Sherwin Williams Natural Linen (9109): Undertones, LRV, & Real Home Results
If you’re nervous about beige, don’t be, as this one ain’t builder basic. Sure, at first glance, Sherwin Williams Natural Linen is a light, warm beige paint color, easy-peasy. But that’s not all it’s got up its colorful little sleeves.
Natural Linen isn’t just pretty, it’s popular. I recommend it all the time to my Virtual Color Consulting clients for everything from single rooms and open-concept spaces to whole homes.
However, just because it’s a hot shade doesn’t mean it’s the perfect fit for you and your home. This is why researching and sampling are an important part of choosing your best paint color. So, let’s check out Natural Linen and see why it’s one of my favorites…
WHAT TYPE OF COLOR IS NATURAL LINEN?
Natural Linen is definitely a beige paint color. However, it’s not golden warm like many of the beiges from the early 2000s Tuscan trend, which is one reason it’s popular. That’s not to say it caters to taupe or gray, it doesn’t, but it sure as heck isn’t rich. Because of this, it’s one of the more modern beige paint colors on the market.
If you have a room that faces north, Natural Linen’s warmth will still show up at the party, but could be a bit muted (the same goes for eastern light in the afternoon/western morning). However, if you have a south-facing room or one that gets warm afternoon western sunshine, you can expect Natural Linen to look warmer, but it shouldn’t be overwhelming.
North, East, South, West – Which Paint Color is the Best?
THE LRV OF NATURAL LINEN
Natural Linen has an LRV of 66, making it a pretty well-balanced light-depth paint color. While it will still wash out in bright light, once the light is a bit more subdued, it will return to its full glory. It’s also a great depth for a darker space, as it’s still light enough not to weigh it down.
This is really as MUTED as you can expect Natural Linen to look
Not sure what LRV is? It could save your paint-lovin’ life: LRV Explained – A Paint Color Expert’s Guide
WHAT ARE NATURAL LINEN’S UNDERTONES?
Being a beige paint color, Natural Linen’s main undertone is orange. And while orange can lean toward yellow or pink, Natural Linen doesn’t lean strongly toward either, making it flexible for a wide range of interior finishes and lighting conditions.
Look at how amazeballs lit looks with my client’s stone fireplace and orange-toned maple built-in cabinets…
Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE of Natural Linen!
THE BEST WHITE TRIM COLOR WITH NATURAL LINEN
Because Natural Linen has an orange undertone, it’s fussy with whites that have too much yellow. For this reason, I’d sample…
- Sherwin Williams Pure White (which isn’t actually PURE, it’s a soft white).
- I’d also check out Benjamin Moore White Dove which has a pretty, soft warmth.
- Sherwin Williams Alabaster can be pretty, but some find it a touch too creamy with Natural Linen.
The ULTIMATE GUIDE to White Paint Colors
WHERE NATURAL LINEN DOES & DOESN’T LOOK BEST
Natural Linen is great for many issues…but not as great for others. Let’s see where it does its best work.
WHERE IT WORKS BEST (GENERAL)
- Single rooms and open-concept spaces
- It’s great as a whole home, warm neutral paint color
- In north-facing rooms and those with eastern afternoon/morning western sun, it can add a nice balance to those cooler natural lights
- With many finishes from the early 2000s, but also with some newer, more modern finishes
99.5% of the photos in my blog are of REAL HOMES from my Online Color Consulting clients, readers, and friends. While not always magazine-perfect, they’re packed with ideas and proven color choices to help you create a home you’ll love.
AS AN EXTERIOR PAINT COLOR
Natural Linen can work on the exterior, but it isn’t popular. You need the right type of stone, brick, and roof to pull it off, which isn’t easy. Many exterior finishes need a beige with a bit more red (pink).
AS A WHOLE HOME PAINT COLOR
Because Natural Linen suits a ton of tiles, carpets, and countertops from the early 2000s, it’s often used as a whole-home paint color. This is thanks to its combination of depth (LRV) and subtle undertones.
