Improbable vs Pure White
Where Improbable belongs to PPG's range, Pure White is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, Improbable belongs to the grey family and Pure White to the beige-greige family. Pure White (LRV 84) reflects noticeably more light than Improbable (LRV 17), a difference of 67 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 45.5, 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 7 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Improbable vs Pure White in Real Spaces
7 real rooms side by side. Seeing Improbable and Pure White 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 Pure White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Improbable 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. Pure White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Improbable.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Pure White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Improbable.
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. Pure White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Improbable.
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. Pure White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Improbable.
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. Pure White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Improbable.
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 Pure White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Improbable would.
Color Details
Improbable vs Pure White Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Improbable on one side and Pure White 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.
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.
Just Walnut reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 17), opening up a space where Improbable encloses it.