Auburn Wave vs French Gray
Auburn Wave (Cloverdale Paint) and French Gray (Farrow & Ball) come from different manufacturers. Auburn Wave reads as pink-red, while French Gray reads as beige-greige — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Their light reflectance values are nearly the same — 44 vs 43 — so neither will read significantly brighter or darker than the other. A ΔE of 18.6 puts these firmly in different territory — two distinct design choices rather than close alternatives. Below you'll find 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Auburn Wave vs French Gray in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Auburn Wave 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
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. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
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. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
Dining Room
Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. Side by side like this, the difference is easy to read — which is exactly why seeing them in a real space is more useful than comparing chips.
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. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
Color Details
Auburn Wave vs French Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Auburn Wave 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 Auburn Wave comparisons
See how Auburn Wave stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 44, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 44), opening up a space where Auburn Wave encloses it.
At LRV 44 vs 6, Auburn Wave is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reads slightly lighter (LRV 52 vs 44), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Auburn Wave reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
A 8-point LRV gap (52 vs 44) makes Mizzle the marginally brighter of the two.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 44), opening up a space where Auburn Wave encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 44, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 44 vs 27, Auburn Wave is decisively the brighter choice.
Auburn Wave reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
A 11-point LRV gap (55 vs 44) makes Tranquil Dawn the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 44 vs 13, Auburn Wave is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 44 vs 44), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 44), opening up a space where Auburn Wave encloses it.
Auburn Wave reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 44, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 44, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 44, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 44 vs 12, Auburn Wave is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 44, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Auburn Wave reads slightly lighter (LRV 44 vs 41), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Calamine reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 44), opening up a space where Auburn Wave encloses it.
Auburn Wave reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 25), opening up a space where Treron encloses it.
At LRV 44 vs 12, Auburn Wave is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 45 vs 44), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Auburn Wave reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Auburn Wave reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Auburn Wave reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
Guilford Green reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 44), opening up a space where Auburn Wave encloses it.
Just Walnut reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 44), opening up a space where Auburn Wave encloses it.