Big Spender vs French Gray
Where Big Spender belongs to Cloverdale Paint's range, French Gray is a Farrow & Ball color. Hue-wise, Big Spender belongs to the greige-grey family and French Gray to the beige-greige family. French Gray (LRV 43) reflects noticeably more light than Big Spender (LRV 36), a difference of 7 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. The ΔE 8.8 gap is real but not dramatic — close enough to use together, distinct enough to matter as a choice. Below you'll find 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Big Spender vs French Gray in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Big Spender and French Gray 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
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 — French Gray gives the walls a little more lift.
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 reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
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. French Gray has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
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 reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Color Details
Big Spender vs French Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Big Spender 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 Big Spender comparisons
See how Big Spender stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 69 vs 36, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 36), opening up a space where Big Spender encloses it.
Big Spender reflects far more light (LRV 36 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 36, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
A 6-point LRV gap (36 vs 30) makes Big Spender the marginally brighter of the two.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 36), opening up a space where Big Spender encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 36, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 36), opening up a space where Big Spender encloses it.
Big Spender reads slightly lighter (LRV 36 vs 27), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 36 vs 4, Big Spender is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 36), opening up a space where Big Spender encloses it.
Big Spender reflects far more light (LRV 36 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
Hardwick White reads slightly lighter (LRV 44 vs 36), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 84 vs 36, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 36 vs 21, Big Spender is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 36), opening up a space where Big Spender encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 36), opening up a space where Big Spender encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 36), opening up a space where Big Spender encloses it.
At LRV 51 vs 36, Pigeon is decisively the brighter choice.
Big Spender reflects far more light (LRV 36 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Big Spender reflects far more light (LRV 36 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 36), opening up a space where Big Spender encloses it.
A 5-point LRV gap (41 vs 36) makes Dix Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
Big Spender reflects far more light (LRV 36 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Saybrook Sage reads slightly lighter (LRV 45 vs 36), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 5-point LRV gap (36 vs 31) makes Big Spender the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 36 vs 7, Big Spender is decisively the brighter choice.