Hardwick White vs Peppercorn
Where Hardwick White belongs to Farrow & Ball's range, Peppercorn is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, Hardwick White belongs to the greige-grey family and Peppercorn to the grey family. Hardwick White (LRV 44) reflects noticeably more light than Peppercorn (LRV 10), a difference of 34 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Hardwick White runs warm while Peppercorn is decidedly neutral, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of NaN, 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 8 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Hardwick White vs Peppercorn in Real Spaces
8 real rooms side by side. Seeing Hardwick White and Peppercorn 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 Hardwick White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Peppercorn would.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. Hardwick White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Peppercorn.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Hardwick White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Peppercorn.
Dining Room
A dining room lit by a dimmed pendant or candles is one of the most forgiving environments for paint — warm light softens almost everything. Hardwick White returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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. Hardwick White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Peppercorn.
House
Seen across an entire facade, subtle tonal differences become pronounced. What reads as nearly the same on a chip often reads as clearly different at scale. Hardwick White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Peppercorn.
Front Door
A front door is a focal point — small color differences read clearly at this concentrated scale. The LRV gap is large enough that Hardwick White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Peppercorn would.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Hardwick White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Peppercorn.
Color Details
Hardwick White vs Peppercorn Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Hardwick White on one side and Peppercorn 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 Hardwick White comparisons
See how Hardwick White stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
