Black Widow vs Artichoke
Black Widow is a PPG color while Artichoke comes from Sherwin-Williams. Both sit in the grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. At LRV 21 vs 10, Artichoke will read as the brighter of the two — a 11-point gap that matters most in north-facing or low-light rooms. At ΔE 22.1, these are genuinely distinct colors — a strong contrast if used together, or a meaningful choice between two different directions. Below you'll find 6 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Black Widow vs Artichoke in Real Spaces
6 real rooms side by side. Seeing Black Widow 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
Living rooms test a color across a full range of conditions — morning sun, afternoon shade, and evening lamp light all shift how both of these read. Artichoke returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Bedroom
Bedroom walls are often seen under warm artificial light, a context that shifts both colors from how they look on a chip. The LRV gap is large enough that Artichoke will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Black Widow would.
Bathroom
Bathrooms amplify color — the enclosed space and reflective surfaces make what reads subtle elsewhere feel more present here. The LRV gap is large enough that Artichoke will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Black Widow would.
Home Office
In a home office, wall color sits in your peripheral vision for hours at a time, so temperature and undertone matter more than you might expect. The LRV gap is large enough that Artichoke will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Black Widow would.
House
At full exterior scale, the difference between these two colors becomes much easier to judge than from a small chip. The LRV gap is large enough that Artichoke will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Black Widow would.
Front Door
Front doors are seen in isolation against the rest of the facade, which makes them a high-stakes surface where even subtle differences matter. Artichoke returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Color Details
Black Widow vs Artichoke Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Black Widow 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 Black Widow comparisons
See how Black Widow stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 69 vs 10, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 10), opening up a space where Black Widow encloses it.
Black Widow reads slightly lighter (LRV 10 vs 6), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 52 vs 10, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 30 vs 10, Evergreen Fog is decisively the brighter choice.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 10), opening up a space where Black Widow encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 10, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 10), opening up a space where Black Widow encloses it.
Denim Drift reflects far more light (LRV 27 vs 10), opening up a space where Black Widow encloses it.
At LRV 43 vs 10, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
A 6-point LRV gap (10 vs 4) makes Black Widow the marginally brighter of the two.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 10), opening up a space where Black Widow encloses it.
Bancha reads slightly lighter (LRV 13 vs 10), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 10), opening up a space where Black Widow encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 10, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 10), opening up a space where Black Widow encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 10), opening up a space where Black Widow encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 10), opening up a space where Black Widow encloses it.
At LRV 51 vs 10, Pigeon is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 12 and 10, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
With LRVs of 10 and 8, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 10), opening up a space where Black Widow encloses it.
At LRV 41 vs 10, Dix Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 12 and 10, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 10), opening up a space where Black Widow encloses it.
At LRV 31 vs 10, Pale Green is decisively the brighter choice.
A 3-point LRV gap (10 vs 7) makes Black Widow the marginally brighter of the two.