Improbable vs Volcanic Ash
Improbable and Volcanic Ash come from the same PPG collection. Both sit in the grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Their light reflectance values are nearly the same — 17 vs 18 — so neither will read significantly brighter or darker than the other. A ΔE of 1.4 puts them in subtle territory — distinguishable in direct comparison, less so from across a room. Below you'll find 10 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Improbable vs Volcanic Ash in Real Spaces
10 real rooms side by side. Improbable and Volcanic Ash 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
A living room wall sees more varied light than almost any other surface in the house, which makes the choice between these two more nuanced than a chip suggests. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Bedroom
Bedrooms are typically lit with warmer, lower light than the rest of the house — a condition that flatters warm tones and deepens cool ones. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Dining Room
Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Bathroom
Small bathrooms intensify color. A shade that seems quiet in a larger room can feel immersive when you're surrounded by it on four walls. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Home Office
Home office walls matter more than most — you're looking at them all day, and a color that reads fine at first can become tiring over time. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Mudroom
In a hardworking space like a mudroom, the depth and warmth of a color reads differently than in a quieter room. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Patio
Exterior colors look different in open light — both tend to read lighter outside than on an interior swatch, and shadows read more strongly. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
House
A full exterior is the most demanding test for a paint color — scale and outdoor light both amplify differences that seem small on a swatch. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Front Door
On a front door, the color is both the first and last thing you see — a context where even a modest tonal difference reads clearly. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Color Details
Improbable vs Volcanic Ash Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Improbable on one side and Volcanic Ash 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 Improbable comparisons
See how Improbable stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 17, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 17), opening up a space where Improbable encloses it.
A 11-point LRV gap (17 vs 6) makes Improbable the marginally brighter of the two.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 17), opening up a space where Improbable encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 17), opening up a space where Improbable encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 17, Mizzle is decisively the brighter choice.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 17), opening up a space where Improbable encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 17, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
A 10-point LRV gap (27 vs 17) makes Denim Drift the marginally brighter of the two.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 17), opening up a space where Improbable encloses it.
Improbable reflects far more light (LRV 17 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 17, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (17 vs 13) makes Improbable the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 44 vs 17, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 17), opening up a space where Improbable encloses it.
Artichoke reads slightly lighter (LRV 21 vs 17), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 66 vs 17, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 17, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 17, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
A 5-point LRV gap (17 vs 12) makes Improbable the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 68 vs 17, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Dix Blue reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 17), opening up a space where Improbable encloses it.
Calamine reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 17), opening up a space where Improbable encloses it.
Treron reads slightly lighter (LRV 25 vs 17), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 5-point LRV gap (17 vs 12) makes Improbable the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 45 vs 17, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 17), opening up a space where Improbable encloses it.
Improbable reads slightly lighter (LRV 17 vs 7), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Cement grey reads slightly lighter (LRV 24 vs 17), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Guilford Green reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 17), opening up a space where Improbable encloses it.