Essex Green vs Artichoke
Where Essex Green belongs to Benjamin Moore's range, Artichoke is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, Essex Green belongs to the green family and Artichoke to the grey family. Artichoke (LRV 21) reflects noticeably more light than Essex Green (LRV 6), a difference of 16 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Essex Green runs green while Artichoke is decidedly neutral, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 34.5, 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 6 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Essex Green vs Artichoke in Real Spaces
6 real rooms side by side. Seeing Essex Green 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 Essex Green 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 Essex Green.
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 Essex Green.
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 Essex Green.
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 reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Essex Green.
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 Artichoke will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Essex Green would.
Color Details
Essex Green vs Artichoke Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Essex Green 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 Essex Green comparisons
See how Essex Green stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
