French Gray vs Olive grey
Where French Gray belongs to Farrow & Ball's range, Olive grey is a RAL Classic color. Hue-wise, French Gray belongs to the beige-greige family and Olive grey to the greige-grey family. French Gray (LRV 43) reflects noticeably more light than Olive grey (LRV 22), a difference of 21 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 21.4, 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 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
French Gray vs Olive grey in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing French Gray and Olive grey 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 Olive 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 French Gray will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Olive grey would.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. French Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Olive grey.
Color Details
French Gray vs Olive grey Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see French Gray on one side and Olive 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 French Gray comparisons
See how French Gray stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
