James vs Agreeable Gray
Where James belongs to Little Greene's range, Agreeable Gray is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, James belongs to the blue-grey family and Agreeable Gray to the greige-grey family. Agreeable Gray (LRV 60) reflects noticeably more light than James (LRV 30), a difference of 31 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. James runs blue while Agreeable Gray is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 25.2, 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.
James vs Agreeable Gray in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. Seeing James and Agreeable Gray 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 Agreeable Gray will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than James would.
Color Details
James vs Agreeable Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see James on one side and Agreeable 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 James comparisons
See how James stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 30), opening up a space where James encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 30, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 30 vs 30), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 30), opening up a space where James encloses it.
With LRVs of 30 and 27, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 43 vs 30, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 30), opening up a space where James encloses it.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 30), opening up a space where James encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 30, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 30), opening up a space where James encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 30), opening up a space where James encloses it.
James reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 30), opening up a space where James encloses it.
James reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 30), opening up a space where James encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 31 vs 30), so neither reads brighter in a room.
A 6-point LRV gap (30 vs 24) makes James the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 57 vs 30, Guilford Green is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 72 vs 30, Just Walnut is decisively the brighter choice.