Calamine vs Light grey
Where Calamine belongs to Farrow & Ball's range, Light grey is a RAL Classic color. Calamine reads as pink-red, while Light grey reads as grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Calamine (LRV 68) reflects noticeably more light than Light grey (LRV 58), a difference of 9 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 10.2, 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.
Calamine vs Light grey in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing Calamine and Light grey 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 Calamine will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Light grey would.
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. Calamine reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Light grey.
Front Door
A front door is a focal point — small color differences read clearly at this concentrated scale. The LRV gap is large enough that Calamine will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Light grey would.
Color Details
Calamine vs Light grey Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Calamine on one side and Light grey 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 Calamine comparisons
See how Calamine stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
