Nimbus vs Hardwick White
Where Nimbus belongs to Benjamin Moore's range, Hardwick White is a Farrow & Ball color. These are both greige-greys, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within greige-grey to land. Nimbus (LRV 59) reflects noticeably more light than Hardwick White (LRV 44), a difference of 16 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Nimbus runs yellow and red while Hardwick White is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 11.3, 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 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Nimbus vs Hardwick White in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing Nimbus 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 Nimbus will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Hardwick White would.
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. Nimbus reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Hardwick White.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Nimbus reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Hardwick White.
Color Details
Nimbus vs Hardwick White Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Nimbus 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 Nimbus comparisons
See how Nimbus stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 59, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Nimbus reads slightly lighter (LRV 59 vs 52), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Nimbus reflects far more light (LRV 59 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
With LRVs of 60 and 59, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 59 vs 58), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 59 vs 27, Nimbus is decisively the brighter choice.
Nimbus reflects far more light (LRV 59 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
A 4-point LRV gap (59 vs 55) makes Nimbus the marginally brighter of the two.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 59), opening up a space where Nimbus encloses it.
A 6-point LRV gap (66 vs 59) makes Balboa Mist the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 74 vs 59, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 59 vs 12, Nimbus is decisively the brighter choice.
A 9-point LRV gap (68 vs 59) makes Skimming Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 59 vs 12, Nimbus is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 59 vs 45, Nimbus is decisively the brighter choice.
Nimbus reflects far more light (LRV 59 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Nimbus reflects far more light (LRV 59 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Nimbus reflects far more light (LRV 59 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
With LRVs of 59 and 57, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Just Walnut reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 59), opening up a space where Nimbus encloses it.