Sweet Buttermilk vs French Gray
Sweet Buttermilk (Cloverdale Paint) and French Gray (Farrow & Ball) come from different manufacturers. Sweet Buttermilk reads as beige, while French Gray reads as beige-greige — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. The 41-point LRV gap — 84 for Sweet Buttermilk vs 43 for French Gray — means Sweet Buttermilk will open up a space more effectively. A ΔE of 22.3 puts these firmly in different territory — two distinct design choices rather than close alternatives. Below you'll find 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Sweet Buttermilk vs French Gray in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Sweet Buttermilk 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
A living room wall sees more varied light than almost any other surface in the house, which makes the choice between these two more nuanced than a chip suggests. Sweet Buttermilk reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than French Gray.
Bedroom
Bedrooms are typically lit with warmer, lower light than the rest of the house — a condition that flatters warm tones and deepens cool ones. Sweet Buttermilk returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Dining Room
Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. The LRV gap is large enough that Sweet Buttermilk will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than French Gray would.
Bathroom
Small bathrooms intensify color. A shade that seems quiet in a larger room can feel immersive when you're surrounded by it on four walls. Sweet Buttermilk returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Color Details
Sweet Buttermilk vs French Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Sweet Buttermilk 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 Sweet Buttermilk comparisons
See how Sweet Buttermilk stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
