Karma vs Agreeable Gray
Karma (PPG) and Agreeable Gray (Sherwin-Williams) come from different manufacturers. Hue-wise, Karma belongs to the beige-greige family and Agreeable Gray to the greige-grey family. The 23-point LRV gap — 60 for Agreeable Gray vs 37 for Karma — means Agreeable Gray will open up a space more effectively. A ΔE of 19.0 puts these firmly in different territory — two distinct design choices rather than close alternatives. Below you'll find 9 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Karma vs Agreeable Gray in Real Spaces
9 real rooms side by side. Seeing Karma 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
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. Agreeable Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Karma.
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. Agreeable Gray returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. Agreeable Gray returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Dining Room
Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. The LRV gap is large enough that Agreeable Gray will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Karma would.
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. Agreeable Gray returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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. Agreeable Gray returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Mudroom
In a hardworking space like a mudroom, the depth and warmth of a color reads differently than in a quieter room. The LRV gap is large enough that Agreeable Gray will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Karma would.
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. Agreeable Gray returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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. Agreeable Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Karma.
Color Details
Karma vs Agreeable Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Karma 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 Karma comparisons
See how Karma stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 37), opening up a space where Karma encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 37, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
A 7-point LRV gap (37 vs 30) makes Karma the marginally brighter of the two.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 37), opening up a space where Karma encloses it.
Karma reads slightly lighter (LRV 37 vs 27), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 6-point LRV gap (43 vs 37) makes French Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 37), opening up a space where Karma encloses it.
Hardwick White reads slightly lighter (LRV 44 vs 37), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 84 vs 37, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 37), opening up a space where Karma encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 37), opening up a space where Karma encloses it.
Karma reflects far more light (LRV 37 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Karma reflects far more light (LRV 37 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 37), opening up a space where Karma encloses it.
Karma reflects far more light (LRV 37 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Saybrook Sage reads slightly lighter (LRV 45 vs 37), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 6-point LRV gap (37 vs 31) makes Karma the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 37 vs 7, Karma is decisively the brighter choice.