Benjamin Moore Maritime White: Real Home Use, Undertones, & More
By Kylie
October 10, 2025
I recommend Maritime White to my clients all the time. Not only does this gorgeous beige have the perfect blend of undertones, but its depth suits a wide range of rooms.
But just because it’s great on paper (or screen) doesn’t make a color perfect for your home. Research and sample in your home. Natural and interior lighting, along with surrounding finishes, easily sway how a color appears. So, let’s dive in and see what this color has to offer.
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.
WHAT TYPE OF COLOR IS MARITIME WHITE?
Many see Maritime White as a cream paint color, but it rarely appears that way. More often than not (like 95% of the time in my experience), it’s a beige paint color with a soft orange undertone.
If the term ‘undertone’ is new to you, it’s the way to describe a color’s tendency to lean one way or another.
Being a warm neutral, I’ve found Maritime White to be awesome for cooler, north-facing rooms or for those with flatter eastern afternoon or western morning light. At the same time, its passive warmth is still well-suited to warmer south-facing light and afternoon western sun.
But that’s not ALL Maritime White has tucked in its back pocket…
North, East, South, West – Which Paint Color is the Best?
MARITIME WHITE’S LRV
Maritime White has an LRV of 71.6. This means it’s not quite as light as a traditional off-white, but it’s on the VERY HIGH END of the light range.
In this range, it can be a pretty choice for a basement or dark room (although you might also sample the slightly more colorful, similar beiges coming up shortly). If you have an overly bright room, Maritime White wall washout, but so will any color in the lighter range – nature o’ the beast!
Not sure what LRV is? It could save your paint lovin’ life – read all about it HERE.
WHAT ARE MARITIME WHITE’S UNDERTONES?
While scientifically, Maritime White has a lot of yellow in its base, it most often appears beige with an orange undertone (since its base also contains red: red + yellow = orange).
One of the (many) awesome things about Maritime White is that, unlike some other beiges, it doesn’t lean hard either way, offering some interesting flexibility (especially in homes from the 2000s that need updating). Many of my color clients have fallen in love with its versatility and timeless look.
Here’s your Peel & Stick sample of Maritime White…
WHAT PAINT COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO MARITIME WHITE?
Sampling and comparing a range of similar colors is the best way to find your best shade. Here are a few of my favorite alternatives to Maritime White…
MARITIME WHITE VS. FEATHER DOWN
Feather Down is a beautiful, warm neutral paint color – right up there with Maritime White. But what’s the difference?
Feather Down trim and doors with a gorgeous, medium-depth greige on the walls
Undertones. While both are warm and have orange tones, Feather Down picks up a bit of yellow/cream compared to the more balanced look of Maritime White. If you put them side by side, you might notice the slightly more beige-orange and muted look of Maritime White.
Also, with an LRV of 73.16, Feather Down is a bit lighter and brighter than Maritime White.
ARE THERE SIMILAR OPTIONS IN SHERWIN WILLIAMS?
Yup, Sherwin has some great colors to compare with Maritime White, including…
- Sherwin Williams Moderate White
- Sherwin Williams Divine White is another interesting option
And while I wish this were bigger (that’s what she said), this gives you a basic idea of the 3…
IS MARITIME WHITE A GOOD COLOR FOR CABINETS?
A million times – YES! Maritime White is a stunning off-white paint color that goes well with kitchen cabinets or bathroom vanities. Many rooms don’t suit white cabinets, in which case a soft beige like this comes in handy.
WHAT’S THE BEST WHITE TRIM WITH MARITIME WHITE WALLS?
Beige paint colors can be super fussy with their white paint color partners – especially lighter beiges like Maritime White. Here’s what you might sample and play with…
- Sherwin Williams Pure White is at the top of my list, even though you have to switch brands.
- Benjamin Moore White Dove can be pretty, too, but I kind of like the idea of White Dove lightened by 25%, to brighten it a wink.
- Benjamin Moore Simply White can be an interesting choice as well.
Here’s Maritime White with White Dove (not lightened) on the cabinets and trims – pretty, eh?
DOES MARITIME WHITE GO WELL WITH CREAM CABINETS & TRIMS?
That is a SUPER hard no. Maritime White won’t go with any cream cabinets and trims – full stop – Benjamin Moore White Dove (shown above) is as creamy as Maritime White can handle. Those particular finishes are a real bugger to coordinate with; however, I’ve got some great blog posts for you to explore!
DOES IT GO WITH WOOD FINISHES?
HECK yeah, Maritime White can be gorgeous with a wide range of wood cabinets, flooring, and trims – sample and play!
SW Aesthetic White | SW White Heron | SW Alabaster
The Best Paint Colors to Update Wood Finishes
IS MARITIME WHITE A GOOD EXTERIOR PAINT COLOR?
It certainly can be, especially in the southern states with their gloriously bright sunshine. It can also make for a good trim color if you don’t want white.
5 Tips for Choosing an Exterior Paint Color
WHAT PAINT COLORS GO WITH MARITIME WHITE?
If you’re creating a color palette with Maritime White, you’ve got a TON of glorious shades to choose from, including some of these…
- Darker beiges with similar undertone profiles
- Greiges, anywhere from light to medium greiges and super dark shades of greige, are amazeballs with Maritime White.
- Definitely check out some light to medium-depth taupes
- A wild range of greens works really well, including lighter green paint colors and darker, moodier shades (e.g., for accent walls, islands, etc).
- Maritime White is definitely fussy with colors that are lighter AND cooler than it.
