Black Widow vs Peppercorn
Where Black Widow belongs to PPG's range, Peppercorn is a Sherwin-Williams color. These are both greys, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within grey to land. They have nearly identical light reflectance values (10 vs 10), so they'll read as similarly Dark in most lighting conditions. At ΔE 1.1, these are close — the kind of difference that matters when choosing between them, but doesn't read strongly in a finished room. Below you'll find 8 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Black Widow vs Peppercorn in Real Spaces
8 real rooms side by side. Black Widow and Peppercorn are close enough that the difference can be hard to judge from a chip alone — these photos show how each reads at scale, across different spaces and lighting conditions.
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 two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Dining Room
A dining room lit by a dimmed pendant or candles is one of the most forgiving environments for paint — warm light softens almost everything. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
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. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Home Office
The test for a home office color isn't how it looks in a quick glance — it's whether it still feels right after a full day of work. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
House
Seen across an entire facade, subtle tonal differences become pronounced. What reads as nearly the same on a chip often reads as clearly different at scale. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Front Door
A front door is a focal point — small color differences read clearly at this concentrated scale. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Color Details
Black Widow vs Peppercorn Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Black Widow on one side and Peppercorn 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.
A 11-point LRV gap (21 vs 10) makes Artichoke the marginally brighter of the two.
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.