A Drop of Brown vs French Gray

Where A Drop of Brown belongs to Cloverdale Paint's range, French Gray is a Farrow & Ball color. Both sit in the beige-greige family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. A Drop of Brown (LRV 88) reflects noticeably more light than French Gray (LRV 43), a difference of 45 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 25.0, 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 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.

A Drop of Brown vs French Gray in Real Spaces

4 real rooms side by side. Seeing A Drop of Brown 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 A Drop of Brown will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than French Gray would.

A Drop of BrownA Drop of Brown EX011 by Cloverdale Paint — Living Room

@visualization

French GrayFarrow and Ball 18 living room paint

@over_at_overview

Bedroom

The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. A Drop of Brown reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than French Gray.

A Drop of BrownA Drop of Brown EX011 by Cloverdale Paint — Bedroom

@visualization

French GrayFarrow and Ball French Gray bedroom color review

@renovating_a_nightmare

Dining Room

A dining room lit by a dimmed pendant or candles is one of the most forgiving environments for paint — warm light softens almost everything. A Drop of Brown returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.

A Drop of BrownA Drop of Brown EX011 by Cloverdale Paint — Dining Room

@visualization

French GrayFarrow and Ball 18 dining room color

@kenliscountry_

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. A Drop of Brown reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than French Gray.

A Drop of BrownA Drop of Brown EX011 by Cloverdale Paint — Bathroom

@visualization

French GrayFarrow and Ball French Gray bathroom review

@livingwithchlo_

Color Details

A Drop of Brown
Cloverdale Paint · EX011
Hex#F2F2EB
LRV88.4
BrandCloverdale Paint
NumberEX011
Undertone
Temperature
BrightnessLight
French Gray
Farrow & Ball · 18
Hex#b5b19a
LRV43.3
BrandFarrow & Ball
Number18
Undertone
TemperatureWarm
BrightnessMedium

A Drop of Brown vs French Gray Simulated Comparison

5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see A Drop of Brown on one side and French Gray on the other.

Bathroom
Bedroom
House
Kitchen Cabinets
Living Room

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 A Drop of Brown comparisons

See how A Drop of Brown stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.

White Dove
A Drop of Brown
White Dove
Benjamin Moore
White Dove
LRV 83

A Drop of Brown reads slightly lighter

Ammonite
A Drop of Brown
Ammonite
Farrow & Ball
Ammonite
LRV 69

A Drop of Brown reads noticeably lighter

Iron Ore
A Drop of Brown
Iron Ore
Sherwin-Williams
Iron Ore
LRV 6

A Drop of Brown is the lighter choice

Purbeck Stone
A Drop of Brown
Purbeck Stone
Farrow & Ball
Purbeck Stone
LRV 52

A Drop of Brown is the lighter choice

Evergreen Fog
A Drop of Brown
Evergreen Fog
Sherwin-Williams
Evergreen Fog
LRV 30

A Drop of Brown is the lighter choice

Mizzle
A Drop of Brown
Mizzle
Farrow & Ball
Mizzle
LRV 52

A Drop of Brown is the lighter choice

Agreeable Gray
A Drop of Brown
Agreeable Gray
Sherwin-Williams
Agreeable Gray
LRV 60

A Drop of Brown is the lighter choice

Denim Drift
A Drop of Brown
Denim Drift
Dulux
Denim Drift
LRV 27

A Drop of Brown is the lighter choice

Tranquil Dawn
A Drop of Brown
Tranquil Dawn
Dulux
Tranquil Dawn
LRV 55

A Drop of Brown is the lighter choice

Balboa Mist
A Drop of Brown
Balboa Mist
Benjamin Moore
Balboa Mist
LRV 66

A Drop of Brown reads noticeably lighter

Vintage Vogue
A Drop of Brown
Vintage Vogue
Benjamin Moore
Vintage Vogue
LRV 12

A Drop of Brown is the lighter choice

Pale Green
A Drop of Brown
Pale Green
RAL ClassicClassic
Pale Green
LRV 31

A Drop of Brown is the lighter choice

Pine Needle
A Drop of Brown
Pine Needle
Dulux
Pine Needle
LRV 7

A Drop of Brown is the lighter choice

Cement grey
A Drop of Brown
Cement grey
RAL ClassicClassic
Cement grey
LRV 24

A Drop of Brown is the lighter choice

Black grey
A Drop of Brown
Black grey
RAL ClassicClassic
Black grey
LRV 6

A Drop of Brown is the lighter choice

Piazza
A Drop of Brown
Piazza
Tikkurila
Piazza
LRV 65

A Drop of Brown reads noticeably lighter

Humble Yellow
A Drop of Brown
Humble Yellow
Jotun
Humble Yellow
LRV 57

A Drop of Brown is the lighter choice

Windmill Lane
A Drop of Brown
Windmill Lane
Little Greene
Windmill Lane
LRV 31

A Drop of Brown is the lighter choice

Senses
A Drop of Brown
Senses
Jotun
Senses
LRV 41

A Drop of Brown is the lighter choice

Lamp Black
A Drop of Brown
Lamp Black
Little Greene
Lamp Black
LRV 3

A Drop of Brown is the lighter choice

Washed Linen
A Drop of Brown
Washed Linen
Jotun
Washed Linen
LRV 55

A Drop of Brown is the lighter choice

Tea with Florence
A Drop of Brown
Tea with Florence
Little Greene
Tea with Florence
LRV 18

A Drop of Brown is the lighter choice

Thames Fog
A Drop of Brown
Thames Fog
Valspar
Thames Fog
LRV 27

A Drop of Brown is the lighter choice

Ocean Abyss
A Drop of Brown
Ocean Abyss
Behr
Ocean Abyss
LRV 7

A Drop of Brown is the lighter choice

Classic Silver
A Drop of Brown
Classic Silver
Behr
Classic Silver
LRV 48

A Drop of Brown is the lighter choice

Teton Blue
A Drop of Brown
Teton Blue
Behr
Teton Blue
LRV 31

A Drop of Brown is the lighter choice

RAL 110-2
A Drop of Brown
RAL 110-2
RAL EffectEffect
RAL 110-2
LRV 72

A Drop of Brown reads noticeably lighter

RAL 110-1
A Drop of Brown
RAL 110-1
RAL EffectEffect
RAL 110-1
LRV 80

A Drop of Brown reads slightly lighter

Paper
A Drop of Brown
Paper
Tikkurila
Paper
LRV 88

Nearly identical in tone

Passageway
A Drop of Brown
Passageway
Valspar
Passageway
LRV 14

A Drop of Brown is the lighter choice