Velum Smoke vs Bancha
Where Velum Smoke belongs to Cloverdale Paint's range, Bancha is a Farrow & Ball color. Both sit in the beige-greige family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Velum Smoke (LRV 63) reflects noticeably more light than Bancha (LRV 13), a difference of 50 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 40.5, 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.
Velum Smoke vs Bancha in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Seeing Velum Smoke and Bancha 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 Velum Smoke will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Bancha 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. Velum Smoke reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Bancha.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Velum Smoke reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Bancha.
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. Velum Smoke 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. Velum Smoke reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Bancha.
Color Details
Velum Smoke vs Bancha Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Velum Smoke on one side and Bancha 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 Velum Smoke comparisons
See how Velum Smoke stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 63, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Ammonite reads slightly lighter (LRV 69 vs 63), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 63 vs 6, Velum Smoke is decisively the brighter choice.
Velum Smoke reads slightly lighter (LRV 63 vs 52), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Velum Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 63 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
A 11-point LRV gap (63 vs 52) makes Velum Smoke the marginally brighter of the two.
With LRVs of 63 and 60, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
A 5-point LRV gap (63 vs 58) makes Velum Smoke the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 63 vs 27, Velum Smoke is decisively the brighter choice.
Velum Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 63 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
Velum Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 63 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
A 8-point LRV gap (63 vs 55) makes Velum Smoke the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 63 vs 44, Velum Smoke is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 63), opening up a space where Velum Smoke encloses it.
Velum Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 63 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 66 vs 63), so neither reads brighter in a room.
A 11-point LRV gap (74 vs 63) makes Shoji White the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 83 vs 63, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 63 vs 12, Velum Smoke is decisively the brighter choice.
A 5-point LRV gap (68 vs 63) makes Skimming Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
Velum Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 63 vs 41), opening up a space where Dix Blue encloses it.
Calamine reads slightly lighter (LRV 68 vs 63), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Velum Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 63 vs 25), opening up a space where Treron encloses it.
At LRV 63 vs 12, Velum Smoke is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 63 vs 45, Velum Smoke is decisively the brighter choice.
Velum Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 63 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Velum Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 63 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Velum Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 63 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
Velum Smoke reads slightly lighter (LRV 63 vs 57), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Just Walnut reads slightly lighter (LRV 72 vs 63), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.