Magnolia vs French Gray
Where Magnolia belongs to Dulux's range, French Gray is a Farrow & Ball color. Magnolia reads as beige, while French Gray reads as beige-greige — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Magnolia (LRV 83) reflects noticeably more light than French Gray (LRV 43), a difference of 40 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Both lean warm, so they'll behave similarly in mixed or changing light conditions. With a ΔE of 20.6, 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 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Magnolia vs French Gray in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Magnolia 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
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 Magnolia will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than French Gray 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. Magnolia reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than French Gray.
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. Magnolia reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than French Gray.
House
Seen across an entire facade, subtle tonal differences become pronounced. What reads as nearly the same on a chip often reads as clearly different at scale. Magnolia reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than French Gray.
Color Details
Magnolia vs French Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Magnolia 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 Magnolia comparisons
See how Magnolia stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 83 vs 83), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Magnolia reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 52), opening up a space where Purbeck Stone encloses it.
Magnolia reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
Magnolia reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 60), opening up a space where Agreeable Gray encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 58, Magnolia is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 27, Magnolia is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 55, Magnolia is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 44, Magnolia is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 84 and 83, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 83 vs 66, Magnolia is decisively the brighter choice.
A 9-point LRV gap (83 vs 74) makes Magnolia the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 83 vs 12, Magnolia is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 68, Magnolia is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 12, Magnolia is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 45, Magnolia is decisively the brighter choice.
Magnolia reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Magnolia reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Magnolia reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
Magnolia reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 57), opening up a space where Guilford Green encloses it.
Magnolia reads slightly lighter (LRV 83 vs 72), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.