Smoke Grey vs French Gray
Where Smoke Grey belongs to Dulux's range, French Gray is a Farrow & Ball color. Smoke Grey reads as blue-grey, while French Gray reads as beige-greige — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. French Gray (LRV 43) reflects noticeably more light than Smoke Grey (LRV 30), a difference of 13 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Smoke Grey runs cool while French Gray is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 22.3, 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 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Smoke Grey vs French Gray in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing Smoke Grey 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 French Gray will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Smoke Grey 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. French Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Smoke Grey.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. French Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Smoke Grey.
Color Details
Smoke Grey vs French Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Smoke Grey 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 Smoke Grey comparisons
See how Smoke Grey stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
