Stirabout vs Modern Gray
Stirabout (Farrow & Ball) and Modern Gray (Sherwin-Williams) come from different manufacturers. These are both beige-greiges, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within beige-greige to land. Their light reflectance values are nearly the same — 63 vs 62 — so neither will read significantly brighter or darker than the other. Both share a warm character, which means they'll respond to light and surrounding materials in similar ways. A ΔE of 1.4 puts them in subtle territory — distinguishable in direct comparison, less so from across a room. Below you'll find 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Stirabout vs Modern Gray in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Stirabout and Modern Gray are close enough that the difference can be hard to judge from a chip alone — these photos show how each reads at scale, across different spaces and lighting conditions.
Living Room
A living room wall sees more varied light than almost any other surface in the house, which makes the choice between these two more nuanced than a chip suggests. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Bedroom
Bedrooms are typically lit with warmer, lower light than the rest of the house — a condition that flatters warm tones and deepens cool ones. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Bathroom
Small bathrooms intensify color. A shade that seems quiet in a larger room can feel immersive when you're surrounded by it on four walls. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Home Office
Home office walls matter more than most — you're looking at them all day, and a color that reads fine at first can become tiring over time. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Color Details
Stirabout vs Modern Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Stirabout on one side and Modern Gray 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 Stirabout comparisons
See how Stirabout stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 63), opening up a space where Stirabout encloses it.
A 11-point LRV gap (63 vs 52) makes Stirabout the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 63 vs 30, Stirabout is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 63 vs 60), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Stirabout reads slightly lighter (LRV 63 vs 58), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Stirabout reflects far more light (LRV 63 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
At LRV 63 vs 43, Stirabout is decisively the brighter choice.
Stirabout reads slightly lighter (LRV 63 vs 55), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Stirabout reflects far more light (LRV 63 vs 44), opening up a space where Hardwick White encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 63, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 66 and 63, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Shoji White reads slightly lighter (LRV 74 vs 63), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Stirabout reflects far more light (LRV 63 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Stirabout reflects far more light (LRV 63 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reads slightly lighter (LRV 68 vs 63), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Stirabout reflects far more light (LRV 63 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Stirabout reflects far more light (LRV 63 vs 45), opening up a space where Saybrook Sage encloses it.
At LRV 63 vs 31, Stirabout is decisively the brighter choice.