Artifact vs Rain Cloud
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Hue-wise, Artifact belongs to the beige-greige family and Rain Cloud to the blue-grey family. Artifact (LRV 23) reflects noticeably more light than Rain Cloud (LRV 11), a difference of 12 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Artifact runs warm while Rain Cloud is decidedly cool, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 33.2, 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 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Artifact vs Rain Cloud in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Artifact and Rain Cloud in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
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. Artifact reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Rain Cloud.
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 Artifact will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Rain Cloud would.
Color Details
Artifact vs Rain Cloud Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Artifact on one side and Rain Cloud 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 Artifact comparisons
See how Artifact stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 23, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 23), opening up a space where Artifact encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reads slightly lighter (LRV 30 vs 23), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 23), opening up a space where Artifact encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 23, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (27 vs 23) makes Denim Drift the marginally brighter of the two.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 23), opening up a space where Artifact encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 23, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 44 vs 23, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 23), opening up a space where Artifact encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 23, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 23, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
A 12-point LRV gap (23 vs 12) makes Artifact the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 68 vs 23, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
A 12-point LRV gap (23 vs 12) makes Artifact the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 45 vs 23, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reads slightly lighter (LRV 31 vs 23), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Artifact reflects far more light (LRV 23 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
With LRVs of 24 and 23, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Guilford Green reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 23), opening up a space where Artifact encloses it.