Billowing Smoke vs Artichoke
Where Billowing Smoke belongs to Cloverdale Paint's range, Artichoke is a Sherwin-Williams color. These are both greys, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within grey to land. Artichoke (LRV 21) reflects noticeably more light than Billowing Smoke (LRV 18), a difference of 3 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 13.3, 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 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Billowing Smoke vs Artichoke in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing Billowing Smoke 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 brightness difference is modest but present — Artichoke gives the walls a little more lift.
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 reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
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 reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Color Details
Billowing Smoke vs Artichoke Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Billowing Smoke 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 Billowing Smoke comparisons
See how Billowing Smoke stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
