Plunge vs French Gray
Where Plunge belongs to Cloverdale Paint's range, French Gray is a Farrow & Ball color. Plunge reads as green, while French Gray reads as beige-greige — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Plunge (LRV 52) reflects noticeably more light than French Gray (LRV 43), a difference of 9 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 13.5, 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 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Plunge vs French Gray in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Plunge and French 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 Plunge will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than French Gray 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. Plunge reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than French Gray.
Dining Room
A dining room lit by a dimmed pendant or candles is one of the most forgiving environments for paint — warm light softens almost everything. Plunge returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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. Plunge reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than French Gray.
Color Details
Plunge vs French Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Plunge on one side and French 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 Plunge comparisons
See how Plunge stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 52, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 52 and 52, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Plunge reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
Agreeable Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 60 vs 52), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 6-point LRV gap (58 vs 52) makes Accessible Beige the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 52 vs 27, Plunge is decisively the brighter choice.
A 3-point LRV gap (55 vs 52) makes Tranquil Dawn the marginally brighter of the two.
A 8-point LRV gap (52 vs 44) makes Plunge the marginally brighter of the two.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 52), opening up a space where Plunge encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 52, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 52, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 52 vs 12, Plunge is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 52 vs 8, Plunge is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 52, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 52 vs 12, Plunge is decisively the brighter choice.
A 7-point LRV gap (52 vs 45) makes Plunge the marginally brighter of the two.
Plunge reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Plunge reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.