Hazelnut vs French Gray
Hazelnut (Cloverdale Paint) and French Gray (Farrow & Ball) come from different manufacturers. Hazelnut reads as beige, while French Gray reads as beige-greige — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. The 15-point LRV gap — 58 for Hazelnut vs 43 for French Gray — means Hazelnut will open up a space more effectively. A ΔE of 11.4 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.
Hazelnut vs French Gray in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Hazelnut 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. Hazelnut reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than French Gray.
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. Hazelnut 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 Hazelnut will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than French Gray 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. Hazelnut returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Color Details
Hazelnut vs French Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Hazelnut 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 Hazelnut comparisons
See how Hazelnut stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 58, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Hazelnut reads slightly lighter (LRV 58 vs 52), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Hazelnut reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
With LRVs of 60 and 58, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 58 vs 58), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 58 vs 27, Hazelnut is decisively the brighter choice.
A 3-point LRV gap (58 vs 55) makes Hazelnut the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 58 vs 44, Hazelnut is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 58), opening up a space where Hazelnut encloses it.
A 7-point LRV gap (66 vs 58) makes Balboa Mist the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 74 vs 58, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 58 vs 12, Hazelnut is decisively the brighter choice.
A 10-point LRV gap (68 vs 58) makes Skimming Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 58 vs 12, Hazelnut is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 58 vs 45, Hazelnut is decisively the brighter choice.
Hazelnut reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Hazelnut reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Hazelnut reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
With LRVs of 58 and 57, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Just Walnut reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 58), opening up a space where Hazelnut encloses it.