Gray Mist vs French Gray

Gray MistBenjamin MoorevsFrench GrayFarrow & BallΔE 17.8Distinct difference

Where Gray Mist belongs to Benjamin Moore's range, French Gray is a Farrow & Ball color. These are both beige-greiges, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within beige-greige to land. Gray Mist (LRV 73) reflects noticeably more light than French Gray (LRV 43), a difference of 30 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Gray Mist runs yellow while French Gray is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 17.8, 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.

Gray Mist vs French Gray in Real Spaces

4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Gray Mist 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 Gray Mist will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than French Gray would.

Gray MistBenjamin Moore Gray Mist living room

@alabamahomeplace

French GrayFarrow and Ball 18 living room paint

@over_at_overview

Bedroom

The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. Gray Mist reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than French Gray.

Gray MistBenjamin Moore Gray Mist bedroom color review

@justinwilsonpainting

French GrayFarrow and Ball French Gray bedroom color review

@renovating_a_nightmare

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. Gray Mist reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than French Gray.

Gray MistGray Mist bathroom paint

@julienoe

French GrayFarrow and Ball French Gray bathroom review

@livingwithchlo_

Kitchen Cabinets

Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Gray Mist reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than French Gray.

Gray MistGray Mist kitchen cabinets review

@katie_gelsheimer_home

French GrayFrench Gray kitchen cabinets photo

@myfirstvictorianhome_247

Color Details

Gray Mist
Benjamin Moore · OC-30
Hex#E3DFD2
LRV72.8
BrandBenjamin Moore
NumberOC-30
UndertoneYellow
TemperatureWarm
BrightnessLight
French Gray
Farrow & Ball · 18
Hex#b5b19a
LRV43.3
BrandFarrow & Ball
Number18
Undertone
TemperatureWarm
BrightnessMedium

Gray Mist vs French Gray Simulated Comparison

5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Gray Mist on one side and French Gray on the other.

Bathroom
Bedroom
House
Kitchen Cabinets
Living Room

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 Gray Mist comparisons

See how Gray Mist stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.

Gray Mist
White Dove
Gray Mist vs White Dove
Gray Mist
White Dove
Benjamin Moore
Gray Mist
OC-30 · LRV 73

White Dove reads slightly lighter (LRV 83 vs 73), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.

Gray Mist
Ammonite
Gray Mist
Ammonite
Benjamin Moore
Gray Mist
OC-30 · LRV 73
Farrow & Ball
Ammonite
LRV 69

A 4-point LRV gap (73 vs 69) makes Gray Mist the marginally brighter of the two.

Gray Mist
Iron Ore
Gray Mist
Iron Ore
Benjamin Moore
Gray Mist
OC-30 · LRV 73

Gray Mist reflects far more light (LRV 73 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.

Gray Mist
Purbeck Stone
Gray Mist
Purbeck Stone
Benjamin Moore
Gray Mist
OC-30 · LRV 73

At LRV 73 vs 52, Gray Mist is decisively the brighter choice.

Gray Mist
Evergreen Fog
Gray Mist
Evergreen Fog
Benjamin Moore
Gray Mist
OC-30 · LRV 73

At LRV 73 vs 30, Gray Mist is decisively the brighter choice.

Gray Mist
Mizzle
Gray Mist
Mizzle
Benjamin Moore
Gray Mist
OC-30 · LRV 73
Farrow & Ball
Mizzle
LRV 52

Gray Mist reflects far more light (LRV 73 vs 52), opening up a space where Mizzle encloses it.

Gray Mist
Agreeable Gray
Gray Mist
Agreeable Gray
Benjamin Moore
Gray Mist
OC-30 · LRV 73

At LRV 73 vs 60, Gray Mist is decisively the brighter choice.

Gray Mist
Accessible Beige
Gray Mist
Accessible Beige
Benjamin Moore
Gray Mist
OC-30 · LRV 73

Gray Mist reflects far more light (LRV 73 vs 58), opening up a space where Accessible Beige encloses it.

Gray Mist
Denim Drift
Gray Mist
Denim Drift
Benjamin Moore
Gray Mist
OC-30 · LRV 73

Gray Mist reflects far more light (LRV 73 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.

Gray Mist
Naval
Gray Mist
Naval
Benjamin Moore
Gray Mist
OC-30 · LRV 73
Sherwin-Williams
Naval
LRV 4

At LRV 73 vs 4, Gray Mist is decisively the brighter choice.

Gray Mist
Tranquil Dawn
Gray Mist
Tranquil Dawn
Benjamin Moore
Gray Mist
OC-30 · LRV 73

Gray Mist reflects far more light (LRV 73 vs 55), opening up a space where Tranquil Dawn encloses it.

