Phantom Hue vs Expressive Plum
Phantom Hue (PPG) and Expressive Plum (Sherwin-Williams) come from different manufacturers. 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 — 10 vs 12 — so neither will read significantly brighter or darker than the other. ΔE 3.9 means they're clearly different, but not dramatically so — they'd pair well in the same room. Below you'll find 7 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Phantom Hue vs Expressive Plum in Real Spaces
7 real rooms side by side. Phantom Hue and Expressive Plum 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. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
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. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
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. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
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. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
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. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
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. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Color Details
Phantom Hue vs Expressive Plum Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Phantom Hue on one side and Expressive Plum 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 Phantom Hue comparisons
See how Phantom Hue stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 10), opening up a space where Phantom Hue encloses it.
At LRV 69 vs 10, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
Phantom Hue reads slightly lighter (LRV 10 vs 6), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 52 vs 10, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 30 vs 10, Evergreen Fog is decisively the brighter choice.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 10), opening up a space where Phantom Hue encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 10, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 10), opening up a space where Phantom Hue encloses it.
Denim Drift reflects far more light (LRV 27 vs 10), opening up a space where Phantom Hue encloses it.
At LRV 43 vs 10, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
A 6-point LRV gap (10 vs 4) makes Phantom Hue the marginally brighter of the two.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 10), opening up a space where Phantom Hue encloses it.
Bancha reads slightly lighter (LRV 13 vs 10), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 10), opening up a space where Phantom Hue encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 10, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
A 11-point LRV gap (21 vs 10) makes Artichoke the marginally brighter of the two.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 10), opening up a space where Phantom Hue encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 10), opening up a space where Phantom Hue encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 10), opening up a space where Phantom Hue encloses it.
With LRVs of 12 and 10, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 10), opening up a space where Phantom Hue encloses it.
At LRV 41 vs 10, Dix Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 10, Calamine is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 25 vs 10, Treron is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 12 and 10, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 10), opening up a space where Phantom Hue encloses it.
At LRV 31 vs 10, Pale Green is decisively the brighter choice.
A 3-point LRV gap (10 vs 7) makes Phantom Hue the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 24 vs 10, Cement grey is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 57 vs 10, Guilford Green is decisively the brighter choice.