Willow Mist vs French Gray
Willow Mist is a Cloverdale Paint color while French Gray comes from Farrow & Ball. Willow Mist reads as greige-grey, while French Gray reads as beige-greige — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. With LRVs of 41 and 43, they'll behave almost identically in terms of how much light they reflect back into a room. With a ΔE of 1.7, the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side to reliably tell them apart. Below you'll find 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Willow Mist vs French Gray in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Willow Mist and French Gray are close enough that the difference can be hard to judge from a chip alone — these photos show how each reads at scale, across different spaces and lighting conditions.
Living Room
Living rooms test a color across a full range of conditions — morning sun, afternoon shade, and evening lamp light all shift how both of these read. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Bedroom
Bedroom walls are often seen under warm artificial light, a context that shifts both colors from how they look on a chip. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Dining Room
Dining room light is typically the warmest in the house, which shifts both colors toward the red end of the spectrum compared to daylight. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Bathroom
Bathrooms amplify color — the enclosed space and reflective surfaces make what reads subtle elsewhere feel more present here. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Color Details
Willow Mist vs French Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Willow Mist 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 Willow Mist comparisons
See how Willow Mist stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 69 vs 41, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 41), opening up a space where Willow Mist encloses it.
Willow Mist reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
A 11-point LRV gap (52 vs 41) makes Purbeck Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
A 11-point LRV gap (41 vs 30) makes Willow Mist the marginally brighter of the two.
Mizzle reads slightly lighter (LRV 52 vs 41), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 60 vs 41, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 41), opening up a space where Willow Mist encloses it.
Willow Mist reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
At LRV 41 vs 4, Willow Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 41), opening up a space where Willow Mist encloses it.
Willow Mist reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
With LRVs of 44 and 41, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 84 vs 41, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 41 vs 21, Willow Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 41), opening up a space where Willow Mist encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 41), opening up a space where Willow Mist encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 41), opening up a space where Willow Mist encloses it.
A 9-point LRV gap (51 vs 41) makes Pigeon the marginally brighter of the two.
Willow Mist reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Willow Mist reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 41), opening up a space where Willow Mist encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 41 vs 41), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Willow Mist reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Saybrook Sage reads slightly lighter (LRV 45 vs 41), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 10-point LRV gap (41 vs 31) makes Willow Mist the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 41 vs 7, Willow Mist is decisively the brighter choice.