Black Emerald vs Cascades
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Black Emerald reads as blue-green, while Cascades reads as blue — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Cascades (LRV 4) reflects noticeably more light than Black Emerald (LRV 1), a difference of 3 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Both lean cool, so they'll behave similarly in mixed or changing light conditions. With a ΔE of 13.4, 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 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Black Emerald vs Cascades in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing Black Emerald and Cascades 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. 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.
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. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Color Details
Black Emerald vs Cascades Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Black Emerald on one side and Cascades 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 Black Emerald comparisons
See how Black Emerald stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 1), opening up a space where Black Emerald encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 1, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (6 vs 1) makes Iron Ore the marginally brighter of the two.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 1), opening up a space where Black Emerald encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 1), opening up a space where Black Emerald encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 1, Mizzle is decisively the brighter choice.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 1), opening up a space where Black Emerald encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 1, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 27 vs 1, Denim Drift is decisively the brighter choice.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 1), opening up a space where Black Emerald encloses it.
Naval reads slightly lighter (LRV 4 vs 1), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 55 vs 1, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
A 12-point LRV gap (13 vs 1) makes Bancha the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 44 vs 1, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 1), opening up a space where Black Emerald encloses it.
Artichoke reflects far more light (LRV 21 vs 1), opening up a space where Black Emerald encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 1, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 1, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 1, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Pigeon reflects far more light (LRV 51 vs 1), opening up a space where Black Emerald encloses it.
A 10-point LRV gap (12 vs 1) makes Pewter Green the marginally brighter of the two.
A 7-point LRV gap (8 vs 1) makes Duck Green the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 68 vs 1, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Dix Blue reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 1), opening up a space where Black Emerald encloses it.
A 10-point LRV gap (12 vs 1) makes Vintage Vogue the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 45 vs 1, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 1), opening up a space where Black Emerald encloses it.