Dillard's Blue vs French Gray

Dillard's Blue (Cloverdale Paint) and French Gray (Farrow & Ball) come from different manufacturers. Dillard's Blue reads as blue-green, while French Gray reads as beige-greige — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. The 36-point LRV gap — 79 for Dillard's Blue vs 43 for French Gray — means Dillard's Blue will open up a space more effectively. A ΔE of 22.5 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.

Dillard's Blue vs French Gray in Real Spaces

4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Dillard's 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

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. Dillard's Blue reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than French Gray.

Dillard's BlueDillard's Blue 0685 by Cloverdale Paint — Living Room

@visualization

French GrayFarrow and Ball 18 living room paint

@over_at_overview

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. Dillard's Blue returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.

Dillard's BlueDillard's Blue 0685 by Cloverdale Paint — Bedroom

@visualization

French GrayFarrow and Ball French Gray bedroom color review

@renovating_a_nightmare

Dining Room

Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. The LRV gap is large enough that Dillard's Blue will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than French Gray would.

Dillard's BlueDillard's Blue 0685 by Cloverdale Paint — Dining Room

@visualization

French GrayFarrow and Ball 18 dining room color

@kenliscountry_

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. Dillard's Blue returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.

Dillard's BlueDillard's Blue 0685 by Cloverdale Paint — Bathroom

@visualization

French GrayFarrow and Ball French Gray bathroom review

@livingwithchlo_

Color Details

Dillard's Blue
Cloverdale Paint · 0685
Hex#D7E9E4
LRV79.0
BrandCloverdale Paint
Number0685
Undertone
Temperature
BrightnessLight
French Gray
Farrow & Ball · 18
Hex#b5b19a
LRV43.3
BrandFarrow & Ball
Number18
Undertone
TemperatureWarm
BrightnessMedium

Dillard's Blue vs French Gray Simulated Comparison

5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Dillard's Blue 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 Dillard's Blue comparisons

See how Dillard's Blue stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.

White Dove
Dillard's Blue
White Dove
Dillard's Blue
Cloverdale Paint
Dillard's Blue
0685 · LRV 79

White Dove reads slightly lighter (LRV 83 vs 79), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.

Dillard's Blue
Ammonite
Dillard's Blue
Ammonite
Cloverdale Paint
Dillard's Blue
0685 · LRV 79
Farrow & Ball
Ammonite
LRV 69

A 10-point LRV gap (79 vs 69) makes Dillard's Blue the marginally brighter of the two.

Dillard's Blue
Iron Ore
Dillard's Blue
Iron Ore
Cloverdale Paint
Dillard's Blue
0685 · LRV 79

Dillard's Blue reflects far more light (LRV 79 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.

Dillard's Blue
Purbeck Stone
Dillard's Blue
Purbeck Stone
Cloverdale Paint
Dillard's Blue
0685 · LRV 79

At LRV 79 vs 52, Dillard's Blue is decisively the brighter choice.

Dillard's Blue
Evergreen Fog
Dillard's Blue
Evergreen Fog
Cloverdale Paint
Dillard's Blue
0685 · LRV 79

At LRV 79 vs 30, Dillard's Blue is decisively the brighter choice.

Dillard's Blue
Mizzle
Dillard's Blue
Mizzle
Cloverdale Paint
Dillard's Blue
0685 · LRV 79
Farrow & Ball
Mizzle
LRV 52

Dillard's Blue reflects far more light (LRV 79 vs 52), opening up a space where Mizzle encloses it.

Dillard's Blue
Agreeable Gray
Dillard's Blue
Agreeable Gray
Cloverdale Paint
Dillard's Blue
0685 · LRV 79

At LRV 79 vs 60, Dillard's Blue is decisively the brighter choice.

Dillard's Blue
Accessible Beige
Dillard's Blue
Accessible Beige
Cloverdale Paint
Dillard's Blue
0685 · LRV 79

Dillard's Blue reflects far more light (LRV 79 vs 58), opening up a space where Accessible Beige encloses it.

Dillard's Blue
Denim Drift
Dillard's Blue
Denim Drift
Cloverdale Paint
Dillard's Blue
0685 · LRV 79

Dillard's Blue reflects far more light (LRV 79 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.

Dillard's Blue
Naval
Dillard's Blue
Naval
Cloverdale Paint
Dillard's Blue
0685 · LRV 79
Sherwin-Williams
Naval
LRV 4

At LRV 79 vs 4, Dillard's Blue is decisively the brighter choice.

Dillard's Blue
Tranquil Dawn
Dillard's Blue
Tranquil Dawn
Cloverdale Paint
Dillard's Blue
0685 · LRV 79

Dillard's Blue reflects far more light (LRV 79 vs 55), opening up a space where Tranquil Dawn encloses it.

