Lamp Black vs Plum Brown
Where Lamp Black belongs to Little Greene's range, Plum Brown is a Sherwin-Williams color. Both sit in the grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Plum Brown (LRV 6) reflects noticeably more light than Lamp Black (LRV 3), a difference of 3 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Lamp Black runs purple while Plum Brown is decidedly cool, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 12.1, 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 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Lamp Black vs Plum Brown in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Lamp Black and Plum Brown 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 brightness difference is modest but present — Plum Brown gives the walls a little more lift.
Front Door
A front door is a focal point — small color differences read clearly at this concentrated scale. The brightness difference is modest but present — Plum Brown gives the walls a little more lift.
Color Details
Lamp Black vs Plum Brown Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Lamp Black on one side and Plum Brown 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.
