Pigeon Gray vs Cystern
Pigeon Gray is a Benjamin Moore color while Cystern comes from Cloverdale Paint. Both sit in the blue-grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. At LRV 45 vs 42, Cystern will read as the brighter of the two — a 3-point gap that matters most in north-facing or low-light rooms. With a ΔE of 1.6, the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side to reliably tell them apart. Below you'll find 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Pigeon Gray vs Cystern in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Pigeon Gray and Cystern 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
Living rooms test a color across a full range of conditions — morning sun, afternoon shade, and evening lamp light all shift how both of these read. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Bathroom
Bathrooms amplify color — the enclosed space and reflective surfaces make what reads subtle elsewhere feel more present here. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Color Details
Pigeon Gray vs Cystern Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Pigeon Gray on one side and Cystern 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.