Knoxville Gray vs Purbeck Stone
Where Knoxville Gray belongs to Benjamin Moore's range, Purbeck Stone is a Farrow & Ball color. Hue-wise, Knoxville Gray belongs to the blue-grey family and Purbeck Stone to the greige-grey family. Purbeck Stone (LRV 52) reflects noticeably more light than Knoxville Gray (LRV 16), a difference of 36 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Knoxville Gray runs blue while Purbeck Stone is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 34.0, 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 6 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Knoxville Gray vs Purbeck Stone in Real Spaces
6 real rooms side by side. Seeing Knoxville Gray and Purbeck Stone 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 Purbeck Stone 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. Purbeck Stone 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. Purbeck Stone 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. Purbeck Stone 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. Purbeck Stone returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Purbeck Stone reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Knoxville Gray.
Color Details
Knoxville Gray vs Purbeck Stone Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Knoxville Gray on one side and Purbeck Stone 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.
