Lamp Black vs Paper Lantern
Where Lamp Black belongs to Little Greene's range, Paper Lantern is a Sherwin-Williams color. Lamp Black reads as grey, while Paper Lantern reads as beige — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Paper Lantern (LRV 76) reflects noticeably more light than Lamp Black (LRV 3), a difference of 73 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Lamp Black runs purple while Paper Lantern is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 73.2, 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 Paper Lantern in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. Seeing Lamp Black and Paper Lantern 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 Paper Lantern will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Lamp Black would.
Color Details
Lamp Black vs Paper Lantern Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Lamp Black on one side and Paper Lantern 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.
