Pencilpoint vs Artichoke
Pencilpoint is a PPG color while Artichoke comes from Sherwin-Williams. These are both greys, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within grey to land. At LRV 21 vs 17, Artichoke will read as the brighter of the two — a 4-point gap that matters most in north-facing or low-light rooms. At ΔE 15.6, these are genuinely distinct colors — a strong contrast if used together, or a meaningful choice between two different directions. Below you'll find 6 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Pencilpoint vs Artichoke in Real Spaces
6 real rooms side by side. Seeing Pencilpoint and Artichoke 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
Living rooms test a color across a full range of conditions — morning sun, afternoon shade, and evening lamp light all shift how both of these read. Artichoke has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Bedroom
Bedroom walls are often seen under warm artificial light, a context that shifts both colors from how they look on a chip. The brightness difference is modest but present — Artichoke gives the walls a little more lift.
Bathroom
Bathrooms amplify color — the enclosed space and reflective surfaces make what reads subtle elsewhere feel more present here. The brightness difference is modest but present — Artichoke gives the walls a little more lift.
Home Office
In a home office, wall color sits in your peripheral vision for hours at a time, so temperature and undertone matter more than you might expect. The brightness difference is modest but present — Artichoke gives the walls a little more lift.
House
At full exterior scale, the difference between these two colors becomes much easier to judge than from a small chip. The brightness difference is modest but present — Artichoke gives the walls a little more lift.
Front Door
Front doors are seen in isolation against the rest of the facade, which makes them a high-stakes surface where even subtle differences matter. Artichoke has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Color Details
Pencilpoint vs Artichoke Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Pencilpoint on one side and Artichoke 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 Pencilpoint comparisons
See how Pencilpoint 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 Pencilpoint encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 17, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
A 11-point LRV gap (17 vs 6) makes Pencilpoint the marginally brighter of the two.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 17), opening up a space where Pencilpoint encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 17), opening up a space where Pencilpoint 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 Pencilpoint 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 Pencilpoint encloses it.
Pencilpoint 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 Pencilpoint 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 Pencilpoint encloses it.
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 Pencilpoint encloses it.
A 5-point LRV gap (17 vs 12) makes Pencilpoint the marginally brighter of the two.
A 9-point LRV gap (17 vs 8) makes Pencilpoint 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 Pencilpoint encloses it.
A 5-point LRV gap (17 vs 12) makes Pencilpoint 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 Pencilpoint encloses it.
Pencilpoint reads slightly lighter (LRV 17 vs 7), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.