Smoky Tone vs Manor House Gray
Smoky Tone is a Cloverdale Paint color while Manor House Gray comes from Farrow & Ball. These are both greys, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within grey to land. With LRVs of 36 and 36, they'll behave almost identically in terms of how much light they reflect back into a room. With a ΔE of 2.5, the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side to reliably tell them apart. Below you'll find 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Smoky Tone vs Manor House Gray in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Smoky Tone and Manor House 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
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. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Bedroom
Bedroom walls are often seen under warm artificial light, a context that shifts both colors from how they look on a chip. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Bathroom
Bathrooms amplify color — the enclosed space and reflective surfaces make what reads subtle elsewhere feel more present here. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Color Details
Smoky Tone vs Manor House Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Smoky Tone on one side and Manor House 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 Smoky Tone comparisons
See how Smoky Tone stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 69 vs 36, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 36), opening up a space where Smoky Tone encloses it.
Smoky Tone reflects far more light (LRV 36 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 36, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
A 6-point LRV gap (36 vs 30) makes Smoky Tone the marginally brighter of the two.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 36), opening up a space where Smoky Tone encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 36, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 36), opening up a space where Smoky Tone encloses it.
Smoky Tone reads slightly lighter (LRV 36 vs 27), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 7-point LRV gap (43 vs 36) makes French Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 36 vs 4, Smoky Tone is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 36), opening up a space where Smoky Tone encloses it.
Smoky Tone reflects far more light (LRV 36 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
Hardwick White reads slightly lighter (LRV 44 vs 36), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 84 vs 36, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 36 vs 21, Smoky Tone is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 36), opening up a space where Smoky Tone encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 36), opening up a space where Smoky Tone encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 36), opening up a space where Smoky Tone encloses it.
At LRV 51 vs 36, Pigeon is decisively the brighter choice.
Smoky Tone reflects far more light (LRV 36 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Smoky Tone reflects far more light (LRV 36 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 36), opening up a space where Smoky Tone encloses it.
A 5-point LRV gap (41 vs 36) makes Dix Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
Smoky Tone reflects far more light (LRV 36 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Saybrook Sage reads slightly lighter (LRV 45 vs 36), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 5-point LRV gap (36 vs 31) makes Smoky Tone the marginally brighter of the two.