Gray Mist
Bancha
Gray Mist
Bancha
Benjamin Moore
Gray Mist
OC-30 · LRV 73
Farrow & Ball
Bancha
LRV 13

Gray Mist reflects far more light (LRV 73 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.

Gray Mist
Hardwick White
Gray Mist
Hardwick White
Benjamin Moore
Gray Mist
OC-30 · LRV 73

Gray Mist reflects far more light (LRV 73 vs 44), opening up a space where Hardwick White encloses it.

Gray Mist
Pure White
Gray Mist
Pure White
Benjamin Moore
Gray Mist
OC-30 · LRV 73

A 11-point LRV gap (84 vs 73) makes Pure White the marginally brighter of the two.

Gray Mist
Artichoke
Gray Mist
Artichoke
Benjamin Moore
Gray Mist
OC-30 · LRV 73
Sherwin-Williams
Artichoke
LRV 21

At LRV 73 vs 21, Gray Mist is decisively the brighter choice.

Balboa Mist
Gray Mist
Balboa Mist
Gray Mist
Benjamin Moore
Gray Mist
OC-30 · LRV 73

Gray Mist reads slightly lighter (LRV 73 vs 66), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.

Gray Mist
Shoji White
Gray Mist
Shoji White
Benjamin Moore
Gray Mist
OC-30 · LRV 73

With LRVs of 74 and 73, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.

Gray Mist
Snowbound
Gray Mist
Snowbound
Benjamin Moore
Gray Mist
OC-30 · LRV 73
Sherwin-Williams
Snowbound
LRV 83

Snowbound reads slightly lighter (LRV 83 vs 73), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.

Gray Mist
Pewter Green
Gray Mist
Pewter Green
Benjamin Moore
Gray Mist
OC-30 · LRV 73

Gray Mist reflects far more light (LRV 73 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.

Gray Mist
Skimming Stone
Gray Mist
Skimming Stone
Benjamin Moore
Gray Mist
OC-30 · LRV 73

Gray Mist reads slightly lighter (LRV 73 vs 68), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.

Gray Mist
Dix Blue
Gray Mist
Dix Blue
Benjamin Moore
Gray Mist
OC-30 · LRV 73
Farrow & Ball
Dix Blue
LRV 41

At LRV 73 vs 41, Gray Mist is decisively the brighter choice.

Gray Mist
Calamine
Gray Mist
Calamine
Benjamin Moore
Gray Mist
OC-30 · LRV 73
Farrow & Ball
Calamine
LRV 68

A 5-point LRV gap (73 vs 68) makes Gray Mist the marginally brighter of the two.

Gray Mist
Treron
Gray Mist
Treron
Benjamin Moore
Gray Mist
OC-30 · LRV 73
Farrow & Ball
Treron
LRV 25

At LRV 73 vs 25, Gray Mist is decisively the brighter choice.

Gray Mist
Vintage Vogue
Gray Mist
Vintage Vogue
Benjamin Moore
Gray Mist
OC-30 · LRV 73

Gray Mist reflects far more light (LRV 73 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.

Gray Mist
Saybrook Sage
Gray Mist
Saybrook Sage
Benjamin Moore
Gray Mist
OC-30 · LRV 73

Gray Mist reflects far more light (LRV 73 vs 45), opening up a space where Saybrook Sage encloses it.

Gray Mist
Pale Green
Gray Mist
Pale Green
Benjamin Moore
Gray Mist
OC-30 · LRV 73
RAL ClassicClassic
Pale Green
LRV 31

At LRV 73 vs 31, Gray Mist is decisively the brighter choice.

Gray Mist
Pine Needle
Gray Mist
Pine Needle
Benjamin Moore
Gray Mist
OC-30 · LRV 73

At LRV 73 vs 7, Gray Mist is decisively the brighter choice.

Gray Mist
Cement grey
Gray Mist
Cement grey
Benjamin Moore
Gray Mist
OC-30 · LRV 73
RAL ClassicClassic
Cement grey
LRV 24

At LRV 73 vs 24, Gray Mist is decisively the brighter choice.

Gray Mist
Guilford Green
Gray Mist
Guilford Green
Benjamin Moore
Gray Mist
OC-30 · LRV 73

At LRV 73 vs 57, Gray Mist is decisively the brighter choice.

Gray Mist
Just Walnut
Gray Mist
Just Walnut
Benjamin Moore
Gray Mist
OC-30 · LRV 73

Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 73 vs 72), so neither reads brighter in a room.