Heart's Content vs Iron Ore
Where Heart's Content belongs to PPG's range, Iron Ore is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, Heart's Content belongs to the pink-red family and Iron Ore to the grey family. Heart's Content (LRV 17) reflects noticeably more light than Iron Ore (LRV 6), a difference of 11 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 40.7, 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 10 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Heart's Content vs Iron Ore in Real Spaces
10 real rooms side by side. Seeing Heart's Content and Iron Ore 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 Heart's Content will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Iron Ore 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. Heart's Content reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Heart's Content reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
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. Heart's Content 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. Heart's Content reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
Home Office
The test for a home office color isn't how it looks in a quick glance — it's whether it still feels right after a full day of work. Heart's Content reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
Mudroom
Mudrooms are seen in passing, often under whatever light comes through the door — a context that favors colors with some depth. Heart's Content returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Patio
Outside, paint color competes with sky, landscaping, and direct sun — all of which shift how both of these read compared to an indoor chip. Heart's Content returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
House
Seen across an entire facade, subtle tonal differences become pronounced. What reads as nearly the same on a chip often reads as clearly different at scale. Heart's Content reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
Front Door
A front door is a focal point — small color differences read clearly at this concentrated scale. The LRV gap is large enough that Heart's Content will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Iron Ore would.
Color Details
Heart's Content vs Iron Ore Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Heart's Content on one side and Iron Ore 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 Heart's Content comparisons
See how Heart's Content stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 17), opening up a space where Heart's Content encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 17, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 17), opening up a space where Heart's Content encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 17), opening up a space where Heart's Content encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 17, Mizzle is decisively the brighter choice.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 17), opening up a space where Heart's Content encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 17, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
A 10-point LRV gap (27 vs 17) makes Denim Drift the marginally brighter of the two.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 17), opening up a space where Heart's Content encloses it.
Heart's Content reflects far more light (LRV 17 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 17, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (17 vs 13) makes Heart's Content the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 44 vs 17, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 17), opening up a space where Heart's Content encloses it.
Artichoke reads slightly lighter (LRV 21 vs 17), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 66 vs 17, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 17, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 17, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Pigeon reflects far more light (LRV 51 vs 17), opening up a space where Heart's Content encloses it.
A 5-point LRV gap (17 vs 12) makes Heart's Content the marginally brighter of the two.
A 9-point LRV gap (17 vs 8) makes Heart's Content the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 68 vs 17, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Dix Blue reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 17), opening up a space where Heart's Content encloses it.
A 5-point LRV gap (17 vs 12) makes Heart's Content the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 45 vs 17, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 17), opening up a space where Heart's Content encloses it.
Heart's Content reads slightly lighter (LRV 17 vs 7), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.