BENJAMIN MOORE SWISS COFFEE vs. THE TOP 5 SHADES OF WHITE

SWISS COFFEE, WHITE DOVE, CHANTILLY LACE & MORE

Is Swiss Coffee the best white paint color for YOUR home? Let’s find out.

There’s no doubt that Swiss Coffee became popular thanks to Studio McGee. However, just because a color looks great in a professionally designed home, doesn’t mean it’s the best choice for YOUR home. Or maybe it is, but you won’t know until you COMPARE it to other options.

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This is why we’re spending some one-on-one time (or maybe one-on-five) with Swiss Coffee and five other popular shades of white. We’ll learn how they’re similar and different, and why they MAY or may not be the best whites for your home!

BUT FIRST, let’s do a little refresher on Swiss Coffee…

SWISS COFFEE SUMMARY

Swiss Coffee is a soft, warm white paint color. It has an LRV of 81.91, which means it’s NOT a bright white…at all, and actually winks at the off-white world with a come-hither look.

As for undertones, Swiss Coffee has a subtle, muted, creamy undertone. Cream = yellow. However, tucked deep inside this yellow is a touch of green.

Are you going to notice this green on a large scale? Possibly not. However, if you partner it with anti-green finishes, you might be in for a surprise. This is also a risk if you already have a lot of green light coming through your windows via grass, nearby landscaping, or trees.

Now, without further ado (what IS ado anyway?), let’s see how Swiss Coffee compares to the other top shades to see if it’s JUST the right white for you…

SWISS COFFEE vs. SIMPLY WHITE

If you’re considering Swiss Coffee and Simply White for your walls, cabinets, or trim, you’re considering two different types of white. But is EITHER the best white for you? Let’s find out…

DIFFERENCES & SIMILARITIES

WHICH WHITE IS WARMER? Simply White is warmer than Swiss Coffee as it has a less neutral base, calming it down. The warmth in both of these whites comes in the form of a yellow undertone; Simply White’s can be a bit more noticeable.
WHICH WHITE IS BRIGHTER & WHITER? Simply White has an LRV of 89.52, making it a brighter white. Swiss Coffee is a soft white with a lower LRV of 81.91.
Both whites are popular in ‘color-drenching,’ where the walls, cabinets, trims, and ceilings are all painted the same color.
Both whites are reasonably versatile when partnering them up with other colors, although Simply White is MORE flexible.
Neither white is a hit with marble or today’s most popular white quartz countertops – there are better whites for these finishes.
Simply White can be a bit too yellow for some south-facing rooms or those with warm afternoon western sunshine. Swiss Coffee will look warm in these spaces, but because of its mild yellow undertone, it can be a bit softer looking than Simply White.

Benjamin Moore Simply White trim, Collingwood walls

MORE PHOTOS & INFO: FULL Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Simply White

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLES OF SIMPLY WHITE!

SWISS COFFEE vs. CLOUD WHITE

Cloud White has been kickin’ it a looooong time in the white world due to its flexibility with finishes from the 90s and early to mid-2000s. HOWEVER, it’s fallen in favor in recent years due to its more noticeable warmth. Let’s find out more…

DIFFERENCES & SIMILARITIES

WHICH WHITE IS WARMER? Cloud White is warmer than Swiss Coffee with a slightly more noticeable creamy yellow undertone.
WHITE WHITE IS BRIGHER & WHITER? Cloud White has an LRV of 85.05, parking it FIRMLY in the white range. This makes Cloud White look whiter than Swiss Coffee, whose LRV borders on the off-white range.
Neither white is particularly popular with today’s trendy quartz countertops and are usually toooo yellow for the average marble surface.
Both whites are options when coordinating a home with Tuscan-inspired finishes.
Swiss Coffee can be a bit better for a south-facing room or room with warm afternoon western sunshine as it has less yellow in it. However, neither would be my first or second choice.

MORE PHOTOS & INFO: FULL Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Cloud White

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLES OF CLOUD WHITE!

SWISS COFFEE vs. CHANTILLY LACE

As far as the wild world of whites is concerned, Swiss Coffee and Chantilly Lace are living on different continents. Let’s find out how these two compare…

NEED HELP? Check out my ONLINE PAINT COLOR CONSULTING – let me make it easy for you!

DIFFERENCES & SIMILARITIES

WHITE WHITE IS WARMER? Swiss Coffee is warmer than Chantilly Lace. When you compare the two, Swiss Coffee looks a bit dirty and almost creamy up against Chantilly Lace’s cheerful approach. This doesn’t mean it’s not the best for your space, but it’s not a remotely bright or clean white.

DID YOU KNOW THERE ARE 5 TYPES OF WHITE?

WHICH WHITE IS BRIGHTER & WHITER? By a LONG stretch, Chantilly Lace is brighter, whiter, and cleaner-looking than Swiss Coffee. This is because Chantilly Lace has a higher LRV of 90.4, putting it closer to the TRUE white world (and actually IS Benjamin Moore’s brightest white).
Chantilly Lace is more popular and versatile regarding white quartz countertops and marble finishes, whereas Swiss Coffee can be a bit too warm/muddy.
If you have a north-facing room, the warmth of Swiss Coffee offers a bit more balance compared to Chantilly Lace. This being said, neither is my first or second choice.
Neither Swiss Coffee nor Chantilly Lace are the first whites I think of when considering a home with Tuscan-style finishes or most older-style granite countertops.

MORE PHOTOS & INFO: FULL Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLES OF CHANTILLY LACE

SWISS COFFEE vs. SHERWIN WILLIAMS ALABASTER

We’re comparing apples to apples when looking at Swiss Coffee and Alabaster. Let’s see what sets these two whites apart…

DIFFERENCES & SIMILARITIES

WHICH WHITE IS WARMER? Alabaster is warmer than Swiss Coffee with its notable creamy yellow backdrop. This isn’t to say that Alabaster is TOO creamy for what you might be looking for, but Swiss Coffee could be a better choice if your space is sensitive to yellow undertones.
WHICH WHITE IS BRIGHTER & WHITER? Alabaster is a soft, warm white – Swiss Coffee is a soft, warm white. With only fractions of a point between them in LRV, neither white is noticeably whiter than the other.
Because of its subtle, but sneaky yellow-green undertones, I suggest Alabaster 10x more than Swiss Coffee in my Online Paint Color Consulting.
Alabaster is a popular choice in Tuscan-style homes and those with finishes from the ’90s and early 2000s; however, Swiss Coffee shows up too!

Sherwin Williams Alabaster with Evergreen Fog shiplap

MORE PHOTOS & INFO: FULL Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Alabaster

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLES OF ALABASTER

SWISS COFFEE vs. WHITE DOVE

This is an easy one. If you want to know which white is the most popular between White Dove and Swiss Coffee – it’s White Dove.

Why?

I’m so passionate about this topic that I wrote an entire blog post about it. The long and short of it is that White Dove has more predictable undertones than Swiss Coffee.

DIFFERENCES & SIMILARITIES

WHICH WHITE IS WARMER? Both whites are warm, but Swiss Coffee tends to look a bit warmer than White Dove, with its slightly more noticeable yellow undertone.
WHICH WHITE IS BRIGHTER & WHITER? White Dove is whiter than Swiss Coffee, which is shown via their LRVs of 83.16 and 81.91 (respectively). With this lower LRV, Swiss Coffee is closer to being an OFF-WHITE than White Dove.
Both whites are often considerations when updating granite countertops and finishes from the 90s and earlier 2000s.
Neither white is especially popular with white quartz or marble-look countertops. This is because of their soft and subtle warmth.