While the rug is too gray, the walls look fab.
WITH CREAM CABINETS & TRIM
It’s a hard no – so hard, I’m getting a little excited. Seriously, though, most cream cabinets and trim need a beige with more depth and/or less orange.
WITH WOOD CABINETS, TRIM, & FLOORS
Heck yes! Natural Linen goes well with several wood tones, including many golden and honey oaks. It can go with some red-toned woods, too, but it depends on the other finishes/lighting/etc.
This next home was an interesting one, as I had to find a color that suited the slightly taupe-inclined carpet, the dark wood trim, and the beige tile flooring – Natural Linen did the job…
The Best Paint Colors with Dark or Historic Wood Tones
WHAT COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO NATURAL LINEN?
Choosing your home’s best paint colors is ALLLLL about comparison. Comparing similar shades helps you see the ebb and flow of undertones, temperatures, and depth. From there, notice which samples best suit your finishes and which clash.
But first, is Sherwin Williams Natural Linen the same color as Benjamin Moore Natural Linen? Heck no. Want to learn more? Read this… Same Paint Color, Different Name? How to Know for Sure
SHERWIN WILLIAMS NATURAL LINEN VS. NATURAL TAN
Ahhh, this is a really interesting comparison (if you’re a color nerd like me), since they approach this type of beige-tan warmth in slightly different ways.
- Natural Tan has an LRV of 65 and is a bit darker than Natural Linen.
- As for the way it leans, Natural Linen is a bit more likely to pick up a green undertone, given the right conditions, whereas Natural Linen is less likely. It also has a touch less warmth.
Sherwin Williams Natural Tan Color Review
SHERWIN WILLIAMS NATURAL LINEN VS. ACCESSIBLE BEIGE
While it would take a lot to kick Accessible Beige out of its spot as America’s and Canada’s favorite beige (or close to it), Natural Tan tries.
- Accessible Beige has an LRV of 58, making it darker than Natural Linen and Natural Tan.
- As for undertones, it might not show up as orange and warm as Accessible Beige, looking a bit muddier and muted; in fact, it leans a bit flat/grayish in some real home lighting.
- While Accessible Beige is more popular, it’s less likely to suit a wide range of interior finishes.
Sherwin Williams Accessible Beige Paint Color Review
WHAT ABOUT ALTERNATIVES FROM BENJAMIN MOORE
Benjamin Moore has a few great alternatives, although nothing exactly the same (and they sure as heck can’t color-match it). I’d definitely sample and compare…
- Benjamin Moore Muslin, for SURE
- Benjamin Moore Maritime White for a softer, lighter look
Here’s a comparison of Natural Linen and Benjamin Moore Muslin…
And here’s Muslin in my client’s bathroom with Benjamin Moore Cloud White trim…
PAINT COLORS THAT GO WITH NATURAL LINEN
If you’re creating a color palette, you need some coordinating shades! While it depends on WHAT you’re painting – an accent wall, cabinets, adjoining room, etc, these will get you on the right path.
- GREEN PAINT COLORS: Any number of green paint colors, so long as they’re not lighter than N.Linen and have a grounded, organic base.
- LIGHT TO MEDIUM GREIGES: Many greige paint colors are gooooorgeous additions to a palette, again, so long as their LRVs are lower than 66.
- DARKER SHADES OF GREIGE: If you need a gorgeous accent, check out a range of medium to dark greige paint colors.
- TAUPE PAINT COLORS: You can also try taupes, so long as they’re around the light-medium or darker range.
- GREEN-GRAYS: Green grays can be beautiful, whether around 60 LRV or much darker.
- DARK GRAY-BLUES: Medium to dark gray-blues that wink at green make for gorgeous accents.
SUMMARY OF NATURAL LINEN
Here’s the meat n’ potatoes (the gravy is in the rest of the blog post)…
- It has an LRV of 66, making it a light depth, beige paint color
- The main undertone you might see is orange, but it’s flexible.
