Desert Dune vs Artichoke
Where Desert Dune belongs to PPG's range, Artichoke is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, Desert Dune belongs to the greige-grey family and Artichoke to the grey family. Desert Dune (LRV 42) reflects noticeably more light than Artichoke (LRV 21), a difference of 21 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 19.4, 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 6 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Desert Dune vs Artichoke in Real Spaces
6 real rooms side by side. Seeing Desert Dune 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 LRV gap is large enough that Desert Dune will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Artichoke would.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. Desert Dune reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Artichoke.
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. Desert Dune reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Artichoke.
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. Desert Dune reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Artichoke.
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. Desert Dune reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Artichoke.
Front Door
A front door is a focal point — small color differences read clearly at this concentrated scale. The LRV gap is large enough that Desert Dune will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Artichoke would.
Color Details
Desert Dune vs Artichoke Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Desert Dune 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 Desert Dune comparisons
See how Desert Dune stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 69 vs 42, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 42), opening up a space where Desert Dune encloses it.
Desert Dune reflects far more light (LRV 42 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
A 10-point LRV gap (52 vs 42) makes Purbeck Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
A 12-point LRV gap (42 vs 30) makes Desert Dune the marginally brighter of the two.
Mizzle reads slightly lighter (LRV 52 vs 42), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 60 vs 42, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 42), opening up a space where Desert Dune encloses it.
Desert Dune reflects far more light (LRV 42 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 43 vs 42), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 42 vs 4, Desert Dune is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 42), opening up a space where Desert Dune encloses it.
Desert Dune reflects far more light (LRV 42 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
With LRVs of 44 and 42, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 84 vs 42, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 42), opening up a space where Desert Dune encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 42), opening up a space where Desert Dune encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 42), opening up a space where Desert Dune encloses it.
A 9-point LRV gap (51 vs 42) makes Pigeon the marginally brighter of the two.
Desert Dune reflects far more light (LRV 42 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Desert Dune reflects far more light (LRV 42 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 42), opening up a space where Desert Dune encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 42 vs 41), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Desert Dune reflects far more light (LRV 42 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Saybrook Sage reads slightly lighter (LRV 45 vs 42), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 11-point LRV gap (42 vs 31) makes Desert Dune the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 42 vs 7, Desert Dune is decisively the brighter choice.