After the Rain vs Bitter Chocolate
After the Rain and Bitter Chocolate come from the same Sherwin-Williams collection. After the Rain reads as blue, while Bitter Chocolate reads as grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. The 44-point LRV gap — 49 for After the Rain vs 5 for Bitter Chocolate — means After the Rain will open up a space more effectively. Where After the Rain leans cool, Bitter Chocolate reads warm — a distinction that shifts noticeably depending on the light source and surrounding finishes. A ΔE of 55.8 puts these firmly in different territory — two distinct design choices rather than close alternatives. Below you'll find 10 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
After the Rain vs Bitter Chocolate in Real Spaces
10 real rooms side by side. Seeing After the Rain and Bitter Chocolate 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. After the Rain reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Bitter Chocolate.
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. After the Rain 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. After the Rain 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 After the Rain will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Bitter Chocolate 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. After the Rain 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. After the Rain 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 After the Rain will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Bitter Chocolate would.
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 LRV gap is large enough that After the Rain will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Bitter Chocolate 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. After the Rain 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. After the Rain reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Bitter Chocolate.
Color Details
After the Rain vs Bitter Chocolate Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see After the Rain on one side and Bitter Chocolate 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 After the Rain comparisons
See how After the Rain stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 69 vs 49, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 49), opening up a space where After the Rain encloses it.
After the Rain reflects far more light (LRV 49 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 52 vs 49), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 49 vs 30, After the Rain is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 52 and 49, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
A 11-point LRV gap (60 vs 49) makes Agreeable Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
Accessible Beige reads slightly lighter (LRV 58 vs 49), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
After the Rain reflects far more light (LRV 49 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
A 6-point LRV gap (49 vs 43) makes After the Rain the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 49 vs 4, After the Rain is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reads slightly lighter (LRV 55 vs 49), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
After the Rain reflects far more light (LRV 49 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
After the Rain reads slightly lighter (LRV 49 vs 44), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 84 vs 49, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 49 vs 21, After the Rain is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 49), opening up a space where After the Rain encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 49), opening up a space where After the Rain encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 49), opening up a space where After the Rain encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 51 vs 49), so neither reads brighter in a room.
After the Rain reflects far more light (LRV 49 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
After the Rain reflects far more light (LRV 49 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 49), opening up a space where After the Rain encloses it.
A 8-point LRV gap (49 vs 41) makes After the Rain the marginally brighter of the two.
After the Rain reflects far more light (LRV 49 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
After the Rain reads slightly lighter (LRV 49 vs 45), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 49 vs 31, After the Rain is decisively the brighter choice.