Tavern Charcoal vs Pure White
Where Tavern Charcoal belongs to Benjamin Moore's range, Pure White is a Sherwin-Williams color. Tavern Charcoal reads as greige-grey, while Pure White reads as beige-greige — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Pure White (LRV 84) reflects noticeably more light than Tavern Charcoal (LRV 10), a difference of 74 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Tavern Charcoal runs yellow while Pure White is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 59.9, 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 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Tavern Charcoal vs Pure White in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Tavern Charcoal 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
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 Pure White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Tavern Charcoal would.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Pure White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Tavern Charcoal.
Color Details
Tavern Charcoal vs Pure White Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Tavern Charcoal 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 Tavern Charcoal comparisons
See how Tavern Charcoal stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 10), opening up a space where Tavern Charcoal encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 10, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (10 vs 6) makes Tavern Charcoal the marginally brighter of the two.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 10), opening up a space where Tavern Charcoal encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 10), opening up a space where Tavern Charcoal encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 10, Mizzle is decisively the brighter choice.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 10), opening up a space where Tavern Charcoal encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 10, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 27 vs 10, Denim Drift is decisively the brighter choice.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 10), opening up a space where Tavern Charcoal encloses it.
Tavern Charcoal reads slightly lighter (LRV 10 vs 4), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 55 vs 10, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (13 vs 10) makes Bancha the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 44 vs 10, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Artichoke reads slightly lighter (LRV 21 vs 10), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 66 vs 10, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 10, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 10, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Pigeon reflects far more light (LRV 51 vs 10), opening up a space where Tavern Charcoal encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 12 vs 10), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 10 vs 8), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 68 vs 10, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Dix Blue reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 10), opening up a space where Tavern Charcoal encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 12 vs 10), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 45 vs 10, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 10), opening up a space where Tavern Charcoal encloses it.
With LRVs of 10 and 7, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.