Smoky vs Modern Gray
Where Smoky belongs to Cloverdale Paint's range, Modern Gray is a Sherwin-Williams color. These are both beige-greiges, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within beige-greige to land. They have nearly identical light reflectance values (63 vs 62), so they'll read as similarly Light in most lighting conditions. At ΔE 0.8, these are close — the kind of difference that matters when choosing between them, but doesn't read strongly in a finished room. Below you'll find 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Smoky vs Modern Gray in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Smoky and Modern 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 two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
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. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Color Details
Smoky vs Modern Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Smoky on one side and Modern 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 comparisons
See how Smoky stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 63, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Smoky reads slightly lighter (LRV 63 vs 52), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Smoky reflects far more light (LRV 63 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
With LRVs of 63 and 60, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
A 5-point LRV gap (63 vs 58) makes Smoky the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 63 vs 27, Smoky is decisively the brighter choice.
Smoky reflects far more light (LRV 63 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
A 8-point LRV gap (63 vs 55) makes Smoky the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 63 vs 44, Smoky is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 63), opening up a space where Smoky encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 66 vs 63), so neither reads brighter in a room.
A 12-point LRV gap (74 vs 63) makes Shoji White the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 63 vs 12, Smoky is decisively the brighter choice.
A 5-point LRV gap (68 vs 63) makes Skimming Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 63 vs 12, Smoky is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 63 vs 45, Smoky is decisively the brighter choice.
Smoky reflects far more light (LRV 63 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Smoky reflects far more light (LRV 63 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Smoky reflects far more light (LRV 63 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
Smoky reads slightly lighter (LRV 63 vs 57), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.