Plum Cake vs French Gray
Plum Cake is a Cloverdale Paint color while French Gray comes from Farrow & Ball. Plum Cake reads as purple, while French Gray reads as beige-greige — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. At LRV 57 vs 43, Plum Cake will read as the brighter of the two — a 14-point gap that matters most in north-facing or low-light rooms. At ΔE 27.0, these are genuinely distinct colors — a strong contrast if used together, or a meaningful choice between two different directions. Below you'll find 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Plum Cake vs French Gray in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Plum Cake 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
Living rooms test a color across a full range of conditions — morning sun, afternoon shade, and evening lamp light all shift how both of these read. Plum Cake returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Bedroom
Bedroom walls are often seen under warm artificial light, a context that shifts both colors from how they look on a chip. The LRV gap is large enough that Plum Cake will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than French Gray would.
Dining Room
Dining room light is typically the warmest in the house, which shifts both colors toward the red end of the spectrum compared to daylight. Plum Cake reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than French Gray.
Bathroom
Bathrooms amplify color — the enclosed space and reflective surfaces make what reads subtle elsewhere feel more present here. The LRV gap is large enough that Plum Cake will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than French Gray would.
Color Details
Plum Cake vs French Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Plum Cake 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 Plum Cake comparisons
See how Plum Cake stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 57, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Plum Cake reads slightly lighter (LRV 57 vs 52), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Plum Cake reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
Agreeable Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 60 vs 57), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 58 vs 57), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 57 vs 27, Plum Cake is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 57 vs 55), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 57 vs 44, Plum Cake is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 57), opening up a space where Plum Cake encloses it.
A 9-point LRV gap (66 vs 57) makes Balboa Mist the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 74 vs 57, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 57 vs 12, Plum Cake is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 57 vs 8, Plum Cake is decisively the brighter choice.
A 11-point LRV gap (68 vs 57) makes Skimming Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 57 vs 12, Plum Cake is decisively the brighter choice.
A 12-point LRV gap (57 vs 45) makes Plum Cake the marginally brighter of the two.
Plum Cake reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Plum Cake reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.