Cracked Pepper vs Reflecting Pool
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Cracked Pepper reads as grey, while Reflecting Pool reads as blue — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Reflecting Pool (LRV 39) reflects noticeably more light than Cracked Pepper (LRV 5), a difference of 34 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Cracked Pepper runs warm while Reflecting Pool is decidedly cool, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 48.8, 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.
Cracked Pepper vs Reflecting Pool in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing Cracked Pepper and Reflecting Pool 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 Reflecting Pool will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Cracked Pepper would.
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. Reflecting Pool reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Cracked Pepper.
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 Reflecting Pool will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Cracked Pepper would.
Color Details
Cracked Pepper vs Reflecting Pool Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Cracked Pepper on one side and Reflecting Pool 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 Cracked Pepper comparisons
See how Cracked Pepper stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 5, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 5), opening up a space where Cracked Pepper encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 6 vs 5), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 5), opening up a space where Cracked Pepper encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 5), opening up a space where Cracked Pepper encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 5, Mizzle is decisively the brighter choice.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 5), opening up a space where Cracked Pepper encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 5, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 27 vs 5, Denim Drift is decisively the brighter choice.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 5), opening up a space where Cracked Pepper encloses it.
With LRVs of 5 and 4, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 55 vs 5, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
A 8-point LRV gap (13 vs 5) makes Bancha the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 44 vs 5, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 5), opening up a space where Cracked Pepper encloses it.
Artichoke reflects far more light (LRV 21 vs 5), opening up a space where Cracked Pepper encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 5, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 5, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 5, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
A 7-point LRV gap (12 vs 5) makes Pewter Green the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 68 vs 5, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Dix Blue reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 5), opening up a space where Cracked Pepper encloses it.
Calamine reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 5), opening up a space where Cracked Pepper encloses it.
Treron reflects far more light (LRV 25 vs 5), opening up a space where Cracked Pepper encloses it.
A 7-point LRV gap (12 vs 5) makes Vintage Vogue the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 45 vs 5, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 5), opening up a space where Cracked Pepper encloses it.
With LRVs of 7 and 5, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Cement grey reflects far more light (LRV 24 vs 5), opening up a space where Cracked Pepper encloses it.
Guilford Green reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 5), opening up a space where Cracked Pepper encloses it.