Hippopotamus vs Agreeable Gray
Where Hippopotamus belongs to PPG's range, Agreeable Gray is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, Hippopotamus belongs to the grey family and Agreeable Gray to the greige-grey family. Agreeable Gray (LRV 60) reflects noticeably more light than Hippopotamus (LRV 40), a difference of 20 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 13.3, 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 9 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Hippopotamus vs Agreeable Gray in Real Spaces
9 real rooms side by side. Seeing Hippopotamus and Agreeable Gray 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 Agreeable Gray will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Hippopotamus 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. Agreeable Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Hippopotamus.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Agreeable Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Hippopotamus.
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. Agreeable Gray returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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. Agreeable Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Hippopotamus.
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. Agreeable Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Hippopotamus.
Mudroom
Mudrooms are seen in passing, often under whatever light comes through the door — a context that favors colors with some depth. Agreeable Gray returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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. Agreeable Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Hippopotamus.
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 Agreeable Gray will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Hippopotamus would.
Color Details
Hippopotamus vs Agreeable Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Hippopotamus on one side and Agreeable Gray 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 Hippopotamus comparisons
See how Hippopotamus stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 40), opening up a space where Hippopotamus encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 40, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 40 vs 6, Hippopotamus is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reads slightly lighter (LRV 52 vs 40), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Hippopotamus reads slightly lighter (LRV 40 vs 30), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 12-point LRV gap (52 vs 40) makes Mizzle the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 58 vs 40, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 40 vs 27, Hippopotamus is decisively the brighter choice.
French Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 43 vs 40), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Hippopotamus reflects far more light (LRV 40 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 40, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 40 vs 13, Hippopotamus is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (44 vs 40) makes Hardwick White the marginally brighter of the two.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 40), opening up a space where Hippopotamus encloses it.
Hippopotamus reflects far more light (LRV 40 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 40, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 40, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 40, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Pigeon reads slightly lighter (LRV 51 vs 40), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 40 vs 12, Hippopotamus is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 40 vs 8, Hippopotamus is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 40, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 41 and 40, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 40 vs 12, Hippopotamus is decisively the brighter choice.
A 5-point LRV gap (45 vs 40) makes Saybrook Sage the marginally brighter of the two.
Hippopotamus reads slightly lighter (LRV 40 vs 31), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Hippopotamus reflects far more light (LRV 40 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.