Knoxville Gray vs Hardwick White
Where Knoxville Gray belongs to Benjamin Moore's range, Hardwick White is a Farrow & Ball color. Hue-wise, Knoxville Gray belongs to the blue-grey family and Hardwick White to the greige-grey family. Hardwick White (LRV 44) reflects noticeably more light than Knoxville Gray (LRV 16), a difference of 28 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Knoxville Gray runs blue while Hardwick White is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 29.3, 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 8 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Knoxville Gray vs Hardwick White in Real Spaces
8 real rooms side by side. Seeing Knoxville Gray and Hardwick White 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 Hardwick White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Knoxville Gray would.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. Hardwick White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Knoxville Gray.
Dining Room
A dining room lit by a dimmed pendant or candles is one of the most forgiving environments for paint — warm light softens almost everything. Hardwick White returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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. Hardwick White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Knoxville Gray.
Mudroom
Mudrooms are seen in passing, often under whatever light comes through the door — a context that favors colors with some depth. Hardwick White returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
House
Seen across an entire facade, subtle tonal differences become pronounced. What reads as nearly the same on a chip often reads as clearly different at scale. Hardwick White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Knoxville Gray.
Front Door
A front door is a focal point — small color differences read clearly at this concentrated scale. The LRV gap is large enough that Hardwick White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Knoxville Gray would.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Hardwick White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Knoxville Gray.
Color Details
Knoxville Gray vs Hardwick White Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Knoxville Gray on one side and Hardwick White 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 Knoxville Gray comparisons
See how Knoxville Gray stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 16), opening up a space where Knoxville Gray encloses it.
At LRV 69 vs 16, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
Knoxville Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 16 vs 6), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 52 vs 16, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 30 vs 16, Evergreen Fog is decisively the brighter choice.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 16), opening up a space where Knoxville Gray encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 16, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 16), opening up a space where Knoxville Gray encloses it.
Denim Drift reads slightly lighter (LRV 27 vs 16), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 43 vs 16, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
A 11-point LRV gap (16 vs 4) makes Knoxville Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 16), opening up a space where Knoxville Gray encloses it.
With LRVs of 16 and 13, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 84 vs 16, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
A 6-point LRV gap (21 vs 16) makes Artichoke the marginally brighter of the two.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 16), opening up a space where Knoxville Gray encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 16), opening up a space where Knoxville Gray encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 16), opening up a space where Knoxville Gray encloses it.
Knoxville Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 16 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 16), opening up a space where Knoxville Gray encloses it.
At LRV 41 vs 16, Dix Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 16, Calamine is decisively the brighter choice.
A 9-point LRV gap (25 vs 16) makes Treron the marginally brighter of the two.
Knoxville Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 16 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 16), opening up a space where Knoxville Gray encloses it.
At LRV 31 vs 16, Pale Green is decisively the brighter choice.
A 9-point LRV gap (16 vs 7) makes Knoxville Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
A 8-point LRV gap (24 vs 16) makes Cement grey the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 57 vs 16, Guilford Green is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 72 vs 16, Just Walnut is decisively the brighter choice.