Pigeon Gray vs Thunder
Both from Benjamin Moore's palette. Hue-wise, Pigeon Gray belongs to the blue-grey family and Thunder to the greige-grey family. Thunder (LRV 48) reflects noticeably more light than Pigeon Gray (LRV 42), a difference of 5 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Pigeon Gray runs blue while Thunder is decidedly red, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 10.1, 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 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Pigeon Gray vs Thunder in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Pigeon Gray and Thunder 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 brightness difference is modest but present — Thunder gives the walls a little more lift.
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. Thunder reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Color Details
Pigeon Gray vs Thunder Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Pigeon Gray on one side and Thunder 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 Pigeon Gray comparisons
See how Pigeon Gray stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 69 vs 42, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 42), opening up a space where Pigeon Gray encloses it.
Pigeon Gray reflects far more light (LRV 42 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
A 10-point LRV gap (52 vs 42) makes Purbeck Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
A 12-point LRV gap (42 vs 30) makes Pigeon Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
Mizzle reads slightly lighter (LRV 52 vs 42), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 60 vs 42, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 42), opening up a space where Pigeon Gray encloses it.
Pigeon Gray reflects far more light (LRV 42 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 43 vs 42), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 42 vs 4, Pigeon Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 42), opening up a space where Pigeon Gray encloses it.
Pigeon Gray reflects far more light (LRV 42 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
With LRVs of 44 and 42, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 84 vs 42, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 42 vs 21, Pigeon Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 42), opening up a space where Pigeon Gray encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 42), opening up a space where Pigeon Gray encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 42), opening up a space where Pigeon Gray encloses it.
A 8-point LRV gap (51 vs 42) makes Pigeon the marginally brighter of the two.
Pigeon Gray reflects far more light (LRV 42 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Pigeon Gray reflects far more light (LRV 42 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 42), opening up a space where Pigeon Gray encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 42 vs 41), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Pigeon Gray reflects far more light (LRV 42 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Saybrook Sage reads slightly lighter (LRV 45 vs 42), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 11-point LRV gap (42 vs 31) makes Pigeon Gray the marginally brighter of the two.