Expressive Plum vs Glimmer
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Hue-wise, Expressive Plum belongs to the grey family and Glimmer to the green-white family. Glimmer (LRV 78) reflects noticeably more light than Expressive Plum (LRV 12), a difference of 67 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Expressive Plum runs neutral while Glimmer is decidedly cool, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 51.5, 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.
Expressive Plum vs Glimmer in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Expressive Plum and Glimmer 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 Glimmer will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Expressive Plum 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. Glimmer reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Expressive Plum.
Color Details
Expressive Plum vs Glimmer Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Expressive Plum on one side and Glimmer 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.