Cromwell Gray vs Purbeck Stone
Where Cromwell Gray belongs to Benjamin Moore's range, Purbeck Stone is a Farrow & Ball color. Both sit in the greige-grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Purbeck Stone (LRV 52) reflects noticeably more light than Cromwell Gray (LRV 20), a difference of 32 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Cromwell Gray runs red while Purbeck Stone is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 27.3, 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 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Cromwell Gray vs Purbeck Stone in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Cromwell Gray and Purbeck Stone 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 Purbeck Stone will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Cromwell 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. Purbeck Stone reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Cromwell 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. Purbeck Stone reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Cromwell Gray.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Purbeck Stone reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Cromwell Gray.
Color Details
Cromwell Gray vs Purbeck Stone Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Cromwell Gray 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 Cromwell Gray comparisons
See how Cromwell Gray stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 20), opening up a space where Cromwell Gray encloses it.
At LRV 69 vs 20, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
Cromwell Gray reflects far more light (LRV 20 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
A 11-point LRV gap (30 vs 20) makes Evergreen Fog the marginally brighter of the two.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 20), opening up a space where Cromwell Gray encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 20, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 20), opening up a space where Cromwell Gray encloses it.
Denim Drift reads slightly lighter (LRV 27 vs 20), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 43 vs 20, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 20 vs 4, Cromwell Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 20), opening up a space where Cromwell Gray encloses it.
Cromwell Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 20 vs 13), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 20), opening up a space where Cromwell Gray encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 20, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 21 vs 20), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 20), opening up a space where Cromwell Gray encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 20), opening up a space where Cromwell Gray encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 20), opening up a space where Cromwell Gray encloses it.
Cromwell Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 20 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 20), opening up a space where Cromwell Gray encloses it.
At LRV 41 vs 20, Dix Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 20, Calamine is decisively the brighter choice.
A 5-point LRV gap (25 vs 20) makes Treron the marginally brighter of the two.
Cromwell Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 20 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 20), opening up a space where Cromwell Gray encloses it.
A 12-point LRV gap (31 vs 20) makes Pale Green the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 20 vs 7, Cromwell Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
A 5-point LRV gap (24 vs 20) makes Cement grey the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 57 vs 20, Guilford Green is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 72 vs 20, Just Walnut is decisively the brighter choice.