Stirabout vs Black Magic
Where Stirabout belongs to Farrow & Ball's range, Black Magic is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, Stirabout belongs to the beige-greige family and Black Magic to the grey family. Stirabout (LRV 63) reflects noticeably more light than Black Magic (LRV 3), a difference of 60 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Stirabout runs warm while Black Magic is decidedly neutral, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 63.7, 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 6 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Stirabout vs Black Magic in Real Spaces
6 real rooms side by side. Seeing Stirabout and Black Magic 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 Stirabout will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Black Magic 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. Stirabout reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Black Magic.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Stirabout reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Black Magic.
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. Stirabout 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. Stirabout reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Black Magic.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Stirabout reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Black Magic.
Color Details
Stirabout vs Black Magic Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Stirabout on one side and Black Magic 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 Stirabout comparisons
See how Stirabout stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
