Argos vs Austere Gray
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Argos reads as grey, while Austere Gray reads as greige-grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. They have nearly identical light reflectance values (51 vs 51), so they'll read as similarly Medium in most lighting conditions. Both lean neutral, so they'll behave similarly in mixed or changing light conditions. The ΔE 3.8 gap is real but not dramatic — close enough to use together, distinct enough to matter as a choice. Below you'll find 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Argos vs Austere Gray in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Argos and Austere Gray 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
In a living room, color works across both daylight and evening light — the same wall can read very differently at noon and at 8pm. Side by side like this, the difference is easy to read — which is exactly why seeing them in a real space is more useful than comparing chips.
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. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Color Details
Argos vs Austere Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Argos on one side and Austere Gray 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 Argos comparisons
See how Argos stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 51, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 52 and 51, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Argos reflects far more light (LRV 51 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
Agreeable Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 60 vs 51), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 7-point LRV gap (58 vs 51) makes Accessible Beige the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 51 vs 27, Argos is decisively the brighter choice.
Argos reads slightly lighter (LRV 51 vs 43), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 4-point LRV gap (55 vs 51) makes Tranquil Dawn the marginally brighter of the two.
A 7-point LRV gap (51 vs 44) makes Argos the marginally brighter of the two.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 51), opening up a space where Argos encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 51, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 51, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 51 vs 12, Argos is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 51, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 51 vs 12, Argos is decisively the brighter choice.
A 5-point LRV gap (51 vs 45) makes Argos the marginally brighter of the two.
Argos reflects far more light (LRV 51 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Argos reflects far more light (LRV 51 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Argos reflects far more light (LRV 51 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
Guilford Green reads slightly lighter (LRV 57 vs 51), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.