French Gray vs Gustavian Blue
Where French Gray belongs to Farrow & Ball's range, Gustavian Blue is a Jotun color. Hue-wise, French Gray belongs to the beige-greige family and Gustavian Blue to the blue-grey family. French Gray (LRV 43) reflects noticeably more light than Gustavian Blue (LRV 38), a difference of 5 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. French Gray runs warm while Gustavian Blue is decidedly cool, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 18.7, 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.
French Gray vs Gustavian Blue in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Seeing French Gray and Gustavian Blue 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 brightness difference is modest but present — French Gray gives the walls a little more lift.
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 reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
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. French Gray has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Front Door
A front door is a focal point — small color differences read clearly at this concentrated scale. The brightness difference is modest but present — French Gray gives the walls a little more lift.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. French Gray reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Color Details
French Gray vs Gustavian Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see French Gray on one side and Gustavian Blue 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 French Gray comparisons
See how French Gray stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
