Gray Owl vs Storm paint color comparison

Gray Owl vs Storm

Gray OwlBenjamin MoorevsStormBenjamin MooreΔE 19.2Distinct difference

Both from Benjamin Moore's palette. Both sit in the grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Gray Owl (LRV 65) reflects noticeably more light than Storm (LRV 36), a difference of 29 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Gray Owl runs yellow while Storm is decidedly green, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 19.2, 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 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.

Gray Owl vs Storm in Real Spaces

2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Gray Owl and Storm 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 Owl will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Storm would.

Gray OwlBenjamin Moore Gray Owl living room

@the_paintedladies2

StormBenjamin Moore Storm Living Room

@katieschwope

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 Owl reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Storm.

Gray OwlBenjamin Moore Gray Owl bathroom paint review

@southernrhoda

StormBm Storm Bathroom Wall Panelling

@quinncan_design

Color Details

Gray Owl
Benjamin Moore · OC-52
Hex#D3D4CC
LRV64.5
BrandBenjamin Moore
NumberOC-52
UndertoneYellow
TemperatureWarm
BrightnessLight
Storm
Benjamin Moore · AF-700
Hex#9FA09E
LRV35.6
BrandBenjamin Moore
NumberAF-700
UndertoneGreen
TemperatureNeutral
BrightnessMedium

Gray Owl vs Storm Simulated Comparison

5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Gray Owl on one side and Storm 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 Owl comparisons

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

Gray Owl
White Dove
Gray Owl
White Dove
Benjamin Moore
Gray Owl
OC-52 · LRV 65

At LRV 83 vs 65, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.

Gray Owl
Ammonite
Gray Owl
Ammonite
Benjamin Moore
Gray Owl
OC-52 · LRV 65
Farrow & Ball
Ammonite
LRV 69

Ammonite reads slightly lighter (LRV 69 vs 65), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.

Gray Owl
Iron Ore
Gray Owl
Iron Ore
Benjamin Moore
Gray Owl
OC-52 · LRV 65

At LRV 65 vs 6, Gray Owl is decisively the brighter choice.

Gray Owl
Purbeck Stone
Gray Owl
Purbeck Stone
Benjamin Moore
Gray Owl
OC-52 · LRV 65

Gray Owl reflects far more light (LRV 65 vs 52), opening up a space where Purbeck Stone encloses it.

Gray Owl
Evergreen Fog
Gray Owl
Evergreen Fog
Benjamin Moore
Gray Owl
OC-52 · LRV 65

Gray Owl reflects far more light (LRV 65 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.

Gray Owl
Mizzle
Gray Owl
Mizzle
Benjamin Moore
Gray Owl
OC-52 · LRV 65
Farrow & Ball
Mizzle
LRV 52

At LRV 65 vs 52, Gray Owl is decisively the brighter choice.

Gray Owl
Agreeable Gray
Gray Owl
Agreeable Gray
Benjamin Moore
Gray Owl
OC-52 · LRV 65

Gray Owl reads slightly lighter (LRV 65 vs 60), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.

Gray Owl
Accessible Beige
Gray Owl
Accessible Beige
Benjamin Moore
Gray Owl
OC-52 · LRV 65

A 7-point LRV gap (65 vs 58) makes Gray Owl the marginally brighter of the two.

Gray Owl
Denim Drift
Gray Owl
Denim Drift
Benjamin Moore
Gray Owl
OC-52 · LRV 65

At LRV 65 vs 27, Gray Owl is decisively the brighter choice.

Gray Owl
French Gray
Gray Owl
French Gray
Benjamin Moore
Gray Owl
OC-52 · LRV 65

Gray Owl reflects far more light (LRV 65 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.

Gray Owl
Naval
Gray Owl
Naval
Benjamin Moore
Gray Owl
OC-52 · LRV 65
Sherwin-Williams
Naval
LRV 4

Gray Owl reflects far more light (LRV 65 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.

Gray Owl
Tranquil Dawn
Gray Owl
Tranquil Dawn
Benjamin Moore
Gray Owl
OC-52 · LRV 65

A 10-point LRV gap (65 vs 55) makes Gray Owl the marginally brighter of the two.

