Pearl Grey vs Hardwick White
Pearl Grey (Dulux) and Hardwick White (Farrow & Ball) come from different manufacturers. Hue-wise, Pearl Grey belongs to the grey family and Hardwick White to the greige-grey family. The 28-point LRV gap — 71 for Pearl Grey vs 44 for Hardwick White — means Pearl Grey will open up a space more effectively. Where Pearl Grey leans neutral, Hardwick White reads warm — a distinction that shifts noticeably depending on the light source and surrounding finishes. A ΔE of 17.8 puts these firmly in different territory — two distinct design choices rather than close alternatives. Below you'll find 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Pearl Grey vs Hardwick White in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing Pearl Grey and Hardwick White 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. Pearl Grey reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Hardwick White.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. Pearl Grey returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Dining Room
Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. The LRV gap is large enough that Pearl Grey will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Hardwick White would.
Color Details
Pearl Grey vs Hardwick White Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Pearl Grey on one side and Hardwick White 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 Pearl Grey comparisons
See how Pearl Grey stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
A 12-point LRV gap (83 vs 71) makes White Dove the marginally brighter of the two.
With LRVs of 71 and 69, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Pearl Grey reflects far more light (LRV 71 vs 52), opening up a space where Purbeck Stone encloses it.
Pearl Grey reflects far more light (LRV 71 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
Pearl Grey reads slightly lighter (LRV 71 vs 60), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 71 vs 58, Pearl Grey is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 71 vs 27, Pearl Grey is decisively the brighter choice.
Pearl Grey reflects far more light (LRV 71 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
Pearl Grey reflects far more light (LRV 71 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 71 vs 55, Pearl Grey is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 71), opening up a space where Pearl Grey encloses it.
Pearl Grey reflects far more light (LRV 71 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
A 6-point LRV gap (71 vs 66) makes Pearl Grey the marginally brighter of the two.
A 3-point LRV gap (74 vs 71) makes Shoji White the marginally brighter of the two.
A 11-point LRV gap (83 vs 71) makes Snowbound the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 71 vs 12, Pearl Grey is decisively the brighter choice.
A 3-point LRV gap (71 vs 68) makes Pearl Grey the marginally brighter of the two.
Pearl Grey reflects far more light (LRV 71 vs 41), opening up a space where Dix Blue encloses it.
Pearl Grey reads slightly lighter (LRV 71 vs 68), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Pearl Grey reflects far more light (LRV 71 vs 25), opening up a space where Treron encloses it.
At LRV 71 vs 12, Pearl Grey is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 71 vs 45, Pearl Grey is decisively the brighter choice.
Pearl Grey reflects far more light (LRV 71 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Pearl Grey reflects far more light (LRV 71 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Pearl Grey reflects far more light (LRV 71 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
Pearl Grey reflects far more light (LRV 71 vs 57), opening up a space where Guilford Green encloses it.
With LRVs of 72 and 71, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.