Baby Seal Black vs Artichoke
Where Baby Seal Black belongs to Benjamin Moore's range, Artichoke is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, Baby Seal Black belongs to the blue-grey family and Artichoke to the grey family. Artichoke (LRV 21) reflects noticeably more light than Baby Seal Black (LRV 9), a difference of 13 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Baby Seal Black runs blue while Artichoke is decidedly neutral, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 29.7, 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 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Baby Seal Black vs Artichoke in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Seeing Baby Seal Black 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 LRV gap is large enough that Artichoke will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Baby Seal Black 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. Artichoke reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Baby Seal Black.
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 reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Baby Seal Black.
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 reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Baby Seal Black.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Artichoke reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Baby Seal Black.
Color Details
Baby Seal Black vs Artichoke Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Baby Seal Black 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 Baby Seal Black comparisons
See how Baby Seal Black stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 9), opening up a space where Baby Seal Black encloses it.
At LRV 69 vs 9, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
Baby Seal Black reads slightly lighter (LRV 9 vs 6), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 52 vs 9, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 30 vs 9, Evergreen Fog is decisively the brighter choice.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 9), opening up a space where Baby Seal Black encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 9, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 9), opening up a space where Baby Seal Black encloses it.
Denim Drift reflects far more light (LRV 27 vs 9), opening up a space where Baby Seal Black encloses it.
At LRV 43 vs 9, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (9 vs 4) makes Baby Seal Black the marginally brighter of the two.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 9), opening up a space where Baby Seal Black encloses it.
Bancha reads slightly lighter (LRV 13 vs 9), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 9), opening up a space where Baby Seal Black encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 9, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 9), opening up a space where Baby Seal Black encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 9), opening up a space where Baby Seal Black encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 9), opening up a space where Baby Seal Black encloses it.
Pewter Green reads slightly lighter (LRV 12 vs 9), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 9), opening up a space where Baby Seal Black encloses it.
At LRV 41 vs 9, Dix Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 9, Calamine is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 25 vs 9, Treron is decisively the brighter choice.
Vintage Vogue reads slightly lighter (LRV 12 vs 9), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 9), opening up a space where Baby Seal Black encloses it.
At LRV 31 vs 9, Pale Green is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 9 vs 7), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 24 vs 9, Cement grey is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 57 vs 9, Guilford Green is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 72 vs 9, Just Walnut is decisively the brighter choice.