Gray Owl
Bancha
Gray Owl
Bancha
Benjamin Moore
Gray Owl
OC-52 · LRV 65
Farrow & Ball
Bancha
LRV 13

At LRV 65 vs 13, Gray Owl is decisively the brighter choice.

Gray Owl
Hardwick White
Gray Owl
Hardwick White
Benjamin Moore
Gray Owl
OC-52 · LRV 65

At LRV 65 vs 44, Gray Owl is decisively the brighter choice.

Gray Owl
Pure White
Gray Owl
Pure White
Benjamin Moore
Gray Owl
OC-52 · LRV 65

Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 65), opening up a space where Gray Owl encloses it.

Gray Owl
Artichoke
Gray Owl
Artichoke
Benjamin Moore
Gray Owl
OC-52 · LRV 65
Sherwin-Williams
Artichoke
LRV 21

Gray Owl reflects far more light (LRV 65 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.

Balboa Mist
Gray Owl
Balboa Mist
Gray Owl
Benjamin Moore
Gray Owl
OC-52 · LRV 65

Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 66 vs 65), so neither reads brighter in a room.

Gray Owl
Shoji White
Gray Owl
Shoji White
Benjamin Moore
Gray Owl
OC-52 · LRV 65

A 10-point LRV gap (74 vs 65) makes Shoji White the marginally brighter of the two.

Gray Owl
Snowbound
Gray Owl
Snowbound
Benjamin Moore
Gray Owl
OC-52 · LRV 65
Sherwin-Williams
Snowbound
LRV 83

At LRV 83 vs 65, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.

Gray Owl
Pewter Green
Gray Owl
Pewter Green
Benjamin Moore
Gray Owl
OC-52 · LRV 65

At LRV 65 vs 12, Gray Owl is decisively the brighter choice.

Gray Owl
Skimming Stone
Gray Owl
Skimming Stone
Benjamin Moore
Gray Owl
OC-52 · LRV 65

A 4-point LRV gap (68 vs 65) makes Skimming Stone the marginally brighter of the two.

Gray Owl
Dix Blue
Gray Owl
Dix Blue
Benjamin Moore
Gray Owl
OC-52 · LRV 65
Farrow & Ball
Dix Blue
LRV 41

Gray Owl reflects far more light (LRV 65 vs 41), opening up a space where Dix Blue encloses it.

Gray Owl
Calamine
Gray Owl
Calamine
Benjamin Moore
Gray Owl
OC-52 · LRV 65
Farrow & Ball
Calamine
LRV 68

Calamine reads slightly lighter (LRV 68 vs 65), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.

Gray Owl
Treron
Gray Owl
Treron
Benjamin Moore
Gray Owl
OC-52 · LRV 65
Farrow & Ball
Treron
LRV 25

Gray Owl reflects far more light (LRV 65 vs 25), opening up a space where Treron encloses it.

Gray Owl
Vintage Vogue
Gray Owl
Vintage Vogue
Benjamin Moore
Gray Owl
OC-52 · LRV 65

At LRV 65 vs 12, Gray Owl is decisively the brighter choice.

Gray Owl
Saybrook Sage
Gray Owl
Saybrook Sage
Benjamin Moore
Gray Owl
OC-52 · LRV 65

At LRV 65 vs 45, Gray Owl is decisively the brighter choice.

Gray Owl
Pale Green
Gray Owl
Pale Green
Benjamin Moore
Gray Owl
OC-52 · LRV 65
RAL ClassicClassic
Pale Green
LRV 31

Gray Owl reflects far more light (LRV 65 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.

Gray Owl
Pine Needle
Gray Owl
Pine Needle
Benjamin Moore
Gray Owl
OC-52 · LRV 65

Gray Owl reflects far more light (LRV 65 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.

Gray Owl
Cement grey
Gray Owl
Cement grey
Benjamin Moore
Gray Owl
OC-52 · LRV 65
RAL ClassicClassic
Cement grey
LRV 24

Gray Owl reflects far more light (LRV 65 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.

Gray Owl
Guilford Green
Gray Owl
Guilford Green
Benjamin Moore
Gray Owl
OC-52 · LRV 65

Gray Owl reads slightly lighter (LRV 65 vs 57), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.