Charcoal Slate vs Mizzle
Charcoal Slate (Benjamin Moore) and Mizzle (Farrow & Ball) come from different manufacturers. These are both greys, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within grey to land. The 37-point LRV gap — 52 for Mizzle vs 15 for Charcoal Slate — means Mizzle will open up a space more effectively. Where Charcoal Slate leans blue, Mizzle reads warm — a distinction that shifts noticeably depending on the light source and surrounding finishes. A ΔE of 35.7 puts these firmly in different territory — two distinct design choices rather than close alternatives. Below you'll find 9 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Charcoal Slate vs Mizzle in Real Spaces
9 real rooms side by side. Seeing Charcoal Slate and Mizzle 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
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. Mizzle reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Charcoal Slate.
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. Mizzle returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. Mizzle returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Dining Room
Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. The LRV gap is large enough that Mizzle will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Charcoal Slate would.
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. Mizzle returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Home Office
Home office walls matter more than most — you're looking at them all day, and a color that reads fine at first can become tiring over time. Mizzle returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
House
A full exterior is the most demanding test for a paint color — scale and outdoor light both amplify differences that seem small on a swatch. Mizzle returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Front Door
On a front door, the color is both the first and last thing you see — a context where even a modest tonal difference reads clearly. Mizzle reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Charcoal Slate.
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. Mizzle returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Color Details
Charcoal Slate vs Mizzle Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Charcoal Slate on one side and Mizzle 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 Charcoal Slate comparisons
See how Charcoal Slate stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 15), opening up a space where Charcoal Slate encloses it.
At LRV 69 vs 15, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
Charcoal Slate reads slightly lighter (LRV 15 vs 6), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 52 vs 15, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 30 vs 15, Evergreen Fog is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 60 vs 15, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 15), opening up a space where Charcoal Slate encloses it.
Denim Drift reflects far more light (LRV 27 vs 15), opening up a space where Charcoal Slate encloses it.
At LRV 43 vs 15, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
A 10-point LRV gap (15 vs 4) makes Charcoal Slate the marginally brighter of the two.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 15), opening up a space where Charcoal Slate encloses it.
With LRVs of 15 and 13, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 15), opening up a space where Charcoal Slate encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 15, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
A 7-point LRV gap (21 vs 15) makes Artichoke the marginally brighter of the two.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 15), opening up a space where Charcoal Slate encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 15), opening up a space where Charcoal Slate encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 15), opening up a space where Charcoal Slate encloses it.
With LRVs of 15 and 12, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 15), opening up a space where Charcoal Slate encloses it.
At LRV 41 vs 15, Dix Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 15, Calamine is decisively the brighter choice.
A 10-point LRV gap (25 vs 15) makes Treron the marginally brighter of the two.
With LRVs of 15 and 12, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 15), opening up a space where Charcoal Slate encloses it.
At LRV 31 vs 15, Pale Green is decisively the brighter choice.
A 8-point LRV gap (15 vs 7) makes Charcoal Slate the marginally brighter of the two.
A 10-point LRV gap (24 vs 15) makes Cement grey the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 57 vs 15, Guilford Green is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 72 vs 15, Just Walnut is decisively the brighter choice.