Instinct vs French Gray
Where Instinct belongs to Benjamin Moore's range, French Gray is a Farrow & Ball color. Hue-wise, Instinct belongs to the blue family and French Gray to the beige-greige family. Instinct (LRV 55) reflects noticeably more light than French Gray (LRV 43), a difference of 12 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Instinct runs blue while French Gray is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 20.4, 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 1 real-room photo comparison where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Instinct vs French Gray in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. Seeing Instinct 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.
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. Instinct reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than French Gray.
Color Details
Instinct vs French Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Instinct on one side and French Gray 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 Instinct comparisons
See how Instinct stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
