Mauve vs French Gray
Where Mauve belongs to Cloverdale Paint's range, French Gray is a Farrow & Ball color. These are both beige-greiges, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within beige-greige to land. Mauve (LRV 47) reflects noticeably more light than French Gray (LRV 43), a difference of 4 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. The ΔE 8.0 gap is real but not dramatic — close enough to use together, distinct enough to matter as a choice. Below you'll find 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Mauve vs French Gray in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Mauve and French Gray 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 brightness difference is modest but present — Mauve gives the walls a little more lift.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. Mauve reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
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. Mauve has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
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. Mauve reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Color Details
Mauve vs French Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Mauve 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 Mauve comparisons
See how Mauve stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 47), opening up a space where Mauve encloses it.
A 5-point LRV gap (52 vs 47) makes Purbeck Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 47 vs 30, Mauve is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 60 vs 47, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reads slightly lighter (LRV 58 vs 47), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Mauve reflects far more light (LRV 47 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
Tranquil Dawn reads slightly lighter (LRV 55 vs 47), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Mauve reads slightly lighter (LRV 47 vs 44), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 84 vs 47, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 47), opening up a space where Mauve encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 47), opening up a space where Mauve encloses it.
Mauve reflects far more light (LRV 47 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Mauve reflects far more light (LRV 47 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 47), opening up a space where Mauve encloses it.
Mauve reflects far more light (LRV 47 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
With LRVs of 47 and 45, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 47 vs 31, Mauve is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 47 vs 7, Mauve is decisively the brighter choice.