Rare Happening vs Thames Fog
Where Rare Happening belongs to Cloverdale Paint's range, Thames Fog is a Valspar color. Hue-wise, Rare Happening belongs to the beige family and Thames Fog to the grey family. Thames Fog (LRV 27) reflects noticeably more light than Rare Happening (LRV 18), a difference of 9 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 22.6, the contrast is hard to miss. These aren't variations on a theme — they're two different answers to the same question. Below you'll find 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Rare Happening vs Thames Fog in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Rare Happening and Thames Fog 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
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 LRV gap is large enough that Thames Fog will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Rare Happening would.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. Thames Fog reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Rare Happening.
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. Thames Fog returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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. Thames Fog reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Rare Happening.
Color Details
Rare Happening vs Thames Fog Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Rare Happening on one side and Thames Fog 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 Rare Happening comparisons
See how Rare Happening stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
