Arsenic vs Pure White
Arsenic is a Farrow & Ball color while Pure White comes from Sherwin-Williams. Arsenic reads as green, while Pure White reads as beige-greige — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. At LRV 84 vs 37, Pure White will read as the brighter of the two — a 47-point gap that matters most in north-facing or low-light rooms. The tonal difference — Arsenic's cool character against Pure White's warm — becomes most visible against white trim or in morning light. At ΔE 31.8, 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.
Arsenic vs Pure White in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Arsenic 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.
Kitchen
Kitchen lighting tends to be bright and directional, which sharpens contrast and makes undertone differences more apparent. The LRV gap is large enough that Pure White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Arsenic would.
House
At full exterior scale, the difference between these two colors becomes much easier to judge than from a small chip. The LRV gap is large enough that Pure White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Arsenic 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 Arsenic would.
Color Details
Arsenic vs Pure White Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Arsenic 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 Arsenic comparisons
See how Arsenic stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
