Soot vs Green Smoke
Soot (Benjamin Moore) and Green Smoke (Farrow & Ball) come from different manufacturers. Hue-wise, Soot belongs to the blue-grey family and Green Smoke to the green-grey family. The 13-point LRV gap — 19 for Green Smoke vs 6 for Soot — means Green Smoke will open up a space more effectively. Where Soot leans blue, Green Smoke reads neutral — a distinction that shifts noticeably depending on the light source and surrounding finishes. A ΔE of 27.9 puts these firmly in different territory — two distinct design choices rather than close alternatives. Below you'll find 8 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Soot vs Green Smoke in Real Spaces
8 real rooms side by side. Seeing Soot and Green Smoke 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. Green Smoke reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Soot.
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. Green Smoke returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Dining Room
Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. The LRV gap is large enough that Green Smoke will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Soot would.
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. Green Smoke returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Mudroom
In a hardworking space like a mudroom, the depth and warmth of a color reads differently than in a quieter room. The LRV gap is large enough that Green Smoke will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Soot would.
House
A full exterior is the most demanding test for a paint color — scale and outdoor light both amplify differences that seem small on a swatch. Green Smoke returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Front Door
On a front door, the color is both the first and last thing you see — a context where even a modest tonal difference reads clearly. Green Smoke reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Soot.
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. Green Smoke returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Color Details
Soot vs Green Smoke Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Soot on one side and Green Smoke 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 Soot comparisons
See how Soot stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
