Van Courtland Blue vs French Gray
Where Van Courtland Blue belongs to Benjamin Moore's range, French Gray is a Farrow & Ball color. Hue-wise, Van Courtland Blue belongs to the blue-grey family and French Gray to the beige-greige family. French Gray (LRV 43) reflects noticeably more light than Van Courtland Blue (LRV 31), a difference of 12 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Van Courtland Blue runs blue while French Gray is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 20.6, 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 6 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Van Courtland Blue vs French Gray in Real Spaces
6 real rooms side by side. Seeing Van Courtland Blue and French Gray 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 LRV gap is large enough that French Gray will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Van Courtland Blue would.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. French Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Van Courtland Blue.
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. French Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Van Courtland Blue.
House
Seen across an entire facade, subtle tonal differences become pronounced. What reads as nearly the same on a chip often reads as clearly different at scale. French Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Van Courtland Blue.
Front Door
A front door is a focal point — small color differences read clearly at this concentrated scale. The LRV gap is large enough that French Gray will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Van Courtland Blue would.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. French Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Van Courtland Blue.
Color Details
Van Courtland Blue vs French Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Van Courtland Blue 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 Van Courtland Blue comparisons
See how Van Courtland Blue stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 31), opening up a space where Van Courtland Blue encloses it.
At LRV 69 vs 31, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
Van Courtland Blue reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 31, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 31 vs 30), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 31), opening up a space where Van Courtland Blue encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 31, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 31), opening up a space where Van Courtland Blue encloses it.
Van Courtland Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 31 vs 27), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 31 vs 4, Van Courtland Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 31), opening up a space where Van Courtland Blue encloses it.
Van Courtland Blue reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 31), opening up a space where Van Courtland Blue encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 31, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
A 10-point LRV gap (31 vs 21) makes Van Courtland Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 31), opening up a space where Van Courtland Blue encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 31), opening up a space where Van Courtland Blue encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 31), opening up a space where Van Courtland Blue encloses it.
Van Courtland Blue reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 31), opening up a space where Van Courtland Blue encloses it.
A 10-point LRV gap (41 vs 31) makes Dix Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 68 vs 31, Calamine is decisively the brighter choice.
A 7-point LRV gap (31 vs 25) makes Van Courtland Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
Van Courtland Blue reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 31), opening up a space where Van Courtland Blue encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 31 vs 31), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 31 vs 7, Van Courtland Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
A 7-point LRV gap (31 vs 24) makes Van Courtland Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 57 vs 31, Guilford Green is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 72 vs 31, Just Walnut is decisively the brighter choice.