- Be extremely careful with cream paint colors, as they tend not to mix well together.
The 5 Best Off-White Paint Colors
READ MORE
The Best ANTI-TREND Paint Color Ideas
The Best TRENDY Beige & Tan Paint Colors
Sherwin Williams Aesthetic White Paint Color Review
Get the best paint color advice with Kylie M’s Online Paint Color Consulting – I’d love to help!
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Homeowner’s Guide: White Kitchen Cabinets
This isn’t another ’10 Best Cabinet Colors’ list, because there is no SINGLE best white for every home and every kitchen.
Learn how to choose a white cabinet paint color that works with your countertops, backsplash, flooring, trim, lighting, and home—so you can rule out the wrong whites, sample fewer colors, and choose with confidence.
158-page PDF – Instant Download
$34.95Accent Colors – And How to Use Them
This isn’t about plastering your home in the ‘Color of the Year’ or following the latest trends (unless you really want to).
It’s about finding accent colors that work with YOUR home, YOUR style, and YOUR comfort level.
Because the best accent color isn’t one you love on a paint chip, it’s one that makes everything around it look better.
118-Page PDF – Instant Download
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Homeowner’s Guide: Exterior Paint Colors
Painting your home’s exterior is a BIG investment and choosing a color based on a tiny paint chip, a trend or the house down the street can be an expensive mistake.
Learn how to look at YOUR roof, YOUR windows, YOUR brick (or stone) and YOUR home as a whole so you can understand what colors make sense.
The goal? Less guessing, fewer samples and a lot more confidence before gallons of paint go on your home.
206-page PDF – Digital Download
$44.95Exterior Trim Paint Colors
This isn’t a list of ‘the best trim colors’, although you’ll get a ton of links to great shades!
You’ll learn how to look at your home and understand whether it needs contrast, repetition, connection, or a little visual peacekeeping to pull it all together.
Because trim might seem like a small detail…but spread it around all four sides of your home on multiple surfaces and it suddenly has a pretty big job.
118-page PDF – Instant Download
$24.95
Comments
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I painted my kitchen and dining area in Maritime White. It was the only color that seemed to go with my off white cabinets and oak trimI could send you a picture to us
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Would BM Cloud White work for the ceiling with Maritime White on the walls? No other White in the room, cabinets,trim and doors are stained
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I feel it’s too yellow/creamy.
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In your opinion, does maritime white go with the white oak vanity with white quartz countertop combo that is popular right now?
What is the closest sw color to this?
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Hello. If my ceiling is Cloud White is there a colour similar to Maritime White to use for my living room walls. Thank you
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I’m thinking of painting my Maple cabinets white. my backsplash is a taupe color and the countertop is silestone taupe, white and a little navy. I have white appliances but they are 20 years old and I’m going to replace them with stainless steel. what color white do you suggest for my cabinets? thanks for your help
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Hi Suzanne, I’d really need to see your backsplash countertop, and lighting, otherwise I’m totally shooting in the dark! I have Online Consulting for this purpose! https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/hire-kylie/
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We painted our new fence Maritime White and wow does it look fantastic. We’ve been surprised how many people keep commenting on how good it looks in that colour. We’re planning on painting the house (likely) next year. Because of how great the fence looks, we’re now thinking we may paint the house Maritime white with warm grey trim. I’ll have to order samples for outside and see how that may work.
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Oh, i LOVE to hear this! Just be careful with your warm gray trim, as Maritime White can be a bit fussy and might want a bit more warmth than you’d think!
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Hi Kylie! I don’t know how to THANK YOU for your incredible blog.
We are thinking of painting our apartment maritime white. It has southern and western exposure. The issue is our ceilings are only 8 feet high and our contractor is telling us that the color is too dark and that we should just paint our walls white. We want to know what YOU think please!
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Well, it’s SO hard to say without seeing your space, but off the top of my head, I have noooooo problem with painting a room with 8′ ceilings Maritime White – none at ALL.
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You say that Maritime White does not go with creamy paints, but also say Simply White could be interesting with it. Isn’t Simply White considered a creamy white? How would Maritime White work with stained cabinets (dark red-orange), basement with north and south windows? Thanks.
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Good question! So, the more popular creamy whites are softer, they have lower LRVs. Simply White is a brighter white, so while it still has yellow, it’s not as ‘creamy’ looking as some of the darker whties…if that makes sense ;).
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I love your blog and have found it so helpful with picking paint colors. I’m considering Maritime White for a mudroom that has no windows and has very earthy, orange toned tiles. I’d like the paint color to brighten the space and tone down or minimize the orange in the tiles. Can you tell me if Maritime White would downplay or highlight the orange tones since this paint color has orange undertones itself? Thank you!
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Kylie I’ve learned so much from your posts. Every one is like a master class. You’re now my first stop when I need advice on a paint color. I’m considering Maritime White as an exterior trim color. The main siding is Royal Building Products Marine Blue vinyl with double Stuart Gold doors. Windows are white vinyl. It’s a 3 story row house with no particular architectural interest. It’s joined on both sides so there’s no landscaping. Heritage regulations require 6″ corners and 4″ trims around all doors and windows so there’ll be a lot of trim. I’m afraid of making the wrong choice. Do you think Maritime White would work??
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Well, thank you, Juanita! Without knowing that vinyl personally, but seeing it online, along with Stuart Gold doors, it seems to me you might need something a bit more creamy and less beige! Or, a considerably warm white!
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