London Clay vs Pure White
Where London Clay belongs to Farrow & Ball's range, Pure White is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, London Clay belongs to the grey family and Pure White to the beige-greige family. Pure White (LRV 84) reflects noticeably more light than London Clay (LRV 15), a difference of 69 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Both lean warm, so they'll behave similarly in mixed or changing light conditions. With a ΔE of 48.1, 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 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
London Clay vs Pure White in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing London Clay and Pure White 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 Pure White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than London Clay 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. Pure White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than London Clay.
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. Pure White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than London Clay.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Pure White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than London Clay.
Color Details
London Clay vs Pure White Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see London Clay on one side and Pure White 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 London Clay comparisons
See how London Clay stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
