City Loft vs Edgecomb Gray: The Comparison That Actually Helps You Decide
These two sit in the same greige territory and get shortlisted together constantly, but City Loft and Edgecomb Gray solve different problems. City Loft is the more complex of the two - a color that shifts between beige, gray, and a faint violet depending on the light hitting it. Edgecomb Gray is the more disciplined one - a warm greige that reads consistently no matter the exposure. On a paint chip they can look close enough to swap. On a wall they do not behave the same way at all.
I have specified both City Loft and Edgecomb Gray across residential projects, and the choice between them comes down to how much light variation the room actually gets. One thrives on that variation. The other is the safer bet when you cannot control it.
This guide covers the undertones, the LRV difference, where each performs and where each struggles, and a clear verdict on which one your room needs.
At a Glance
| City Loft | Edgecomb Gray |
Brand | Sherwin-Williams | Benjamin Moore |
LRV | 70 - lighter and more reflective than Edgecomb Gray | 63 - slightly deeper and less reflective than City Loft |
Colour category | Complex warm greige - shifts between beige, gray, and violet depending on light | Classic warm greige - one of the most dependable neutrals in the Benjamin Moore range |
Undertones | Beige and red-violet underneath a gray base - genuinely light-reactive, not a fixed reading | Soft beige-tan with a faint cool green-gray note held well in check - present but never dominant |
Character | Chameleon-like and light-dependent; rewards a room with strong natural light and punishes a flat, consistent one | Steady and predictable; performs consistently across almost any exposure without needing ideal conditions |
North-facing | Risky - the violet undertone can surface and read cool or slightly purple without warm light to counter it | Reliable - the restrained undertone keeps the color warm without turning cool or muddy |
South-facing | Excellent - the beige and violet notes settle into a warm, sophisticated taupe-gray | Warm and settled - the beige note reads clearly without tipping into gold or yellow |
Open-plan | Weak - inconsistent light across zones means the color reads differently wall to wall in the same space | Strong - reads consistently zone to zone even where natural light varies through the day |
On walls | A shifting, mood-driven backdrop that changes character through the day - striking when the light is generous | A calm, dependable greige backdrop that holds its character in almost any light condition |
On cabinets | Best in rooms with strong, consistent natural light; can look muddy or purple-tinged under artificial light alone | The safer choice across a wider range of kitchens, including those with mixed warm and cool finishes |
Use together? | Yes - City Loft on walls with Edgecomb Gray on trim softens the shift and gives the room a stable anchor | Yes - Edgecomb Gray on trim alongside City Loft walls gives the scheme a fixed point that keeps the shift from feeling unresolved |
Trim for each | Alabaster SW 7008 for a clean lift, or Edgecomb Gray itself for a quieter, more grounded pairing | Chantilly Lace for crisp contrast, or White Dove for a softer, warmer step up |
Style fit | Contemporary, transitional, moody-neutral schemes with strong daylight | Traditional, transitional, and modern-classic interiors - genuinely versatile across styles |
Architect's pick | When the room has generous, changing natural light and the brief wants a color with real depth | When the room's light is inconsistent, mixed, or simply unpredictable and the brief needs a greige that will not misbehave |
Sherwin-Williams City Loft SW 7631 - What It Really Looks Like
City Loft has an LRV of 70, which puts it in the lighter greige category - but the number tells you almost nothing about how it will actually read. This is a color built on a beige-gray base with a red-violet undertone sitting underneath it, and that undertone is genuinely light-reactive rather than fixed.
In strong, warm natural light it settles into a sophisticated taupe-gray. In flat or cool light, particularly north-facing exposures, the violet note can surface and pull the whole wall toward a cooler, slightly purple-gray reading. It does not commit to one identity. That is what makes it interesting, and also what makes it a color you have to test properly before committing a whole room to it.
For how City Loft compares to a cooler, more stable gray with none of this light-sensitivity - the City Loft vs Repose Gray guide covers which rooms can handle a shifting undertone and which need a color that holds still.
Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray HC-173 - What It Really Looks Like
Edgecomb Gray has an LRV of 63, placing it a touch deeper than City Loft and firmly in the warm greige category. The undertone is a soft beige-tan with a faint cool green-gray note sitting underneath - present if you look for it, but never assertive enough to shift the color's overall reading.
This is what makes Edgecomb Gray one of the most dependable neutrals Benjamin Moore makes. It does not swing between identities the way City Loft can. In a north-facing room it stays warm. In a south-facing room it stays composed rather than tipping into yellow. It holds its line regardless of what the light is doing. That consistency is the entire appeal.
For how Edgecomb Gray compares to a cooler Sherwin-Williams greige it is regularly shortlisted against - the Agreeable Gray vs Edgecomb Gray guide breaks down the undertone gap and which rooms favour the warmer of the two.
The Real Difference Between City Loft and Edgecomb Gray
The simplest way to explain it: City Loft is a greige that reacts to its room. Edgecomb Gray is a greige that holds its ground.
City Loft's LRV of 70 sits noticeably above Edgecomb Gray's 63, so on paper City Loft is the brighter, more reflective color. In practice the seven-point gap matters less than the undertone behaviour. City Loft's red-violet note moves with the light; Edgecomb Gray's green-gray note barely moves at all. That is the real difference, and it is the one that actually determines whether a room works.
The pairing logic follows directly from this. City Loft on walls benefits from Edgecomb Gray on trim, because the steadier color gives the room a fixed reference point against which the shift reads as intentional rather than unresolved. Edgecomb Gray on walls does not need City Loft anywhere near it - it is already doing the stabilising work on its own. For the reader deciding between a shifting greige and a straightforward warm white instead, the City Loft vs Alabaster guide covers that different comparison and where a true warm white outperforms a greige entirely.
Not sure which one works for your room? A colour consultation is included in all our design packages - book directly here. |
When to Choose City Loft
Choose City Loft when the room has strong, generous natural light and the brief wants depth rather than flatness. These are the conditions where it performs:
South or west facing rooms with consistent daylight where the warm undertone can settle rather than fight for control. Contemporary and transitional interiors where a color with visible depth and movement is the point, not a flaw. Living rooms and studies where the shifting quality reads as sophisticated rather than unpredictable. Rooms where you have already tested a sample across a full day and it has behaved.
Avoid City Loft in north-facing rooms without warm supplementary light, where the violet undertone is most likely to surface uninvited. Avoid it in open-plan spaces that span multiple exposures, where inconsistent reads between zones become a real problem rather than an aesthetic quirk.
When to Choose Edgecomb Gray
Choose Edgecomb Gray when the room's light is mixed, unpredictable, or simply not something you can rely on. These are the situations where it outperforms City Loft:
North-facing rooms and rooms with limited or inconsistent natural light, where a color needs to stay warm without help. Open-plan spaces that span multiple exposures, where a consistent read across zones matters more than depth in any single one. Kitchens with a mix of warm and cool finishes, where a dependable greige avoids clashing with either. Anyone who has tested City Loft and found the shift too unpredictable for the room.
Edgecomb Gray is also the stronger pick for a first-time greige, or for a whole-house neutral that needs to work in rooms with genuinely different light conditions without requiring a separate decision for each one.
How the Pairings Differ
For City Loft on walls, Edgecomb Gray on trim is the pairing to reach for. It anchors the shifting wall color with something that will not move, and the two greiges share enough undertone family that the combination never feels forced.
For Edgecomb Gray on walls, Chantilly Lace or White Dove on trim both work cleanly - Chantilly Lace for a crisper, more contemporary lift, White Dove for a softer, warmer step up that keeps the whole scheme in the same temperature family.
Both colors suit warm wood tones, but City Loft is pickier about it - cool or gray-toned flooring can amplify the violet undertone in a way that feels unresolved. Edgecomb Gray is considerably more forgiving and sits comfortably with warm wood, warm stone, or even a moderately cool floor without conflict.
