Cheating Heart vs Hardwick White
Cheating Heart (Benjamin Moore) and Hardwick White (Farrow & Ball) come from different manufacturers. Cheating Heart reads as grey, while Hardwick White reads as greige-grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. The 35-point LRV gap — 44 for Hardwick White vs 9 for Cheating Heart — means Hardwick White will open up a space more effectively. Where Cheating Heart leans blue, Hardwick White reads warm — a distinction that shifts noticeably depending on the light source and surrounding finishes. A ΔE of 40.2 puts these firmly in different territory — two distinct design choices rather than close alternatives. Below you'll find 7 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Cheating Heart vs Hardwick White in Real Spaces
7 real rooms side by side. Seeing Cheating Heart and Hardwick White 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. Hardwick White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Cheating Heart.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. Hardwick White 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 Hardwick White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Cheating Heart 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. Hardwick White 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. Hardwick White 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. Hardwick White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Cheating Heart.
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. Hardwick White returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Color Details
Cheating Heart vs Hardwick White Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Cheating Heart 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 Cheating Heart comparisons
See how Cheating Heart stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 69 vs 9, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 9), opening up a space where Cheating Heart encloses it.
Cheating Heart reads slightly lighter (LRV 9 vs 6), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 52 vs 9, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 30 vs 9, Evergreen Fog is decisively the brighter choice.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 9), opening up a space where Cheating Heart encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 9, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 9), opening up a space where Cheating Heart encloses it.
Denim Drift reflects far more light (LRV 27 vs 9), opening up a space where Cheating Heart encloses it.
At LRV 43 vs 9, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (9 vs 4) makes Cheating Heart the marginally brighter of the two.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 9), opening up a space where Cheating Heart encloses it.
Bancha reads slightly lighter (LRV 13 vs 9), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 84 vs 9, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 21 vs 9, Artichoke is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 9), opening up a space where Cheating Heart encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 9), opening up a space where Cheating Heart encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 9), opening up a space where Cheating Heart encloses it.
At LRV 51 vs 9, Pigeon is decisively the brighter choice.
Pewter Green reads slightly lighter (LRV 12 vs 9), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
With LRVs of 9 and 8, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 9), opening up a space where Cheating Heart encloses it.
At LRV 41 vs 9, Dix Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Vintage Vogue reads slightly lighter (LRV 12 vs 9), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 9), opening up a space where Cheating Heart encloses it.
At LRV 31 vs 9, Pale Green is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 9 vs 7), so neither reads brighter in a room.