Cool Slate vs Swirling Smoke
Both from PPG's palette. Both sit in the greige-grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. They have nearly identical light reflectance values (62 vs 60), so they'll read as similarly Light in most lighting conditions. At ΔE 1.3, 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 10 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Cool Slate vs Swirling Smoke in Real Spaces
10 real rooms side by side. Cool Slate and Swirling Smoke 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.
Mudroom
Mudrooms are seen in passing, often under whatever light comes through the door — a context that favors colors with some depth. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Patio
Outside, paint color competes with sky, landscaping, and direct sun — all of which shift how both of these read compared to an indoor chip. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
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
Cool Slate vs Swirling Smoke Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Cool Slate on one side and Swirling Smoke 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 Cool Slate comparisons
See how Cool Slate stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Ammonite reads slightly lighter (LRV 69 vs 62), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 83 vs 62, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 62 vs 6, Cool Slate is decisively the brighter choice.
Cool Slate reads slightly lighter (LRV 62 vs 52), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Cool Slate reflects far more light (LRV 62 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
A 10-point LRV gap (62 vs 52) makes Cool Slate the marginally brighter of the two.
With LRVs of 62 and 60, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
A 4-point LRV gap (62 vs 58) makes Cool Slate the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 62 vs 27, Cool Slate is decisively the brighter choice.
Cool Slate reflects far more light (LRV 62 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
Cool Slate reflects far more light (LRV 62 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
A 7-point LRV gap (62 vs 55) makes Cool Slate the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 62 vs 13, Cool Slate is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 62 vs 44, Cool Slate is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 62), opening up a space where Cool Slate encloses it.
Cool Slate reflects far more light (LRV 62 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
A 4-point LRV gap (66 vs 62) makes Balboa Mist the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 74 vs 62, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 62, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Cool Slate reads slightly lighter (LRV 62 vs 51), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 62 vs 12, Cool Slate is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 62 vs 8, Cool Slate is decisively the brighter choice.
A 6-point LRV gap (68 vs 62) makes Skimming Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
Cool Slate reflects far more light (LRV 62 vs 41), opening up a space where Dix Blue encloses it.
At LRV 62 vs 12, Cool Slate is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 62 vs 45, Cool Slate is decisively the brighter choice.
Cool Slate reflects far more light (LRV 62 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.