Afterglow vs Artichoke
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Afterglow reads as beige, while Artichoke reads as grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Afterglow (LRV 65) reflects noticeably more light than Artichoke (LRV 21), a difference of 44 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Afterglow runs warm while Artichoke is decidedly neutral, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 40.1, 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 6 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Afterglow vs Artichoke in Real Spaces
6 real rooms side by side. Seeing Afterglow and Artichoke 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 Afterglow will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Artichoke 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. Afterglow reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Artichoke.
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. Afterglow reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Artichoke.
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. Afterglow reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Artichoke.
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. Afterglow reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Artichoke.
Color Details
Afterglow vs Artichoke Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Afterglow on one side and Artichoke 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 Afterglow comparisons
See how Afterglow stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 65), opening up a space where Afterglow encloses it.
At LRV 65 vs 52, Afterglow is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 65 vs 30, Afterglow is decisively the brighter choice.
A 5-point LRV gap (65 vs 60) makes Afterglow the marginally brighter of the two.
Afterglow reads slightly lighter (LRV 65 vs 58), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Afterglow reflects far more light (LRV 65 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
At LRV 65 vs 43, Afterglow is decisively the brighter choice.
Afterglow reads slightly lighter (LRV 65 vs 55), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Afterglow reflects far more light (LRV 65 vs 44), opening up a space where Hardwick White encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 65, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 66 and 65, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Shoji White reads slightly lighter (LRV 74 vs 65), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Afterglow reflects far more light (LRV 65 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Afterglow reflects far more light (LRV 65 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
With LRVs of 68 and 65, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Afterglow reflects far more light (LRV 65 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Afterglow reflects far more light (LRV 65 vs 45), opening up a space where Saybrook Sage encloses it.
At LRV 65 vs 31, Afterglow is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 65 vs 7, Afterglow is decisively the brighter choice.