Northern Cliffs vs French Gray
Northern Cliffs (Benjamin Moore) and French Gray (Farrow & Ball) come from different manufacturers. Northern Cliffs reads as greige-grey, while French Gray reads as beige-greige — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Their light reflectance values are nearly the same — 46 vs 43 — so neither will read significantly brighter or darker than the other. Where Northern Cliffs leans yellow and red, French Gray reads warm — a distinction that shifts noticeably depending on the light source and surrounding finishes. ΔE 5.2 means they're clearly different, but not dramatically so — they'd pair well in the same room. Below you'll find 1 real-room photo comparison where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Northern Cliffs vs French Gray in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. Northern Cliffs and French Gray 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
A living room wall sees more varied light than almost any other surface in the house, which makes the choice between these two more nuanced than a chip suggests. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Color Details
Northern Cliffs vs French Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Northern Cliffs 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 Northern Cliffs comparisons
See how Northern Cliffs stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 46), opening up a space where Northern Cliffs encloses it.
At LRV 69 vs 46, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
Northern Cliffs reflects far more light (LRV 46 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
A 6-point LRV gap (52 vs 46) makes Purbeck Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 46 vs 30, Northern Cliffs is decisively the brighter choice.
Mizzle reads slightly lighter (LRV 52 vs 46), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 60 vs 46, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 46), opening up a space where Northern Cliffs encloses it.
Northern Cliffs reflects far more light (LRV 46 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
At LRV 46 vs 4, Northern Cliffs is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reads slightly lighter (LRV 55 vs 46), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Northern Cliffs reflects far more light (LRV 46 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
With LRVs of 46 and 44, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 84 vs 46, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 46 vs 21, Northern Cliffs is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 46), opening up a space where Northern Cliffs encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 46), opening up a space where Northern Cliffs encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 46), opening up a space where Northern Cliffs encloses it.
Northern Cliffs reflects far more light (LRV 46 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 46), opening up a space where Northern Cliffs encloses it.
A 5-point LRV gap (46 vs 41) makes Northern Cliffs the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 68 vs 46, Calamine is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 46 vs 25, Northern Cliffs is decisively the brighter choice.
Northern Cliffs reflects far more light (LRV 46 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
With LRVs of 46 and 45, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 46 vs 31, Northern Cliffs is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 46 vs 7, Northern Cliffs is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 46 vs 24, Northern Cliffs is decisively the brighter choice.
A 12-point LRV gap (57 vs 46) makes Guilford Green the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 72 vs 46, Just Walnut is decisively the brighter choice.