French Gray vs Sea Smoke
Where French Gray belongs to Farrow & Ball's range, Sea Smoke is a Tikkurila color. Hue-wise, French Gray belongs to the beige-greige family and Sea Smoke to the green-grey family. Sea Smoke (LRV 63) reflects noticeably more light than French Gray (LRV 43), a difference of 20 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 14.1, 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 Sea Smoke in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing French Gray and Sea Smoke 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 Sea Smoke will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than French Gray 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. Sea Smoke reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than French Gray.
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. Sea Smoke returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Color Details
French Gray vs Sea Smoke Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see French Gray on one side and Sea Smoke 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.
