After the Rain vs Pure White
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Hue-wise, After the Rain belongs to the blue family and Pure White to the beige-greige family. Pure White (LRV 84) reflects noticeably more light than After the Rain (LRV 49), a difference of 35 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. After the Rain runs cool while Pure White is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 27.5, the contrast is hard to miss. These aren't variations on a theme — they're two different answers to the same question. Below you'll find 7 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
After the Rain vs Pure White in Real Spaces
7 real rooms side by side. Seeing After the Rain and Pure White 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
In a living room, color works across both daylight and evening light — the same wall can read very differently at noon and at 8pm. The LRV gap is large enough that Pure White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than After the Rain would.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. Pure White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than After the Rain.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Pure White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than After the Rain.
Bathroom
Bathrooms are one of the few spaces where you're genuinely enclosed by the paint color, which makes the choice between these two more consequential. Pure White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than After the Rain.
Home Office
The test for a home office color isn't how it looks in a quick glance — it's whether it still feels right after a full day of work. Pure White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than After the Rain.
House
Seen across an entire facade, subtle tonal differences become pronounced. What reads as nearly the same on a chip often reads as clearly different at scale. Pure White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than After the Rain.
Front Door
A front door is a focal point — small color differences read clearly at this concentrated scale. The LRV gap is large enough that Pure White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than After the Rain would.
Color Details
After the Rain vs Pure White Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see After the Rain on one side and Pure White 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.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 49), opening up a space where After the Rain encloses it.
At LRV 69 vs 49, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
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 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.
After the Rain reflects far more light (LRV 49 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter 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.
At LRV 68 vs 49, Calamine is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 49 vs 25, After the Rain is decisively the brighter choice.
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.
At LRV 49 vs 7, After the Rain is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 49 vs 24, After the Rain is decisively the brighter choice.
A 8-point LRV gap (57 vs 49) makes Guilford Green the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 72 vs 49, Just Walnut is decisively the brighter choice.