Dillard's Blue
Bancha
Dillard's Blue
Bancha
Cloverdale Paint
Dillard's Blue
0685 · LRV 79
Farrow & Ball
Bancha
LRV 13

Dillard's Blue reflects far more light (LRV 79 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.

Dillard's Blue
Hardwick White
Dillard's Blue
Hardwick White
Cloverdale Paint
Dillard's Blue
0685 · LRV 79

Dillard's Blue reflects far more light (LRV 79 vs 44), opening up a space where Hardwick White encloses it.

Dillard's Blue
Pure White
Dillard's Blue
Pure White
Cloverdale Paint
Dillard's Blue
0685 · LRV 79

A 5-point LRV gap (84 vs 79) makes Pure White the marginally brighter of the two.

Dillard's Blue
Artichoke
Dillard's Blue
Artichoke
Cloverdale Paint
Dillard's Blue
0685 · LRV 79
Sherwin-Williams
Artichoke
LRV 21

At LRV 79 vs 21, Dillard's Blue is decisively the brighter choice.

Balboa Mist
Dillard's Blue
Balboa Mist
Dillard's Blue
Cloverdale Paint
Dillard's Blue
0685 · LRV 79

Dillard's Blue reflects far more light (LRV 79 vs 66), opening up a space where Balboa Mist encloses it.

Dillard's Blue
Shoji White
Dillard's Blue
Shoji White
Cloverdale Paint
Dillard's Blue
0685 · LRV 79

Dillard's Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 79 vs 74), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.

Dillard's Blue
Snowbound
Dillard's Blue
Snowbound
Cloverdale Paint
Dillard's Blue
0685 · LRV 79
Sherwin-Williams
Snowbound
LRV 83

Snowbound reads slightly lighter (LRV 83 vs 79), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.

Dillard's Blue
Pewter Green
Dillard's Blue
Pewter Green
Cloverdale Paint
Dillard's Blue
0685 · LRV 79

Dillard's Blue reflects far more light (LRV 79 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.

Dillard's Blue
Skimming Stone
Dillard's Blue
Skimming Stone
Cloverdale Paint
Dillard's Blue
0685 · LRV 79

Dillard's Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 79 vs 68), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.

Dillard's Blue
Dix Blue
Dillard's Blue
Dix Blue
Cloverdale Paint
Dillard's Blue
0685 · LRV 79
Farrow & Ball
Dix Blue
LRV 41

At LRV 79 vs 41, Dillard's Blue is decisively the brighter choice.

Dillard's Blue
Calamine
Dillard's Blue
Calamine
Cloverdale Paint
Dillard's Blue
0685 · LRV 79
Farrow & Ball
Calamine
LRV 68

A 11-point LRV gap (79 vs 68) makes Dillard's Blue the marginally brighter of the two.

Dillard's Blue
Treron
Dillard's Blue
Treron
Cloverdale Paint
Dillard's Blue
0685 · LRV 79
Farrow & Ball
Treron
LRV 25

At LRV 79 vs 25, Dillard's Blue is decisively the brighter choice.

Vintage Vogue
Dillard's Blue
Vintage Vogue
Dillard's Blue
Cloverdale Paint
Dillard's Blue
0685 · LRV 79

Dillard's Blue reflects far more light (LRV 79 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.

Saybrook Sage
Dillard's Blue
Saybrook Sage
Dillard's Blue
Cloverdale Paint
Dillard's Blue
0685 · LRV 79

Dillard's Blue reflects far more light (LRV 79 vs 45), opening up a space where Saybrook Sage encloses it.

Dillard's Blue
Pale Green
Dillard's Blue
Pale Green
Cloverdale Paint
Dillard's Blue
0685 · LRV 79
RAL ClassicClassic
Pale Green
LRV 31

At LRV 79 vs 31, Dillard's Blue is decisively the brighter choice.

Dillard's Blue
Pine Needle
Dillard's Blue
Pine Needle
Cloverdale Paint
Dillard's Blue
0685 · LRV 79

At LRV 79 vs 7, Dillard's Blue is decisively the brighter choice.

Dillard's Blue
Cement grey
Dillard's Blue
Cement grey
Cloverdale Paint
Dillard's Blue
0685 · LRV 79
RAL ClassicClassic
Cement grey
LRV 24

At LRV 79 vs 24, Dillard's Blue is decisively the brighter choice.

Guilford Green
Dillard's Blue
Guilford Green
Dillard's Blue
Cloverdale Paint
Dillard's Blue
0685 · LRV 79

At LRV 79 vs 57, Dillard's Blue is decisively the brighter choice.

Dillard's Blue
Just Walnut
Dillard's Blue
Just Walnut
Cloverdale Paint
Dillard's Blue
0685 · LRV 79

A 7-point LRV gap (79 vs 72) makes Dillard's Blue the marginally brighter of the two.