Volcanic Ash vs Artichoke
Where Volcanic Ash belongs to PPG's range, Artichoke is a Sherwin-Williams color. Both sit in the grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Artichoke (LRV 21) reflects noticeably more light than Volcanic Ash (LRV 18), a difference of 3 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 17.8, 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 6 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Volcanic Ash vs Artichoke in Real Spaces
6 real rooms side by side. Seeing Volcanic Ash 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
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 brightness difference is modest but present — Artichoke gives the walls a little more lift.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. Artichoke reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
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. Artichoke reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
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. Artichoke reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
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. Artichoke reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Front Door
A front door is a focal point — small color differences read clearly at this concentrated scale. The brightness difference is modest but present — Artichoke gives the walls a little more lift.
Color Details
Volcanic Ash vs Artichoke Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Volcanic Ash 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 Volcanic Ash comparisons
See how Volcanic Ash stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 69 vs 18, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 18), opening up a space where Volcanic Ash encloses it.
Volcanic Ash reflects far more light (LRV 18 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 18, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 30 vs 18, Evergreen Fog is decisively the brighter choice.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 18), opening up a space where Volcanic Ash encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 18, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 18), opening up a space where Volcanic Ash encloses it.
Denim Drift reads slightly lighter (LRV 27 vs 18), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 43 vs 18, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 18 vs 4, Volcanic Ash is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 18), opening up a space where Volcanic Ash encloses it.
Volcanic Ash reads slightly lighter (LRV 18 vs 13), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 18), opening up a space where Volcanic Ash encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 18, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 18), opening up a space where Volcanic Ash encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 18), opening up a space where Volcanic Ash encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 18), opening up a space where Volcanic Ash encloses it.
At LRV 51 vs 18, Pigeon is decisively the brighter choice.
Volcanic Ash reads slightly lighter (LRV 18 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Volcanic Ash reads slightly lighter (LRV 18 vs 8), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 18), opening up a space where Volcanic Ash encloses it.
At LRV 41 vs 18, Dix Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Volcanic Ash reads slightly lighter (LRV 18 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 18), opening up a space where Volcanic Ash encloses it.
At LRV 31 vs 18, Pale Green is decisively the brighter choice.
A 11-point LRV gap (18 vs 7) makes Volcanic Ash the marginally brighter of the two.