Sherwin-Williams Repose GrayvsSherwin-Williams Light French Gray
Why this comparison: Repose is the warm pick, Light French Gray the truer neutral — similar depth, different temperature. Repose Gray and Light French Gray are very close (ΔE 2.91). The difference shows up most in side-by-side comparison and under specific light.
Built from our full reviews of both colors — same measured data, same real-room photos. About the testing process →
The Numbers
Repose Gray is slightly lighter (LRV 58 vs 53, 5-point delta).
What Each Color Really Is
A light greige built on a violet base. That last part is the whole story. Most warm grays get their softness from yellow or brown pigment; Repose Gray gets a good share of its from a whisper of purple, with a faint green thread underneath it. In warm light the purple reads as "soft" and "not cold," which is exactly the effect people are after. Take the warm light away and the same pigment reads as what it is. Nothing about the mix changes room to room — only what the light lets you see.
At LRV 58 it sits almost exactly where Agreeable Gray does at 60, so the two are not a light-versus-dark decision — they are a temperature decision. Repose leans slightly cool and clean; Agreeable leans slightly tan. That two-point gap also tells you something people miss: 58 is mid-light, not pale. It is a real, visible color on the wall, roughly halfway between a white ceiling and a mid-tone gray sofa, and it will read as gray from across the room rather than disappearing like an off-white.
On the chip it measures a hair warm — a red-orange hue at 5 percent saturation, which is about as close to no color as paint gets. That is technically true and it is why the color is sold as a balanced neutral. The wall tells a different story. Light French Gray is the gray people most often post about turning baby blue, and the missing pigment is exactly why. With almost nothing of its own, it borrows: set it near orange oak, cream trim or cool daylight and your eye supplies the opposite, and you get a soft blue-lavender cast that is not in the can but is absolutely on your wall.
At LRV 53 it sits just above the middle of the scale, which is darker than most people picture when they read the word light. Repose Gray (SW 7015) is 58 and Agreeable Gray (SW 7029) is 60 — five to seven points sounds like nothing, but across four walls of a small room it is the difference between airy and closed in. Enough people hit that wall that having it mixed at 75 or even 50 percent strength for windowless bathrooms and basements has become a normal request at the paint counter. It keeps the hue and buys back the light.
Specs Side by Side
| Spec | Repose Gray | Light French Gray |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams | Sherwin-Williams |
| SKU | SW 7015 | SW 55 |
| Hex | #CCC9C0 | #C2C0BB |
| RGB | 204, 201, 192 | 194, 192, 187 |
| LRV | 58 | 53 |
| Undertone | red-orange / warm | red-orange / warm |
| Family | Neutral | Neutral |
How Light Changes Them
Warm daylight all day keeps the greige balanced and soft. This is the room it was made for.
Cool light kills the warmth and the violet base surfaces. Expect lavender or baby blue. Sample large, or go warmer.
4000K LEDs push it blue-gray and lifeless after dark. Swap to 2700K bulbs before you blame the paint — it usually fixes it outright.
West windows at 4pm bleach it close to an off-white. Fine on a big wall, disappointing if you wanted visible gray.
Cool flat daylight tips it blue-lavender. This is the complaint. Sample a big board first.
Warm sun cancels the blue and it reads as a clean, honest mid-gray all day.
2700K lamps keep it gray and settled. 4000K daylight LEDs turn the whole room blue.
Outside it lifts about a step lighter and the lavender never appears. Its most dependable use.
Both Colors in Real Rooms
Photos from our full reviews — the same rooms and captions, so you can judge each color where it actually lives, not on a chip.
When to Pick Which
South- and west-facing living rooms · open-plan main floors that need one calm neutral · walls beside warm wood, brass, or matte black · anyone who found Agreeable Gray too beige
Your room faces north and stays dim · your cabinets or counters are cream, ivory, or champagne · your bulbs are 4000K daylight LEDs · you want a gray that reads clearly gray, not greige
South- and west-facing rooms with real daylight · people who think all greige looks dirty · exterior siding with white trim and a black door · matching existing gray floors, tile or quartz
Your room faces north and stays dim · your trim or floors are honey oak, pine or cream · you run 4000K daylight bulbs · you want a gray that feels warm on its own
No comparison page can see your light. Upload one photo of your room and try both colors on the same walls, seconds apart.
Repose Gray vs Light French Gray FAQ
Which is lighter, Repose Gray or Light French Gray?
Repose Gray is lighter: LRV 58 vs 53. Repose Gray is slightly lighter (LRV 58 vs 53, 5-point delta).
Which is warmer, Repose Gray or Light French Gray?
They share the same undertone family — both read red-orange / warm. The difference between them is lightness and depth, not temperature.
How similar are Repose Gray and Light French Gray?
Repose Gray and Light French Gray are very close (ΔE 2.91). The difference shows up most in side-by-side comparison and under specific light. The only reliable test is seeing both in your own room and light — a side-by-side on a screen or chip flattens the difference.
Can I use Repose Gray and Light French Gray together in one house?
Not in the same room, and be careful in the same house. At ΔE 2.91 they are so close that two walls in each will read as a tinting mistake, not a design choice. Pick one, or keep them on different floors where they are never seen together.
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