Lamp Black vs Starless Sky
Lamp Black (Little Greene) and Starless Sky (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. Their light reflectance values are nearly the same — 3 vs 5 — so neither will read significantly brighter or darker than the other. ΔE 7.2 means they're clearly different, but not dramatically so — they'd pair well in the same room. Below you'll find 6 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Lamp Black vs Starless Sky in Real Spaces
6 real rooms side by side. Lamp Black and Starless Sky 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.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
Dining Room
Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. Side by side like this, the difference is easy to read — which is exactly why seeing them in a real space is more useful than comparing chips.
Bathroom
Small bathrooms intensify color. A shade that seems quiet in a larger room can feel immersive when you're surrounded by it on four walls. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
Front Door
On a front door, the color is both the first and last thing you see — a context where even a modest tonal difference reads clearly. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Color Details
Lamp Black vs Starless Sky Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Lamp Black on one side and Starless Sky 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 Lamp Black comparisons
See how Lamp Black stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 3), opening up a space where Lamp Black encloses it.
At LRV 69 vs 3, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 6 and 3, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 52 vs 3, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 30 vs 3, Evergreen Fog is decisively the brighter choice.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 3), opening up a space where Lamp Black encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 3, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 3), opening up a space where Lamp Black encloses it.
Denim Drift reflects far more light (LRV 27 vs 3), opening up a space where Lamp Black encloses it.
At LRV 43 vs 3, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 4 vs 3), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 3), opening up a space where Lamp Black encloses it.
Bancha reads slightly lighter (LRV 13 vs 3), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 3), opening up a space where Lamp Black encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 3, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 21 vs 3, Artichoke is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 3), opening up a space where Lamp Black encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 3), opening up a space where Lamp Black encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 3), opening up a space where Lamp Black encloses it.
Pewter Green reads slightly lighter (LRV 12 vs 3), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 3), opening up a space where Lamp Black encloses it.
At LRV 41 vs 3, Dix Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 3, Calamine is decisively the brighter choice.
Vintage Vogue reads slightly lighter (LRV 12 vs 3), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 3), opening up a space where Lamp Black encloses it.
At LRV 31 vs 3, Pale Green is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (7 vs 3) makes Pine Needle the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 24 vs 3, Cement grey is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 57 vs 3, Guilford Green is decisively the brighter choice.