For hardware, Edgecomb Gray works with almost anything - aged brass, brushed nickel, matte black. City Loft is more particular; warm metals like aged brass or brushed gold support its beige-violet undertone, while cool chrome can push the color toward its cooler, more purple-leaning register.
Architect's Verdict - City Loft or Edgecomb Gray?
For most homes - particularly those with mixed exposures, open-plan layouts, or any room where the light is not entirely predictable - Edgecomb Gray is the more reliable choice. It does the job a greige is supposed to do: warm, neutral, consistent, without demanding ideal conditions to look right.
City Loft is the right choice when the room has real, generous natural light and the brief specifically wants a color with movement and depth - a south-facing living room, a well-lit study, a space where the shifting quality reads as considered rather than accidental. In the right light, City Loft is more interesting than Edgecomb Gray will ever be.
Edgecomb Gray is the right choice whenever the light is anything less than ideal, or when the color needs to perform consistently across more than one room or zone. It is the safer bet, and in most homes, the better result.
The test I always use for a light-sensitive color like this: buy sample pots of both, paint patches side by side on the wall that gets the least light in the room - typically the darkest north-facing corner - and check them again at dusk under your actual artificial lighting. If City Loft still reads warm and settled in that worst-case corner, it will work everywhere else in the room. If it starts pulling cool or purple, choose Edgecomb Gray instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is City Loft warmer than Edgecomb Gray?
It depends entirely on the light. In warm, generous natural light, City Loft can read just as warm as Edgecomb Gray, sometimes warmer. In flat or north-facing light, City Loft's violet undertone can surface and make it read cooler than Edgecomb Gray, which stays steadily warm regardless of exposure.
Can I use City Loft and Edgecomb Gray in the same house?
Yes, and it is a genuinely useful pairing. City Loft in the rooms with strong natural light, Edgecomb Gray in the rooms with less predictable exposure, gives you a coherent whole-house palette without asking one color to do a job it is not suited to.
Which is better for a north-facing room?
Edgecomb Gray, without much competition. Its restrained green-gray undertone holds its warmth in cool light. City Loft's undertone is far more likely to surface as cool or slightly purple in the same conditions, which is exactly the read most people are trying to avoid.
Which is better for kitchen cabinets?
Edgecomb Gray is the more practical choice for most kitchens. It works across a wider range of countertop and hardware finishes without the light-sensitivity that makes City Loft harder to predict on a large, fixed surface like cabinetry.
What is the LRV of City Loft vs Edgecomb Gray?
City Loft has an LRV of approximately 70 and Edgecomb Gray has an LRV of approximately 63. City Loft is the brighter, more reflective of the two on paper, but the seven-point gap is less important in practice than the undertone behaviour described above.
Final Thought
City Loft and Edgecomb Gray are both excellent greiges, but they ask different things of a room. City Loft asks for generous, consistent natural light in exchange for real depth and character. Edgecomb Gray asks for nothing in particular and delivers a steady, dependable warm neutral in return.
If your room has strong daylight and you want a color with genuine movement, City Loft rewards the commitment. If you have any doubt about the light, or the color needs to work across more than one space, Edgecomb Gray is the safer and ultimately more reliable choice. Buy sample pots of both, paint patches in the darkest corner of the room, and check them again after dark under your usual lighting. The answer will be obvious within a day.
Want a complete colour scheme built around City Loft or Edgecomb Gray? Our design packages cover full palette selection, finish recommendations, and 3D visualisations - see our packages. |
About the Author
Beril Yilmaz is a qualified architect and interior designer based in the UK. She runs BY Design And Viz, a design platform covering paint colour reviews, interior design guidance, and residential design projects. Beril has specified both City Loft and Edgecomb Gray across residential projects in the UK and internationally - City Loft in south-facing living rooms and studies with strong, consistent daylight, Edgecomb Gray in north-facing rooms and open-plan schemes where the light varies across the day, often specifying both together with Edgecomb Gray on trim to anchor City Loft's shift.
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