Gardenia vs Hollyhock
Gardenia (Benjamin Moore) and Hollyhock (Little Greene) come from different manufacturers. Both sit in the beige family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Gardenia has an LRV of 85. Both share a red character, which means they'll respond to light and surrounding materials in similar ways. A ΔE of 1.0 puts them in subtle territory — distinguishable in direct comparison, less so from across a room. Below you'll find 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Gardenia vs Hollyhock in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Gardenia and Hollyhock 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. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
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. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Color Details
Gardenia vs Hollyhock Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Gardenia on one side and Hollyhock 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 Gardenia comparisons
See how Gardenia stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 85 vs 83), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Gardenia reflects far more light (LRV 85 vs 52), opening up a space where Purbeck Stone encloses it.
Gardenia reflects far more light (LRV 85 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
Gardenia reflects far more light (LRV 85 vs 60), opening up a space where Agreeable Gray encloses it.
At LRV 85 vs 58, Gardenia is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 85 vs 27, Gardenia is decisively the brighter choice.
Gardenia reflects far more light (LRV 85 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
At LRV 85 vs 55, Gardenia is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 85 vs 44, Gardenia is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 85 and 84, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 85 vs 66, Gardenia is decisively the brighter choice.
A 11-point LRV gap (85 vs 74) makes Gardenia the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 85 vs 12, Gardenia is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 85 vs 8, Gardenia is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 85 vs 68, Gardenia is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 85 vs 12, Gardenia is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 85 vs 45, Gardenia is decisively the brighter choice.
Gardenia reflects far more light (LRV 85 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.