Pale Smoke vs Ammonite
Pale Smoke (Benjamin Moore) and Ammonite (Farrow & Ball) come from different manufacturers. Hue-wise, Pale Smoke belongs to the blue-green family and Ammonite to the beige-greige family. The 5-point LRV gap — 69 for Ammonite vs 64 for Pale Smoke — means Ammonite will open up a space more effectively. Where Pale Smoke leans green, Ammonite reads warm — a distinction that shifts noticeably depending on the light source and surrounding finishes. ΔE 6.8 means they're clearly different, but not dramatically so — they'd pair well in the same room. Below you'll find 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Pale Smoke vs Ammonite in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Pale Smoke and Ammonite 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. Ammonite reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Bedroom
Bedrooms are typically lit with warmer, lower light than the rest of the house — a condition that flatters warm tones and deepens cool ones. Ammonite has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Bathroom
Small bathrooms intensify color. A shade that seems quiet in a larger room can feel immersive when you're surrounded by it on four walls. Ammonite has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Kitchen Cabinets
Cabinet color is always seen in context — against countertops, backsplash, and hardware — which amplifies undertone differences that might disappear on a plain wall. Ammonite has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Color Details
Pale Smoke vs Ammonite Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Pale Smoke on one side and Ammonite 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 Pale Smoke comparisons
See how Pale Smoke stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 64, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 64 vs 6, Pale Smoke is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Smoke reads slightly lighter (LRV 64 vs 52), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Pale Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
At LRV 64 vs 52, Pale Smoke is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Smoke reads slightly lighter (LRV 64 vs 60), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 6-point LRV gap (64 vs 58) makes Pale Smoke the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 64 vs 27, Pale Smoke is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
Pale Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
A 9-point LRV gap (64 vs 55) makes Pale Smoke the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 64 vs 13, Pale Smoke is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 64 vs 44, Pale Smoke is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 64), opening up a space where Pale Smoke encloses it.
Pale Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 66 vs 64), so neither reads brighter in a room.
A 11-point LRV gap (74 vs 64) makes Shoji White the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 83 vs 64, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 64 vs 12, Pale Smoke is decisively the brighter choice.
A 5-point LRV gap (68 vs 64) makes Skimming Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
Pale Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 41), opening up a space where Dix Blue encloses it.
Calamine reads slightly lighter (LRV 68 vs 64), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Pale Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 25), opening up a space where Treron encloses it.
At LRV 64 vs 12, Pale Smoke is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 64 vs 45, Pale Smoke is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Pale Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Pale Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
Pale Smoke reads slightly lighter (LRV 64 vs 57), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Just Walnut reads slightly lighter (LRV 72 vs 64), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.