Gardenia vs Bancha
Gardenia (Dulux) and Bancha (Farrow & Ball) come from different manufacturers. Gardenia reads as beige, while Bancha reads as beige-greige — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. The 70-point LRV gap — 83 for Gardenia vs 13 for Bancha — means Gardenia will open up a space more effectively. Both share a warm character, which means they'll respond to light and surrounding materials in similar ways. A ΔE of 49.6 puts these firmly in different territory — two distinct design choices rather than close alternatives. Below you'll find 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Gardenia vs Bancha in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Gardenia 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
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. Gardenia reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Bancha.
House
A full exterior is the most demanding test for a paint color — scale and outdoor light both amplify differences that seem small on a swatch. Gardenia returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Color Details
Gardenia vs Bancha Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Gardenia 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 Gardenia comparisons
See how Gardenia stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
With LRVs of 83 and 83, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 83 vs 52, Gardenia is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 30, Gardenia is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 60, Gardenia is decisively the brighter choice.
Gardenia reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 58), opening up a space where Accessible Beige encloses it.
Gardenia reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 43, Gardenia is decisively the brighter choice.
Gardenia reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 55), opening up a space where Tranquil Dawn encloses it.
Gardenia reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 44), opening up a space where Hardwick White encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 84 vs 83), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Gardenia reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 66), opening up a space where Balboa Mist encloses it.
Gardenia reads slightly lighter (LRV 83 vs 74), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Gardenia reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Gardenia reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Gardenia reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 68), opening up a space where Skimming Stone encloses it.
Gardenia reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Gardenia reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 45), opening up a space where Saybrook Sage encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 31, Gardenia is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 7, Gardenia is decisively the brighter choice.