Downtown vs Skimming Stone
Downtown (Cloverdale Paint) and Skimming Stone (Farrow & Ball) come from different manufacturers. Hue-wise, Downtown belongs to the grey family and Skimming Stone to the beige-greige family. The 24-point LRV gap — 68 for Skimming Stone vs 44 for Downtown — means Skimming Stone will open up a space more effectively. A ΔE of 14.4 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.
Downtown vs Skimming Stone in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Downtown and Skimming Stone 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. Skimming Stone reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Downtown.
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. Skimming Stone returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. Skimming Stone returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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. Skimming Stone returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Color Details
Downtown vs Skimming Stone Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Downtown on one side and Skimming Stone 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 Downtown comparisons
See how Downtown stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 44), opening up a space where Downtown encloses it.
A 7-point LRV gap (52 vs 44) makes Purbeck Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 44 vs 30, Downtown is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 60 vs 44, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 44), opening up a space where Downtown encloses it.
Downtown reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 44 vs 43), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Tranquil Dawn reads slightly lighter (LRV 55 vs 44), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
With LRVs of 44 and 44, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 84 vs 44, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 44), opening up a space where Downtown encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 44), opening up a space where Downtown encloses it.
Downtown reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Downtown reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Downtown reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
With LRVs of 45 and 44, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 44 vs 31, Downtown is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 44 vs 7, Downtown is decisively the brighter choice.