Pigeon vs Iron Ore
Where Pigeon belongs to Farrow & Ball's range, Iron Ore is a Sherwin-Williams color. Both sit in the grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Pigeon (LRV 51) reflects noticeably more light than Iron Ore (LRV 6), a difference of 45 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Both lean neutral, so they'll behave similarly in mixed or changing light conditions. With a ΔE of 37.7, 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 7 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Pigeon vs Iron Ore in Real Spaces
7 real rooms side by side. Seeing Pigeon and Iron Ore 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 Pigeon will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Iron Ore 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. Pigeon reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
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. Pigeon reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
Mudroom
Mudrooms are seen in passing, often under whatever light comes through the door — a context that favors colors with some depth. Pigeon returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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. Pigeon reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
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 Pigeon will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Iron Ore would.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Pigeon reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
Color Details
Pigeon vs Iron Ore Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Pigeon on one side and Iron Ore 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 Pigeon comparisons
See how Pigeon stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
