Malt vs Purbeck Stone
Malt (Cloverdale Paint) and Purbeck Stone (Farrow & Ball) come from different manufacturers. Hue-wise, Malt belongs to the beige-greige family and Purbeck Stone to the greige-grey family. Their light reflectance values are nearly the same — 52 vs 52 — so neither will read significantly brighter or darker than the other. A ΔE of 2.6 puts them in subtle territory — distinguishable in direct comparison, less so from across a room. Below you'll find 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Malt vs Purbeck Stone in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Malt and Purbeck Stone 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
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. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
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. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Dining Room
Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
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. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Color Details
Malt vs Purbeck Stone Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Malt on one side and Purbeck 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 Malt comparisons
See how Malt stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 52), opening up a space where Malt encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 30, Malt is decisively the brighter choice.
A 8-point LRV gap (60 vs 52) makes Agreeable Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
Accessible Beige reads slightly lighter (LRV 58 vs 52), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Malt reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
A 9-point LRV gap (52 vs 43) makes Malt the marginally brighter of the two.
Tranquil Dawn reads slightly lighter (LRV 55 vs 52), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Malt reads slightly lighter (LRV 52 vs 44), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 84 vs 52, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 52), opening up a space where Malt encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 52), opening up a space where Malt encloses it.
Malt reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Malt reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 52), opening up a space where Malt encloses it.
Malt reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Malt reads slightly lighter (LRV 52 vs 45), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 52 vs 31, Malt is decisively the brighter choice.
