Bubble vs Cracked Pepper
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Hue-wise, Bubble belongs to the blue family and Cracked Pepper to the grey family. Bubble (LRV 77) reflects noticeably more light than Cracked Pepper (LRV 5), a difference of 72 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Bubble runs cool while Cracked Pepper is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 65.5, 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.
Bubble vs Cracked Pepper in Real Spaces
10 real rooms side by side. Seeing Bubble and Cracked Pepper 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 Bubble will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Cracked Pepper 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. Bubble reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Cracked Pepper.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Bubble reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Cracked Pepper.
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. Bubble 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. Bubble reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Cracked Pepper.
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. Bubble reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Cracked Pepper.
Mudroom
Mudrooms are seen in passing, often under whatever light comes through the door — a context that favors colors with some depth. Bubble 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. Bubble 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. Bubble reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Cracked Pepper.
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 Bubble will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Cracked Pepper would.
Color Details
Bubble vs Cracked Pepper Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Bubble on one side and Cracked Pepper 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 Bubble comparisons
See how Bubble stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
A 7-point LRV gap (83 vs 77) makes White Dove the marginally brighter of the two.
Bubble reflects far more light (LRV 77 vs 52), opening up a space where Purbeck Stone encloses it.
Bubble reflects far more light (LRV 77 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
Bubble reflects far more light (LRV 77 vs 60), opening up a space where Agreeable Gray encloses it.
At LRV 77 vs 58, Bubble is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 77 vs 27, Bubble is decisively the brighter choice.
Bubble reflects far more light (LRV 77 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
At LRV 77 vs 55, Bubble is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 77 vs 44, Bubble is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reads slightly lighter (LRV 84 vs 77), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 11-point LRV gap (77 vs 66) makes Bubble the marginally brighter of the two.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 77 vs 74), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 77 vs 12, Bubble is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 77 vs 8, Bubble is decisively the brighter choice.
A 8-point LRV gap (77 vs 68) makes Bubble the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 77 vs 12, Bubble is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 77 vs 45, Bubble is decisively the brighter choice.
Bubble reflects far more light (LRV 77 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.