Spruce vs French Gray
Where Spruce belongs to Cloverdale Paint's range, French Gray is a Farrow & Ball color. Spruce reads as grey, while French Gray reads as beige-greige — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. French Gray (LRV 43) reflects noticeably more light than Spruce (LRV 30), a difference of 13 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 16.0, 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.
Spruce vs French Gray in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Spruce 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
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 French Gray will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Spruce 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. French Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Spruce.
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. French Gray 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. French Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Spruce.
Color Details
Spruce vs French Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Spruce 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 Spruce comparisons
See how Spruce stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 30), opening up a space where Spruce encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 30, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 30 vs 30), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 60 vs 30, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 30), opening up a space where Spruce encloses it.
Spruce reads slightly lighter (LRV 30 vs 27), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 30), opening up a space where Spruce encloses it.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 30), opening up a space where Spruce encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 30, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 30), opening up a space where Spruce encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 30), opening up a space where Spruce encloses it.
Spruce reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Spruce reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 30), opening up a space where Spruce encloses it.
Spruce reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 30), opening up a space where Spruce encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 31 vs 30), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 30 vs 7, Spruce is decisively the brighter choice.