- It suits a wide range of interior finishes, more so than many other popular shades of beige
- While it’s not as popular on cabinets or exteriors, it’s hugely popular for walls, including single rooms and whole homes.
READ MORE
The 8 Best WHOLE HOME Beige & Tan Paint Colors
Paint Color Review: Benjamin Moore Cedar Key
Get the best paint color advice with Kylie M’s Online Paint Color Consulting – I’d love to help!
Updated with new images and content for 2026
I have a brick fireplace in my living room, (that pinkish red brick). And I have flooring with red undertones. I am dizzy looking at paint samples and am not good at deciding what colors go. I want a neutral with an lrv of right around 60. It is a west facing room with pretty good natural lighting. What colors could i go with? Thank you.
Oh boy, Sandy, it’s so hard to say without seeing your home in full. You might find this blog post helpful… https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/the-best-paint-colors-for-walls-to-coordinate-with-a-brick-fireplace/ 🙂
This is so helpful. I decided on Natural Linen for bedrooms, as the rest of the house came with Townhall Tan and I don’t want to repaint everything. I’ve been trying to figure out the white trim situation, and this pointed me in the right direction. Thanks.
You’re most welcome, thank you for letting me know, Ruth!
Thank you for this review! We bought an early 90s home in Vegas with curved walls everywhere (apparently that was a thing?) which obviously makes re-painting more difficult as we have to go one color for a large portion of the home. We are south facing but the large open plan entry/dining with very high (and sloped!) 90s ceilings doesn’t get as much natural light as you’d think. Natural Linen is what we’re leaning towards after considering other safe neutrals like Accessible Beige, Agreeable Grey…hope we’re right! Have read a lot of your articles on here and they’re all incredibly helpful thank you 🙂
Hey Deanna! Of ALL of the colors you’ve mentioned, and with what I know of homes, I’d say Natural Linen is your safest bet :).
Hello! I color drenched my entire home in Sherwin Williams Greek Villa (trim semi gloss, walls matte). We are gutting the kitchen, wall knockdown etc.) so it’s hard to tell how much light will be in the room. We are doing two toned cabinets with wood stain in either lighter/mid toned or a medium stained/chocolate in quartersawn oak. I am having a hard time selecting my cream cabinets. I want to compliment the Greek Villa in same family/undertones but want it slightly darker (with no gray undertones, not too yellow or too dark beige). I keep seeing that SW Accessible Beige is nice with Greek Villa but it’s really a gray and it is too dark (as kitchen does not have a ton of light so I’m being mindful of that). I was considering Neutral Ground, Natural Linen, Shoji White, Taupe of the Morning. Then a friend did Benjamin Moore
WEllll, Accessible Beige definitely has gray tendencies, but it’s far from real ‘gray’. Compare it to something like SW Repose Gray (which isn’t even a real gray, it’s a warm gray) and you’ll see how warm Accessible Beige can be. This said, with Greek Villa, I might naturally lean more into something like Neutral Ground/CanvasTan :).
After a great deal of research and watching lots of videos I have decided to go with Natural Linen by Sherwin Williams and the trim is Chantilly Lace. I need to have my kitchen cabinets repainted they are currently a very white white. I would like to paint them in a lighter version of SW Natural Linen. I just want to add a little warmth without it being full strength Natural Linen. What do you recommend 50% SW Natural Linen or 25% SW Natural Linen for the Kitchen cabinets?
Thanks Diane
What do you think of White Sesame for a new build interior wall color for most rooms?
I like the idea of White Sesame, but would compare it against SW White Duck, Shoji White, and Aesthetic White to see which settles best with the majority of your interior finishes and lighting :).
After a great deal of research and watching lots of videos I have decided to go with Natural Linen by Sherwin Williams and the trim is Chantilly Lace. I need to have my kitchen cabinets repainted they are currently a very white white. I would like to paint them in a lighter version of SW Natural Linen. I just want to add a little warmth without it being full strength Natural Linen. What do you recommend 50% SW Natural Linen or 25% SW Natural Linen for the Kitchen cabinets?
Thanks Diane