Northern Cliffs vs Agreeable Gray
Northern Cliffs (Benjamin Moore) and Agreeable Gray (Sherwin-Williams) come from different manufacturers. Both sit in the greige-grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. The 15-point LRV gap — 60 for Agreeable Gray vs 46 for Northern Cliffs — means Agreeable Gray will open up a space more effectively. Where Northern Cliffs leans yellow and red, Agreeable Gray reads warm — a distinction that shifts noticeably depending on the light source and surrounding finishes. ΔE 8.5 means they're clearly different, but not dramatically so — they'd pair well in the same room. Below you'll find 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Northern Cliffs vs Agreeable Gray in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Northern Cliffs and Agreeable 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. Agreeable Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Northern Cliffs.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. Agreeable Gray returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Color Details
Northern Cliffs vs Agreeable Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Northern Cliffs on one side and Agreeable 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.
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.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 46 vs 43), so neither reads brighter in a room.
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.