Gray Owl vs S 1500-N
Gray Owl is a Benjamin Moore color while S 1500-N comes from NCS. Hue-wise, Gray Owl belongs to the grey family and S 1500-N to the greige-grey family. With LRVs of 65 and 64, they'll behave almost identically in terms of how much light they reflect back into a room. The tonal difference — Gray Owl's yellow character against S 1500-N's warm — becomes most visible against white trim or in morning light. With a ΔE of 2.3, the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side to reliably tell them apart. Below you'll find 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Gray Owl vs S 1500-N in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Gray Owl and S 1500-N 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
Living rooms test a color across a full range of conditions — morning sun, afternoon shade, and evening lamp light all shift how both of these read. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Dining Room
Dining room light is typically the warmest in the house, which shifts both colors toward the red end of the spectrum compared to daylight. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Color Details
Gray Owl vs S 1500-N Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Gray Owl on one side and S 1500-N 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 Gray Owl comparisons
See how Gray Owl stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 65, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Gray Owl reflects far more light (LRV 65 vs 52), opening up a space where Purbeck Stone encloses it.
Gray Owl reflects far more light (LRV 65 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
Gray Owl reads slightly lighter (LRV 65 vs 60), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 7-point LRV gap (65 vs 58) makes Gray Owl the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 65 vs 27, Gray Owl is decisively the brighter choice.
Gray Owl reflects far more light (LRV 65 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
A 10-point LRV gap (65 vs 55) makes Gray Owl the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 65 vs 44, Gray Owl is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 65), opening up a space where Gray Owl encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 66 vs 65), so neither reads brighter in a room.
A 10-point LRV gap (74 vs 65) makes Shoji White the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 65 vs 12, Gray Owl is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 65 vs 8, Gray Owl is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (68 vs 65) makes Skimming Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 65 vs 12, Gray Owl is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 65 vs 45, Gray Owl is decisively the brighter choice.
Gray Owl reflects far more light (LRV 65 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.