Silent Smoke vs Grey Heron
Silent Smoke (PPG) and Grey Heron (Sherwin-Williams) come from different manufacturers. Silent Smoke reads as beige-greige, while Grey Heron reads as greige-grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. The 3-point LRV gap — 68 for Silent Smoke vs 65 for Grey Heron — means Silent Smoke will open up a space more effectively. A ΔE of 1.8 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.
Silent Smoke vs Grey Heron in Real Spaces
10 real rooms side by side. Silent Smoke and Grey Heron 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. Silent Smoke reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
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. Silent Smoke has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. Silent Smoke has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Dining Room
Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. The brightness difference is modest but present — Silent Smoke gives the walls a little more lift.
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. Silent Smoke has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
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. Silent Smoke has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Mudroom
In a hardworking space like a mudroom, the depth and warmth of a color reads differently than in a quieter room. The brightness difference is modest but present — Silent Smoke gives the walls a little more lift.
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 brightness difference is modest but present — Silent Smoke gives the walls a little more lift.
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. Silent Smoke has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
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. Silent Smoke reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Color Details
Silent Smoke vs Grey Heron Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Silent Smoke on one side and Grey Heron 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 Silent Smoke comparisons
See how Silent Smoke stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 68, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 69 and 68, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 68 vs 6, Silent Smoke is decisively the brighter choice.
Silent Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 52), opening up a space where Purbeck Stone encloses it.
Silent Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
At LRV 68 vs 52, Silent Smoke is decisively the brighter choice.
Silent Smoke reads slightly lighter (LRV 68 vs 60), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 10-point LRV gap (68 vs 58) makes Silent Smoke the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 68 vs 27, Silent Smoke is decisively the brighter choice.
Silent Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
Silent Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 68 vs 55, Silent Smoke is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 13, Silent Smoke is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 44, Silent Smoke is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 68), opening up a space where Silent Smoke encloses it.
Silent Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 68 vs 66), so neither reads brighter in a room.
A 6-point LRV gap (74 vs 68) makes Shoji White the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 83 vs 68, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 12, Silent Smoke is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 68 vs 68), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Silent Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 41), opening up a space where Dix Blue encloses it.
With LRVs of 68 and 68, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Silent Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 25), opening up a space where Treron encloses it.
At LRV 68 vs 12, Silent Smoke is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 45, Silent Smoke is decisively the brighter choice.
Silent Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Silent Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Silent Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
Silent Smoke reads slightly lighter (LRV 68 vs 57), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.