brighter of the two.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 83 vs 81), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 81 vs 12, Barely Teal is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 81 vs 68, Barely Teal is decisively the brighter choice.
Barely Teal reflects far more light (LRV 81 vs 41), opening up a space where Dix Blue encloses it.
Barely Teal reflects far more light (LRV 81 vs 68), opening up a space where Calamine encloses it.
Barely Teal reflects far more light (LRV 81 vs 25), opening up a space where Treron encloses it.
At LRV 81 vs 12, Barely Teal is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 81 vs 45, Barely Teal is decisively the brighter choice.
Barely Teal reflects far more light (LRV 81 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Barely Teal reflects far more light (LRV 81 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Barely Teal reflects far more light (LRV 81 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
Barely Teal reflects far more light (LRV 81 vs 57), opening up a space where Guilford Green encloses it.
Barely Teal reads slightly lighter (LRV 81 vs 72), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.