Trafalgar Grey vs French Gray
Trafalgar Grey (Dulux) and French Gray (Farrow & Ball) come from different manufacturers. Trafalgar Grey reads as grey, while French Gray reads as beige-greige — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. The 29-point LRV gap — 43 for French Gray vs 14 for Trafalgar Grey — means French Gray will open up a space more effectively. Where Trafalgar Grey leans neutral, French Gray reads warm — a distinction that shifts noticeably depending on the light source and surrounding finishes. A ΔE of 32.7 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.
Trafalgar Grey vs French Gray in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing Trafalgar 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
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. French Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Trafalgar Grey.
Bedroom
Bedrooms are typically lit with warmer, lower light than the rest of the house — a condition that flatters warm tones and deepens cool ones. French Gray 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 French Gray will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Trafalgar Grey would.
Color Details
Trafalgar Grey vs French Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Trafalgar 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 Trafalgar Grey comparisons
See how Trafalgar Grey stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 14), opening up a space where Trafalgar Grey encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 14, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
A 8-point LRV gap (14 vs 6) makes Trafalgar Grey the marginally brighter of the two.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 14), opening up a space where Trafalgar Grey encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 14), opening up a space where Trafalgar Grey encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 14, Mizzle is decisively the brighter choice.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 14), opening up a space where Trafalgar Grey encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 14, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 27 vs 14, Denim Drift is decisively the brighter choice.
Trafalgar Grey reads slightly lighter (LRV 14 vs 4), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 55 vs 14, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 14 vs 13), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 44 vs 14, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 14), opening up a space where Trafalgar Grey encloses it.
Artichoke reads slightly lighter (LRV 21 vs 14), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 66 vs 14, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 14, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 14, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Pigeon reflects far more light (LRV 51 vs 14), opening up a space where Trafalgar Grey encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 14 vs 12), so neither reads brighter in a room.
A 6-point LRV gap (14 vs 8) makes Trafalgar Grey the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 68 vs 14, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Dix Blue reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 14), opening up a space where Trafalgar Grey encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 14 vs 12), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 45 vs 14, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 14), opening up a space where Trafalgar Grey encloses it.
Trafalgar Grey reads slightly lighter (LRV 14 vs 7), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.