Smoky Slate vs Wandering Willow
Smoky Slate and Wandering Willow come from the same PPG collection. Smoky Slate reads as greige-grey, while Wandering Willow reads as grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. The 4-point LRV gap — 38 for Wandering Willow vs 34 for Smoky Slate — means Wandering Willow will open up a space more effectively. A ΔE of 2.7 puts them in subtle territory — distinguishable in direct comparison, less so from across a room. Below you'll find 10 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Smoky Slate vs Wandering Willow in Real Spaces
10 real rooms side by side. Smoky Slate and Wandering Willow 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
A living room wall sees more varied light than almost any other surface in the house, which makes the choice between these two more nuanced than a chip suggests. Wandering Willow reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Bedroom
Bedrooms are typically lit with warmer, lower light than the rest of the house — a condition that flatters warm tones and deepens cool ones. Wandering Willow has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. Wandering Willow has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Dining Room
Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. The brightness difference is modest but present — Wandering Willow gives the walls a little more lift.
Bathroom
Small bathrooms intensify color. A shade that seems quiet in a larger room can feel immersive when you're surrounded by it on four walls. Wandering Willow has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Home Office
Home office walls matter more than most — you're looking at them all day, and a color that reads fine at first can become tiring over time. Wandering Willow has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Mudroom
In a hardworking space like a mudroom, the depth and warmth of a color reads differently than in a quieter room. The brightness difference is modest but present — Wandering Willow gives the walls a little more lift.
Patio
Exterior colors look different in open light — both tend to read lighter outside than on an interior swatch, and shadows read more strongly. The brightness difference is modest but present — Wandering Willow gives the walls a little more lift.
House
A full exterior is the most demanding test for a paint color — scale and outdoor light both amplify differences that seem small on a swatch. Wandering Willow has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Front Door
On a front door, the color is both the first and last thing you see — a context where even a modest tonal difference reads clearly. Wandering Willow reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Color Details
Smoky Slate vs Wandering Willow Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Smoky Slate on one side and Wandering Willow 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 Smoky Slate comparisons
See how Smoky Slate stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 34), opening up a space where Smoky Slate encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 34, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 34 vs 6, Smoky Slate is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 34), opening up a space where Smoky Slate encloses it.
Smoky Slate reads slightly lighter (LRV 34 vs 30), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 52 vs 34, Mizzle is decisively the brighter choice.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 34), opening up a space where Smoky Slate encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 34, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
A 7-point LRV gap (34 vs 27) makes Smoky Slate the marginally brighter of the two.
French Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 43 vs 34), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Smoky Slate reflects far more light (LRV 34 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 34, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 34 vs 13, Smoky Slate is decisively the brighter choice.
A 10-point LRV gap (44 vs 34) makes Hardwick White the marginally brighter of the two.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 34), opening up a space where Smoky Slate encloses it.
Smoky Slate reflects far more light (LRV 34 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 34, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 34, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 34, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Pigeon reflects far more light (LRV 51 vs 34), opening up a space where Smoky Slate encloses it.
At LRV 34 vs 12, Smoky Slate is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 34 vs 8, Smoky Slate is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 34, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Dix Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 41 vs 34), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 34 vs 12, Smoky Slate is decisively the brighter choice.
A 11-point LRV gap (45 vs 34) makes Saybrook Sage the marginally brighter of the two.
With LRVs of 34 and 31, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.