Drifting Sand vs Simmering Smoke
Where Drifting Sand belongs to Cloverdale Paint's range, Simmering Smoke is a PPG color. These are both greige-greys, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within greige-grey to land. They have nearly identical light reflectance values (37 vs 36), so they'll read as similarly Medium in most lighting conditions. At ΔE 1.1, these are close — the kind of difference that matters when choosing between them, but doesn't read strongly in a finished room. Below you'll find 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Drifting Sand vs Simmering Smoke in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Drifting Sand and Simmering Smoke 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 two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
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. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
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. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Color Details
Drifting Sand vs Simmering Smoke Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Drifting Sand on one side and Simmering Smoke 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 Drifting Sand comparisons
See how Drifting Sand stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 37), opening up a space where Drifting Sand encloses it.
At LRV 69 vs 37, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
Drifting Sand reflects far more light (LRV 37 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 37, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
A 7-point LRV gap (37 vs 30) makes Drifting Sand the marginally brighter of the two.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 37), opening up a space where Drifting Sand encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 37, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 37), opening up a space where Drifting Sand encloses it.
Drifting Sand reads slightly lighter (LRV 37 vs 27), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 6-point LRV gap (43 vs 37) makes French Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 37 vs 4, Drifting Sand is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 37), opening up a space where Drifting Sand encloses it.
Drifting Sand reflects far more light (LRV 37 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
Hardwick White reads slightly lighter (LRV 44 vs 37), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 84 vs 37, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 37 vs 21, Drifting Sand is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 37), opening up a space where Drifting Sand encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 37), opening up a space where Drifting Sand encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 37), opening up a space where Drifting Sand encloses it.
Drifting Sand reflects far more light (LRV 37 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 37), opening up a space where Drifting Sand encloses it.
A 4-point LRV gap (41 vs 37) makes Dix Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 68 vs 37, Calamine is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 37 vs 25, Drifting Sand is decisively the brighter choice.
Drifting Sand reflects far more light (LRV 37 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Saybrook Sage reads slightly lighter (LRV 45 vs 37), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 6-point LRV gap (37 vs 31) makes Drifting Sand the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 37 vs 7, Drifting Sand is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 37 vs 24, Drifting Sand is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 57 vs 37, Guilford Green is decisively the brighter choice.