Classic French Gray vs Dovetail
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Both sit in the grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. They have nearly identical light reflectance values (24 vs 26), so they'll read as similarly Medium in most lighting conditions. Both lean neutral, so they'll behave similarly in mixed or changing light conditions. At ΔE 2.8, these are close — the kind of difference that matters when choosing between them, but doesn't read strongly in a finished room. Below you'll find 1 real-room photo comparison where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Classic French Gray vs Dovetail in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. Classic French Gray and Dovetail 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.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Color Details
Classic French Gray vs Dovetail Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Classic French Gray on one side and Dovetail 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.