Middle Buff vs Artichoke
Where Middle Buff belongs to Little Greene's range, Artichoke is a Sherwin-Williams color. Middle Buff reads as beige, while Artichoke reads as grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. They have nearly identical light reflectance values (22 vs 21), so they'll read as similarly Dark in most lighting conditions. Middle Buff runs red while Artichoke is decidedly neutral, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 40.3, 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.
Middle Buff vs Artichoke in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Middle Buff and Artichoke 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 temperature contrast between Middle Buff and Artichoke is what sets these apart most in this context.
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. Middle Buff brings more warmth to the space, while Artichoke keeps things cooler and crisper.
Color Details
Middle Buff vs Artichoke Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Middle Buff on one side and Artichoke 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 Middle Buff comparisons
See how Middle Buff stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
