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.