Pale Smoke vs Pure White
Pale Smoke is a Benjamin Moore color while Pure White comes from Sherwin-Williams. Hue-wise, Pale Smoke belongs to the blue-green family and Pure White to the beige-greige family. At LRV 84 vs 64, Pure White will read as the brighter of the two — a 20-point gap that matters most in north-facing or low-light rooms. The tonal difference — Pale Smoke's green character against Pure White's warm — becomes most visible against white trim or in morning light. At ΔE 10.5, these are genuinely distinct colors — a strong contrast if used together, or a meaningful choice between two different directions. Below you'll find 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Pale Smoke vs Pure White in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Pale Smoke and Pure White 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. Pure White returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Bedroom
Bedroom walls are often seen under warm artificial light, a context that shifts both colors from how they look on a chip. The LRV gap is large enough that Pure White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Pale Smoke would.
Bathroom
Bathrooms amplify color — the enclosed space and reflective surfaces make what reads subtle elsewhere feel more present here. The LRV gap is large enough that Pure White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Pale Smoke would.
Kitchen Cabinets
On cabinetry, undertone and temperature become more pronounced against countertops and hardware. The LRV gap is large enough that Pure White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Pale Smoke would.
Color Details
Pale Smoke vs Pure White Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Pale Smoke on one side and Pure White 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.
At LRV 83 vs 64, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Ammonite reads slightly lighter (LRV 69 vs 64), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
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.
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.
At LRV 64 vs 12, 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.
Calamine reads slightly lighter (LRV 68 vs 64), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Pale Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 25), opening up a space where Treron 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.
Pale Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
Pale Smoke reads slightly lighter (LRV 64 vs 57), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Just Walnut reads slightly lighter (LRV 72 vs 64), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.