French Gray vs Chocolate brown
Where French Gray belongs to Farrow & Ball's range, Chocolate brown is a RAL Classic color. Hue-wise, French Gray belongs to the beige-greige family and Chocolate brown to the pink family. French Gray (LRV 43) reflects noticeably more light than Chocolate brown (LRV 7), a difference of 37 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 51.7, 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 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
French Gray vs Chocolate brown in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Seeing French Gray and Chocolate brown in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
House
Seen across an entire facade, subtle tonal differences become pronounced. What reads as nearly the same on a chip often reads as clearly different at scale. French Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Chocolate brown.
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 French Gray will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Chocolate brown would.
Color Details
French Gray vs Chocolate brown Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see French Gray on one side and Chocolate brown 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.
