Lamp Black vs Mercurial
Where Lamp Black belongs to Little Greene's range, Mercurial is a Sherwin-Williams color. Lamp Black reads as grey, while Mercurial reads as greige-grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Mercurial (LRV 61) reflects noticeably more light than Lamp Black (LRV 3), a difference of 58 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Lamp Black runs purple while Mercurial is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 63.8, 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 1 real-room photo comparison where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Lamp Black vs Mercurial in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. Seeing Lamp Black and Mercurial in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Mercurial reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Lamp Black.
Color Details
Lamp Black vs Mercurial Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Lamp Black on one side and Mercurial 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.
