Sweet Sue vs French Gray
Sweet Sue (Cloverdale Paint) and French Gray (Farrow & Ball) come from different manufacturers. Sweet Sue reads as beige, while French Gray reads as beige-greige — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. The 3-point LRV gap — 46 for Sweet Sue vs 43 for French Gray — means Sweet Sue will open up a space more effectively. A ΔE of 18.4 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 Sue vs French Gray in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Sweet Sue 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. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
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. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
Dining Room
Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. Side by side like this, the difference is easy to read — which is exactly why seeing them in a real space is more useful than comparing chips.
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. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
Color Details
Sweet Sue vs French Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Sweet Sue 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 Sue comparisons
See how Sweet Sue stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 46), opening up a space where Sweet Sue encloses it.
A 6-point LRV gap (52 vs 46) makes Purbeck Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 46 vs 30, Sweet Sue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 60 vs 46, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reads slightly lighter (LRV 58 vs 46), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Sweet Sue reflects far more light (LRV 46 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
Tranquil Dawn reads slightly lighter (LRV 55 vs 46), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
With LRVs of 46 and 44, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 84 vs 46, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 46), opening up a space where Sweet Sue encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 46), opening up a space where Sweet Sue encloses it.
Sweet Sue reflects far more light (LRV 46 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Sweet Sue reflects far more light (LRV 46 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 46), opening up a space where Sweet Sue encloses it.
Sweet Sue reflects far more light (LRV 46 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
With LRVs of 46 and 45, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 46 vs 31, Sweet Sue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 46 vs 7, Sweet Sue is decisively the brighter choice.