Merlins Beard vs French Gray
Merlins Beard (Cloverdale Paint) and French Gray (Farrow & Ball) come from different manufacturers. Hue-wise, Merlins Beard belongs to the beige family and French Gray to the beige-green family. The 34-point LRV gap — 77 for Merlins Beard vs 43 for French Gray — means Merlins Beard will open up a space more effectively. A ΔE of 20.0 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.
Merlins Beard vs French Gray in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Merlins Beard 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. Merlins Beard 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. Merlins Beard 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 Merlins Beard 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. Merlins Beard returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Color Details
Merlins Beard vs French Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Merlins Beard 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 Merlins Beard comparisons
See how Merlins Beard stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
A 6-point LRV gap (83 vs 77) makes White Dove the marginally brighter of the two.
Merlins Beard reads slightly lighter (LRV 77 vs 69), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 77 vs 6, Merlins Beard is decisively the brighter choice.
Merlins Beard reflects far more light (LRV 77 vs 52), opening up a space where Purbeck Stone encloses it.
Merlins Beard reflects far more light (LRV 77 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
At LRV 77 vs 52, Merlins Beard is decisively the brighter choice.
Merlins Beard reflects far more light (LRV 77 vs 60), opening up a space where Agreeable Gray encloses it.
At LRV 77 vs 58, Merlins Beard is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 77 vs 27, Merlins Beard is decisively the brighter choice.
Merlins Beard reflects far more light (LRV 77 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 77 vs 55, Merlins Beard is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 77 vs 13, Merlins Beard is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 77 vs 44, Merlins Beard is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reads slightly lighter (LRV 84 vs 77), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Merlins Beard reflects far more light (LRV 77 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
A 11-point LRV gap (77 vs 66) makes Merlins Beard the marginally brighter of the two.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 77 vs 74), so neither reads brighter in a room.
A 6-point LRV gap (83 vs 77) makes Snowbound the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 77 vs 12, Merlins Beard is decisively the brighter choice.
A 9-point LRV gap (77 vs 68) makes Merlins Beard the marginally brighter of the two.
Merlins Beard reflects far more light (LRV 77 vs 41), opening up a space where Dix Blue encloses it.
Merlins Beard reads slightly lighter (LRV 77 vs 68), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Merlins Beard reflects far more light (LRV 77 vs 25), opening up a space where Treron encloses it.
At LRV 77 vs 12, Merlins Beard is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 77 vs 45, Merlins Beard is decisively the brighter choice.
Merlins Beard reflects far more light (LRV 77 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Merlins Beard reflects far more light (LRV 77 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Merlins Beard reflects far more light (LRV 77 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
Merlins Beard reflects far more light (LRV 77 vs 57), opening up a space where Guilford Green encloses it.
Merlins Beard reads slightly lighter (LRV 77 vs 72), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.