Steam vs Hardwick White
Where Steam belongs to Cloverdale Paint's range, Hardwick White is a Farrow & Ball color. Hue-wise, Steam belongs to the greige-white family and Hardwick White to the greige-grey family. Steam (LRV 78) reflects noticeably more light than Hardwick White (LRV 44), a difference of 34 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 20.0, 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 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Steam vs Hardwick White in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Seeing Steam and Hardwick White 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 Steam will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Hardwick White 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. Steam reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Hardwick White.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Steam reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Hardwick White.
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. Steam 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. Steam reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Hardwick White.
Color Details
Steam vs Hardwick White Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Steam on one side and Hardwick White 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 Steam comparisons
See how Steam stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reads slightly lighter (LRV 83 vs 78), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 78 vs 52, Steam is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 78 vs 30, Steam is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 78 vs 60, Steam is decisively the brighter choice.
Steam reflects far more light (LRV 78 vs 58), opening up a space where Accessible Beige encloses it.
Steam reflects far more light (LRV 78 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
At LRV 78 vs 43, Steam is decisively the brighter choice.
Steam reflects far more light (LRV 78 vs 55), opening up a space where Tranquil Dawn encloses it.
A 6-point LRV gap (84 vs 78) makes Pure White the marginally brighter of the two.
Steam reflects far more light (LRV 78 vs 66), opening up a space where Balboa Mist encloses it.
Steam reads slightly lighter (LRV 78 vs 74), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Steam reflects far more light (LRV 78 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Steam reflects far more light (LRV 78 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Steam reads slightly lighter (LRV 78 vs 68), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Steam reflects far more light (LRV 78 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Steam reflects far more light (LRV 78 vs 45), opening up a space where Saybrook Sage encloses it.
At LRV 78 vs 31, Steam is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 78 vs 7, Steam is decisively the brighter choice.