Dark Lead Colour vs Improbable
Dark Lead Colour (Little Greene) and Improbable (PPG) come from different manufacturers. These are both greys, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within grey to land. The 3-point LRV gap — 17 for Improbable vs 15 for Dark Lead Colour — means Improbable will open up a space more effectively. ΔE 6.5 means they're clearly different, but not dramatically so — they'd pair well in the same room. Below you'll find 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Dark Lead Colour vs Improbable in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Dark Lead Colour and Improbable are close enough that the difference can be hard to judge from a chip alone — these photos show how each reads at scale, across different spaces and lighting conditions.
Living Room
A living room wall sees more varied light than almost any other surface in the house, which makes the choice between these two more nuanced than a chip suggests. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Bedroom
Bedrooms are typically lit with warmer, lower light than the rest of the house — a condition that flatters warm tones and deepens cool ones. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
Color Details
Dark Lead Colour vs Improbable Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Dark Lead Colour on one side and Improbable 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 Dark Lead Colour comparisons
See how Dark Lead Colour stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 15), opening up a space where Dark Lead Colour encloses it.
At LRV 69 vs 15, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
Dark Lead Colour reads slightly lighter (LRV 15 vs 6), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 52 vs 15, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 30 vs 15, Evergreen Fog is decisively the brighter choice.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 15), opening up a space where Dark Lead Colour encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 15, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 15), opening up a space where Dark Lead Colour encloses it.
Denim Drift reflects far more light (LRV 27 vs 15), opening up a space where Dark Lead Colour encloses it.
At LRV 43 vs 15, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
A 10-point LRV gap (15 vs 4) makes Dark Lead Colour the marginally brighter of the two.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 15), opening up a space where Dark Lead Colour encloses it.
With LRVs of 15 and 13, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 15), opening up a space where Dark Lead Colour encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 15, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
A 7-point LRV gap (21 vs 15) makes Artichoke the marginally brighter of the two.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 15), opening up a space where Dark Lead Colour encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 15), opening up a space where Dark Lead Colour encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 15), opening up a space where Dark Lead Colour encloses it.
With LRVs of 15 and 12, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 15), opening up a space where Dark Lead Colour encloses it.
At LRV 41 vs 15, Dix Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 15, Calamine is decisively the brighter choice.
A 10-point LRV gap (25 vs 15) makes Treron the marginally brighter of the two.
With LRVs of 15 and 12, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 15), opening up a space where Dark Lead Colour encloses it.
At LRV 31 vs 15, Pale Green is decisively the brighter choice.
A 8-point LRV gap (15 vs 7) makes Dark Lead Colour the marginally brighter of the two.
A 10-point LRV gap (24 vs 15) makes Cement grey the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 57 vs 15, Guilford Green is decisively the brighter choice.