Fern vs Agreeable Gray
Fern (Cloverdale Paint) and Agreeable Gray (Sherwin-Williams) come from different manufacturers. Both sit in the greige-grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. The 27-point LRV gap — 60 for Agreeable Gray vs 33 for Fern — means Agreeable Gray will open up a space more effectively. A ΔE of 20.3 puts these firmly in different territory — two distinct design choices rather than close alternatives. Below you'll find 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Fern vs Agreeable Gray in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Seeing Fern and Agreeable 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. Agreeable Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Fern.
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. Agreeable Gray 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. Agreeable Gray returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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 Agreeable Gray will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Fern would.
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. Agreeable Gray returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Color Details
Fern vs Agreeable Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Fern on one side and Agreeable 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 Fern comparisons
See how Fern stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 33, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 33), opening up a space where Fern encloses it.
With LRVs of 33 and 30, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 58 vs 33, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
A 6-point LRV gap (33 vs 27) makes Fern the marginally brighter of the two.
French Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 43 vs 33), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 55 vs 33, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
A 11-point LRV gap (44 vs 33) makes Hardwick White the marginally brighter of the two.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 33), opening up a space where Fern encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 33, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 33, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 33 vs 12, Fern is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 33, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 33 vs 12, Fern is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 45 vs 33, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 33 and 31, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Fern reflects far more light (LRV 33 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.