Earl Grey vs French Gray
Where Earl Grey belongs to Cloverdale Paint's range, French Gray is a Farrow & Ball color. Earl Grey reads as grey, while French Gray reads as beige-greige — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. French Gray (LRV 43) reflects noticeably more light than Earl Grey (LRV 11), a difference of 32 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 33.6, the contrast is hard to miss. These aren't variations on a theme — they're two different answers to the same question. Below you'll find 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Earl Grey vs French Gray in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Earl Grey 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
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 LRV gap is large enough that French Gray will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Earl Grey would.
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 reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Earl Grey.
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 returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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 reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Earl Grey.
Color Details
Earl Grey vs French Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Earl Grey 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 Earl Grey comparisons
See how Earl Grey stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 11), opening up a space where Earl Grey encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 11, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 30 vs 11, Evergreen Fog is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 60 vs 11, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 11), opening up a space where Earl Grey encloses it.
Denim Drift reflects far more light (LRV 27 vs 11), opening up a space where Earl Grey encloses it.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 11), opening up a space where Earl Grey encloses it.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 11), opening up a space where Earl Grey encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 11, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 11), opening up a space where Earl Grey encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 11), opening up a space where Earl Grey encloses it.
With LRVs of 12 and 11, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Earl Grey reads slightly lighter (LRV 11 vs 8), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 11), opening up a space where Earl Grey encloses it.
With LRVs of 12 and 11, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 11), opening up a space where Earl Grey encloses it.
At LRV 31 vs 11, Pale Green is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (11 vs 7) makes Earl Grey the marginally brighter of the two.