Vardo vs Cement grey
Where Vardo belongs to Farrow & Ball's range, Cement grey is a RAL Classic color. Hue-wise, Vardo belongs to the blue family and Cement grey to the grey family. Cement grey (LRV 24) reflects noticeably more light than Vardo (LRV 15), a difference of 9 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 21.9, 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.
Vardo vs Cement grey in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Seeing Vardo and Cement grey 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 Cement grey will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Vardo 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. Cement grey reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Vardo.
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. Cement grey reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Vardo.
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 Cement grey will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Vardo would.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Cement grey reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Vardo.
Color Details
Vardo vs Cement grey Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Vardo on one side and Cement grey 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 Vardo comparisons
See how Vardo stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 15, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 15), opening up a space where Vardo encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 15), opening up a space where Vardo encloses it.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 15), opening up a space where Vardo encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 15, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
A 12-point LRV gap (27 vs 15) makes Denim Drift the marginally brighter of the two.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 15), opening up a space where Vardo encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 15, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 44 vs 15, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 15), opening up a space where Vardo encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 15, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 15, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (15 vs 12) makes Vardo the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 68 vs 15, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
A 3-point LRV gap (15 vs 12) makes Vardo the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 45 vs 15, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 15), opening up a space where Vardo encloses it.
Vardo reads slightly lighter (LRV 15 vs 7), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Guilford Green reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 15), opening up a space where Vardo encloses it.
Just Walnut reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 15), opening up a space where Vardo encloses it.