Simmering Smoke vs Snowbound
Simmering Smoke (PPG) and Snowbound (Sherwin-Williams) come from different manufacturers. Hue-wise, Simmering Smoke belongs to the greige-grey family and Snowbound to the beige-greige family. The 47-point LRV gap — 83 for Snowbound vs 36 for Simmering Smoke — means Snowbound will open up a space more effectively. A ΔE of 27.0 puts these firmly in different territory — two distinct design choices rather than close alternatives. Below you'll find 8 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Simmering Smoke vs Snowbound in Real Spaces
8 real rooms side by side. Seeing Simmering Smoke and Snowbound 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. Snowbound reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Simmering Smoke.
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. Snowbound 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. Snowbound 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 Snowbound will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Simmering Smoke 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. Snowbound 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. Snowbound returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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. Snowbound 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. Snowbound reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Simmering Smoke.
Color Details
Simmering Smoke vs Snowbound Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Simmering Smoke on one side and Snowbound 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 Simmering Smoke comparisons
See how Simmering Smoke stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 36), opening up a space where Simmering Smoke encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 36, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 36 vs 6, Simmering Smoke is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 36), opening up a space where Simmering Smoke encloses it.
Simmering Smoke reads slightly lighter (LRV 36 vs 30), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 52 vs 36, Mizzle is decisively the brighter choice.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 36), opening up a space where Simmering Smoke encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 36, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
A 9-point LRV gap (36 vs 27) makes Simmering Smoke the marginally brighter of the two.
French Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 43 vs 36), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Simmering Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 36 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 36, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 36 vs 13, Simmering Smoke is decisively the brighter choice.
A 8-point LRV gap (44 vs 36) makes Hardwick White the marginally brighter of the two.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 36), opening up a space where Simmering Smoke encloses it.
Simmering Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 36 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 36, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 36, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pigeon reflects far more light (LRV 51 vs 36), opening up a space where Simmering Smoke encloses it.
At LRV 36 vs 12, Simmering Smoke is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 36 vs 8, Simmering Smoke is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 36, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Dix Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 41 vs 36), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 36 vs 12, Simmering Smoke is decisively the brighter choice.
A 9-point LRV gap (45 vs 36) makes Saybrook Sage the marginally brighter of the two.
Simmering Smoke reads slightly lighter (LRV 36 vs 31), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Simmering Smoke reflects far more light (LRV 36 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.