Simmering Smoke vs Functional Gray
Where Simmering Smoke belongs to PPG's range, Functional Gray is a Sherwin-Williams color. These are both greige-greys, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within greige-grey to land. They have nearly identical light reflectance values (36 vs 37), so they'll read as similarly Medium in most lighting conditions. At ΔE 1.6, these are close — the kind of difference that matters when choosing between them, but doesn't read strongly in a finished room. Below you'll find 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Simmering Smoke vs Functional Gray in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Simmering Smoke and Functional Gray 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
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 two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
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. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
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. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Color Details
Simmering Smoke vs Functional Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Simmering Smoke on one side and Functional Gray 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 Simmering Smoke comparisons
See how Simmering Smoke stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 36), opening up a space where Simmering Smoke encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 36, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 36 vs 6, Simmering Smoke is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 36), opening up a space where Simmering Smoke encloses it.
Simmering Smoke reads slightly lighter (LRV 36 vs 30), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 52 vs 36, Mizzle is decisively the brighter choice.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 36), opening up a space where Simmering Smoke encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 36, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
A 9-point LRV gap (36 vs 27) makes Simmering Smoke the marginally brighter of the two.
French Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 43 vs 36), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Simmering Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 36 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 36, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 36 vs 13, Simmering Smoke is decisively the brighter choice.
A 8-point LRV gap (44 vs 36) makes Hardwick White the marginally brighter of the two.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 36), opening up a space where Simmering Smoke encloses it.
Simmering Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 36 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 36, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 36, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 36, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Pigeon reflects far more light (LRV 51 vs 36), opening up a space where Simmering Smoke encloses it.
At LRV 36 vs 12, Simmering Smoke is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 36 vs 8, Simmering Smoke is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 36, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Dix Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 41 vs 36), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 36 vs 12, Simmering Smoke is decisively the brighter choice.
A 9-point LRV gap (45 vs 36) makes Saybrook Sage the marginally brighter of the two.
Simmering Smoke reads slightly lighter (LRV 36 vs 31), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.