5 off-white paint colors you’ll love
Ready to warm up cold walls? Time to try an off white paint color!
First there was beige, then gray, then greige and now, it’s no surprise that white is the most requested paint color for new builds and remodels.
Accidentally fooled into thinking that any ol’ white paint color will solve the issue of the too dark living room or perhaps will work wonders on updating their kitchen, many homeowners request white paint colors, not really knowing anything about how the paint color will look in their home.
Spoiler alert: Most bright white paint colors won’t look that great in your home unless you just have tons and tons of natural light and a lot of lighter/white furnishings. What you likely need is something softer, something with more depth, something off-white.
So if you’re scratching your head wondering why the bright white didn’t work well in your space or you’re getting ready to renovate, pay attention to these 5 hard-working off-white paint colors.
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5 of our favorite off-white paint colors
Before we jump in, you must understand that the two things you need to pay attention to when selecting an off-white paint color (and this applies to selecting any paint color, really!). One is the light reflectance value of the color and two is the color’s undertones.
Light reflectance value (LRV) is how light or dark a paint color is, with 100 being pure, pure white and 0 being totally black. Most off-whites hang out in the 80s, compared to true whites that hang out in the low 90s.
Benjamin Moore Cloud White
Without a doubt, Cloud White is one of the number one white paint suggestion designers typically give to homeowners and that’s because even though Cloud White is technically an off-white, it works with homes that have more beige undertones and homes that have cleaner, brighter undertones as well.
Now, is it a paint color you should use if you think your home has less than clean undertones and you don’t want to get the paint color wrong? No, absolutely not. You must always test paint colors before committing. I’ll go over how to test white paint colors after this list!
LRV is 87
Benjamin Moore White Dove
If you’ve been following for a while, you know that Benjamin Moore White Dove is one of my favorite off-white paint colors. White Dove has a good bit of creaminess to it, but it also has a hint of a gray undertone in it too, which is what draws me to this color so much, as the gray undertone keeps it from looking a smidge too yellow, like some off-whites can read.
White Dove is frequently used on kitchen cabinets as it pairs really well with quartz. In a recent post I shared my favorite white quartz options and I love how well White Dove paired with the ever popular Cambria Brittanicca.
LRV is 85
Sherwin Williams Pure White
Contrary to the name, Pure White by Sherwin Williams is not a pure white! Pure White is actually an off-white. While Pure White is considered an off white, it’s not quite as creamy as say, White Dove. You’ll know you need to go with Pure White over a creamier white when you compare it to your countertops and furniture.
LRV is 84
Sherwin Williams Snowbound
An almost perfect match to White Dove, Snowbound is another beautiful off-white paint color. Like White Dove, it doesn’t really have those yellow undertones that a lot of creamy whites have, but it does have a purple undertone in it.
Snowbound needs to be painted in a room with ample natural light (we’re talking one or two sets of large windows, that preferably are south facing) if you don’t want the cool undertones to be more prevalent.
LRV is 82
Sherwin Williams Alabaster
Hugely popular with the rise of the modern farmhouse trend, Alabaster is a soft white paint color that many homeowners choose for cabinets, trim or walls.
Alabaster actually has a yellow undertone, giving it more of a creamy appearance and you can really see that when you compare it to a true white (which you absolutely should so you can clearly see the undertones!)
LRV is 82
What you need to know about using an off white paint color
There are so many types of white paint that it’s important to know which type of white hue you’re dealing with. At one end of the spectrum you have ultra bright (almost blinding!) white, and then at the other end, you’re getting into whites that have significant yellow undertones or cream paint colors.
While off-white is considerably less bright than a stark white, it’s still not always the answer if your home can’t support those ultra bright white hues.
For example, when we moved in to our home the kitchen had a granite with a lot of brown, and although I really wanted that white kitchen look, I knew that I could not use an off-white on the cabinets, and that’s because brown/orange undertones work best with cream, beige and greige colors.
Compare your off white paint color choices with a “pure” white paint color. I like to use Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace as my pure white paint color.
