Hopper Head vs Stirabout
Both from Farrow & Ball's palette. Hopper Head reads as grey, while Stirabout reads as beige-greige — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Stirabout (LRV 63) reflects noticeably more light than Hopper Head (LRV 9), a difference of 54 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Hopper Head runs neutral while Stirabout is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 49.1, 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 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Hopper Head vs Stirabout in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Seeing Hopper Head and Stirabout 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 Stirabout will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Hopper Head 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. Stirabout reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Hopper Head.
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. Stirabout returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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. Stirabout reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Hopper Head.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Stirabout reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Hopper Head.
Color Details
Hopper Head vs Stirabout Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Hopper Head on one side and Stirabout 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.