Asphalt vs Artichoke
Asphalt is a Benjamin Moore 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. With LRVs of 21 and 21, they'll behave almost identically in terms of how much light they reflect back into a room. The tonal difference — Asphalt's yellow character against Artichoke's neutral — becomes most visible against white trim or in morning light. At ΔE 12.7, these are genuinely distinct colors — a strong contrast if used together, or a meaningful choice between two different directions. Below you'll find 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Asphalt vs Artichoke in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing Asphalt 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. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
House
At full exterior scale, the difference between these two colors becomes much easier to judge than from a small chip. Side by side like this, the difference is easy to read — which is exactly why seeing them in a real space is more useful than comparing chips.
Kitchen Cabinets
On cabinetry, undertone and temperature become more pronounced against countertops and hardware. Side by side like this, the difference is easy to read — which is exactly why seeing them in a real space is more useful than comparing chips.
Color Details
Asphalt vs Artichoke Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Asphalt 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 Asphalt comparisons
See how Asphalt stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 21), opening up a space where Asphalt encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 21, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
A 9-point LRV gap (30 vs 21) makes Evergreen Fog the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 60 vs 21, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 21), opening up a space where Asphalt encloses it.
Denim Drift reads slightly lighter (LRV 27 vs 21), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 43 vs 21, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 21), opening up a space where Asphalt encloses it.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 21), opening up a space where Asphalt encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 21, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 21), opening up a space where Asphalt encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 21), opening up a space where Asphalt encloses it.
Asphalt reads slightly lighter (LRV 21 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 21), opening up a space where Asphalt encloses it.
Asphalt reads slightly lighter (LRV 21 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 21), opening up a space where Asphalt encloses it.
A 10-point LRV gap (31 vs 21) makes Pale Green the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 21 vs 7, Asphalt is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 24 vs 21), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 57 vs 21, Guilford Green is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 72 vs 21, Just Walnut is decisively the brighter choice.