This allows you to see how creamy/warm the off-white paint colors you are considering are. You can also easily see which off-whites have more yellow to them this way, as well.
There is no “go-to” white paint color. You must identify the undertones in your furnishings and fixed elements to correctly identify which white works best for you.
The steps to take to identify an off white paint color that works for your home
First, you’ll take a look around your home. Start with cabinets in the kitchen and identify the undertone. To use an off-white, the undertones in your home’s fixed elements need to work well with off-white. Off-white does not go with everything!
For example, orange/brown maple cabinets will not look good with an off-white. Same thing applies with carpet with pink, brown or beige undertones. If you have this type of carpet in your home, off-white is not for you.
Essentially, undertones of orange, brown/beige, and pink will not play well with off-white. If you’ve identified these undertones in your home’s fixed elements, stop! and go check out cream paint colors!
Once you’ve identified the undertones in your home’s fixed elements as working well with off-white, now it’s time to test out the paint colors on your wall.
Before I forget, to provide contrast, if you’re going with an off-white wall color, or trim, the white ceiling paint you select should be in the true white family, like Chantilly Lace or Oxford White.
How to test an off-white paint color on your wall
White paint colors are tricky. Typically for other more saturated colors, I recommend getting those 12 x12 peel and stick paint samples and adhering them to white poster board to check paint colors. But with white, I recommend you go a bit more extreme.
First yes, order some samples and place them on white poster board and hold the board up to your fixed elements to examine the match. Then, prime a large section of a wall top to bottom. Paint half of that space (top to bottom) in the off-white paint color.
Alternatively, you can use a color like Chantilly Lace instead of primer. You just need a true white to compare your off-white to. If you just throw white paint on walls that are painted blue or red or whatever, it won’t allow you to see what the color actually is.
FAQ about off white paint colors
What’s the best off-white paint color?
The best off-white paint color is the on that complements the undertones in your space perfectly. As you see above, the five off-white paint colors I reviewed all had different undertones. White Dove had a gray undertone, Alabaster had a yellow undertone, etc.
You must look at the undertones of your couch, cabinets, floors, countertops, etc (basically anything that you can’t remove) first before assigning the correct off-white paint color. What works in someone else’s space won’t necessarily work in yours.
Do off-white and white go together?
Yes, but you need to be intentional about layering the two colors, otherwise, one of the hues will look out of place.
What’s a good warm white from Sherwin Williams?
Besides Pure White, Snowbound and Alabaster, you could also check out Greek Villa and White Flour–both good off-white Sherwin Williams colors.
Didn’t find something on this list you liked? Try Benjamin Moore Cloud Cover. It’s an off-white hue with a good bit of grey undertone to it.
Hi first time on your site and loved it!I have a light beige floor tile with a pink undertone. I want to paint my expresso kitchen cabinets a different color to brighten the kitchen. I have a western exposure. Any suggestions? I wanted to paint them white until I read and have learned my tile has a pink undertone
Hi! Go with Maritime white or muslin, both by Benjamin Moore. Or Divine White by Sherwin Williams.
Hi! So happy I came across your site. We are putting in new cabinets, flooring and painting the interior of the home we just purchased. Right now it as a lot of grey tones, which we don’t care for. I’m going for the ‘modern farmhouse’ look, but never realized how complicated choosing white paint could be! Our sofas are a brownish leather and the fireplace is stone with yellows, whites & grey. I’m clueless where to start! I want white cabinets & white walls. (Or off white) What would you recommend? I want to lighten it up since my sofas are dark. I’m looking at a wood flooring that is Oak with some brown distressed wood look. Please help if you can. Thanks so much! Kim
Hi Kim!
Start by testing White Dove. It’s a soft white (off-white) with a slight yellow and greige undertone. It’s very beautiful and perfect for modern farmhouse. It’s what we have in our bathroom…https://homelikeyoumeanit.com/modern-farmhouse-master-bathroom-renovation/
I will say, white walls look best when white is repeated in your fixed elements and furnishings…just something to think about. Even off-white can look too stark in a room filled with dark furniture and accessories. I like this for flooring and I also like this.