Pavilion Gray vs Gray Shadows
Pavilion Gray (Farrow & Ball) and Gray Shadows (PPG) come from different manufacturers. Pavilion Gray reads as greige-grey, while Gray Shadows reads as grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. The 3-point LRV gap — 55 for Pavilion Gray vs 52 for Gray Shadows — means Pavilion Gray will open up a space more effectively. A ΔE of 3.0 puts them in subtle territory — distinguishable in direct comparison, less so from across a room. Below you'll find 6 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Pavilion Gray vs Gray Shadows in Real Spaces
6 real rooms side by side. Pavilion Gray and Gray Shadows 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.
Dining Room
Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
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.
Mudroom
In a hardworking space like a mudroom, the depth and warmth of a color reads differently than in a quieter room. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Front Door
On a front door, the color is both the first and last thing you see — a context where even a modest tonal difference reads clearly. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Color Details
Pavilion Gray vs Gray Shadows Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Pavilion Gray on one side and Gray Shadows 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 Pavilion Gray comparisons
See how Pavilion Gray stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 55), opening up a space where Pavilion Gray encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 55, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 55 vs 6, Pavilion Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Pavilion Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 55 vs 52), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Pavilion Gray reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
A 3-point LRV gap (55 vs 52) makes Pavilion Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
Agreeable Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 60 vs 55), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 58 vs 55), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 55 vs 27, Pavilion Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Pavilion Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 55 vs 43), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Pavilion Gray reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 55 vs 55), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 55 vs 13, Pavilion Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
A 11-point LRV gap (55 vs 44) makes Pavilion Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 55), opening up a space where Pavilion Gray encloses it.
Pavilion Gray reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
A 11-point LRV gap (66 vs 55) makes Balboa Mist the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 74 vs 55, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 55, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Pavilion Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 55 vs 51), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 55 vs 12, Pavilion Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 55 vs 8, Pavilion Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 55, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Pavilion Gray reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 41), opening up a space where Dix Blue encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 12, Pavilion Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
A 10-point LRV gap (55 vs 45) makes Pavilion Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
Pavilion Gray reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.