Ammonite vs Thunderbird
Where Ammonite belongs to Farrow & Ball's range, Thunderbird is a PPG color. Hue-wise, Ammonite belongs to the beige-greige family and Thunderbird to the greige-grey family. Ammonite (LRV 69) reflects noticeably more light than Thunderbird (LRV 21), a difference of 48 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 34.4, 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 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Ammonite vs Thunderbird in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Seeing Ammonite and Thunderbird 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 Ammonite will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Thunderbird 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. Ammonite reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Thunderbird.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Ammonite reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Thunderbird.
Dining Room
A dining room lit by a dimmed pendant or candles is one of the most forgiving environments for paint — warm light softens almost everything. Ammonite returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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. Ammonite reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Thunderbird.
Color Details
Ammonite vs Thunderbird Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Ammonite on one side and Thunderbird 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 Ammonite comparisons
See how Ammonite stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 69, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 52), opening up a space where Purbeck Stone encloses it.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
Ammonite reads slightly lighter (LRV 69 vs 60), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 11-point LRV gap (69 vs 58) makes Ammonite the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 69 vs 27, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
At LRV 69 vs 55, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 69 vs 44, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 69), opening up a space where Ammonite encloses it.
A 3-point LRV gap (69 vs 66) makes Ammonite the marginally brighter of the two.
A 5-point LRV gap (74 vs 69) makes Shoji White the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 69 vs 12, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 69 vs 68), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 69 vs 12, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 69 vs 45, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
Ammonite reads slightly lighter (LRV 69 vs 57), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Just Walnut reads slightly lighter (LRV 72 vs 69), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.