Pale Smoke vs Livid
Pale Smoke (Benjamin Moore) and Livid (Little Greene) come from different manufacturers. These are both blue-greens, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within blue-green to land. Pale Smoke has an LRV of 64. Both share a green character, which means they'll respond to light and surrounding materials in similar ways. A ΔE of 32.9 puts these firmly in different territory — two distinct design choices rather than close alternatives. Below you'll find 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Pale Smoke vs Livid in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Pale Smoke and Livid 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
A living room wall sees more varied light than almost any other surface in the house, which makes the choice between these two more nuanced than a chip suggests. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Bedroom
Bedrooms are typically lit with warmer, lower light than the rest of the house — a condition that flatters warm tones and deepens cool ones. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
Bathroom
Small bathrooms intensify color. A shade that seems quiet in a larger room can feel immersive when you're surrounded by it on four walls. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
Kitchen Cabinets
Cabinet color is always seen in context — against countertops, backsplash, and hardware — which amplifies undertone differences that might disappear on a plain wall. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
Color Details
Pale Smoke vs Livid Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Pale Smoke on one side and Livid 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 Pale Smoke comparisons
See how Pale Smoke stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Ammonite reads slightly lighter (LRV 69 vs 64), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 83 vs 64, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 64 vs 6, Pale Smoke is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Smoke reads slightly lighter (LRV 64 vs 52), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Pale Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
At LRV 64 vs 52, Pale Smoke is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Smoke reads slightly lighter (LRV 64 vs 60), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 6-point LRV gap (64 vs 58) makes Pale Smoke the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 64 vs 27, Pale Smoke is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
Pale Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
A 9-point LRV gap (64 vs 55) makes Pale Smoke the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 64 vs 13, Pale Smoke is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 64 vs 44, Pale Smoke is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 64), opening up a space where Pale Smoke encloses it.
Pale Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 66 vs 64), so neither reads brighter in a room.
A 11-point LRV gap (74 vs 64) makes Shoji White the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 83 vs 64, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 51), opening up a space where Pigeon encloses it.
At LRV 64 vs 12, Pale Smoke is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 64 vs 8, Pale Smoke is decisively the brighter choice.
A 5-point LRV gap (68 vs 64) makes Skimming Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
Pale Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 41), opening up a space where Dix Blue encloses it.
At LRV 64 vs 12, Pale Smoke is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 64 vs 45, Pale Smoke is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Pale Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.