Mouse's Back vs Smokey Topaz
Where Mouse's Back belongs to Farrow & Ball's range, Smokey Topaz is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, Mouse's Back belongs to the beige-greige family and Smokey Topaz to the beige family. Mouse's Back (LRV 26) reflects noticeably more light than Smokey Topaz (LRV 22), a difference of 4 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 17.5, 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 1 real-room photo comparison where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Mouse's Back vs Smokey Topaz in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. Seeing Mouse's Back and Smokey Topaz 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. Mouse's Back reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Color Details
Mouse's Back vs Smokey Topaz Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Mouse's Back on one side and Smokey Topaz 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 Mouse's Back comparisons
See how Mouse's Back stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 26, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 26), opening up a space where Mouse's Back encloses it.
At LRV 26 vs 6, Mouse's Back is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 26), opening up a space where Mouse's Back encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reads slightly lighter (LRV 30 vs 26), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 52 vs 26, Mizzle is decisively the brighter choice.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 26), opening up a space where Mouse's Back encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 26, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 27 vs 26), so neither reads brighter in a room.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 26), opening up a space where Mouse's Back encloses it.
Mouse's Back reflects far more light (LRV 26 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 26, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 26 vs 13, Mouse's Back is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 44 vs 26, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 26), opening up a space where Mouse's Back encloses it.
Mouse's Back reads slightly lighter (LRV 26 vs 21), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 66 vs 26, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 26, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 26, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 26 vs 12, Mouse's Back is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 26, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Dix Blue reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 26), opening up a space where Mouse's Back encloses it.
Calamine reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 26), opening up a space where Mouse's Back encloses it.
With LRVs of 26 and 25, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 26 vs 12, Mouse's Back is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 45 vs 26, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reads slightly lighter (LRV 31 vs 26), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Mouse's Back reflects far more light (LRV 26 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
With LRVs of 26 and 24, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Guilford Green reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 26), opening up a space where Mouse's Back encloses it.