Lamp Black vs Open Seas
Where Lamp Black belongs to Little Greene's range, Open Seas is a Sherwin-Williams color. Lamp Black reads as grey, while Open Seas reads as blue — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Open Seas (LRV 39) reflects noticeably more light than Lamp Black (LRV 3), a difference of 36 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Lamp Black runs purple while Open Seas is decidedly cool, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 52.8, 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 Open Seas in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. Seeing Lamp Black and Open Seas 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. Open Seas reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Lamp Black.
Color Details
Lamp Black vs Open Seas Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Lamp Black on one side and Open Seas 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.
