Lamp Black vs Steely Gray
Where Lamp Black belongs to Little Greene's range, Steely Gray is a Sherwin-Williams color. Lamp Black reads as grey, while Steely Gray reads as blue-grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Steely Gray (LRV 30) reflects noticeably more light than Lamp Black (LRV 3), a difference of 28 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Lamp Black runs purple while Steely Gray is decidedly neutral, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 43.6, 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 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Lamp Black vs Steely Gray in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing Lamp Black and Steely Gray 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 Steely Gray will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Lamp Black would.
Bathroom
Bathrooms are one of the few spaces where you're genuinely enclosed by the paint color, which makes the choice between these two more consequential. Steely Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Lamp Black.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Steely Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Lamp Black.
Color Details
Lamp Black vs Steely Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Lamp Black on one side and Steely Gray 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.
