Posted on September 8, 2022 by KylieMawdsley
OXFORD WHITE – not your everyday shade
While Benjamin Moore’s Chantilly Lace and White Dove get a lot of attention these days, SEVERAL other whites are lying in wait, eager for you to discover them. And one of these whites is Benjamin Moore Oxford White (also known as White Heron OC-57).
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I love to show RELATEABLE & REAL homes, so ONLY use photos from my Online Color Consulting clients. This means I don’t always have the quality pics I need (hence the ‘QUICK Review’), but DEFINITELY have some SUPER helpful info to help you on your way!
IS OXFORD WHITE WARM OR COOL?
Oxford White might look like a simple white, but it’s a slightly warm white. This warmth can be enhanced with southern light and western afternoon sunshine.
North, East, South, West – Which Paint Color is the Best?
WHAT IS OXFORD WHITE’S LRV?
Oxford White has an LRV of 88.69, which means it’s definitely a WHITE paint color. However, it’s not as white as Chantilly Lace or Sherwin Williams High Reflective White, but ALSO not as soft or warm as Benjamin Moore White Dove or Swiss Coffee – it sits in the middle.
Oxford White trim, White Dove walls
Not sure what LRV is? It could save your paint-lovin’ life – read all about it HERE.
WHAT ARE OXFORD WHITE’S UNDERTONES?
Oxford White has a very subtle warmth that barely picks up a yellow undertone (there’s a touch of green in there too). If you place it next to a COOL-toned marble, it could look warmer/creamier ‘in comparison’; however, generally speaking, it’s a relatively soft, muted white.
PERSONALLY, I rarely suggest Oxford White to my clients because of its undertones. While they’re subtle, there’s almost always a better, more popular white for the job.
WILL OXFORD WHITE LOOK GRAY?
I’ve never seen Oxford White look gray and don’t expect to. Oxford White is a warm white. And while its warmth IS very subtle, it would take a lot for this shade of white to go gray.
ARE THERE PEEL & STICK SAMPLES OF OXFORD WHITE?
Like with every paint color, I highly recommend using SAMPLIZE. Samplize is a peel & stick paint sample that you can easily move around your room for over HALF THE COST of traditional sample pots – and they deliver right to your front door!
Learn all about Samplize HERE
WHICH WHITE PAINT COLOR GOES WITH OXFORD WHITE?
If I suggest Oxford White to one of my Online Color Consulting clients, I will likely suggest Oxford White for the trim and let the shift in sheens do the visual work – I rarely add ANOTHER white to the mix.
White Walls, Cabinets, Trims & Ceilings – Do They Need to Match?
Benjamin Moore’s 8 Best White Paint Colors
IS OXFORD WHITE THE BEST SHADE FOR THE EXTERIOR?
Again, I don’t entirely trust Oxford White’s undertones and am more likely to suggest a more popular, predictable white paint color.
5 Tips for Choosing an Exterior Paint Color
WHAT SHADES OF WHITE ARE SIMILAR TO OXFORD WHITE?
There’s no exact match for Oxford White and its particular blend of undertones. However, let’s see how some of the others compare
- Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace is brighter and cleaner than Oxford White.
- Sherwin Williams Pure White also has a subtle warmth, but it’s more muted AND more popular than Oxford White.
- Benjamin Moore White Dove has a more traditional-looking warmth compared to the subtle approach of Oxford White (it’s also WAY more popular/flexible).
The 4 Best Sherwin Williams White Paint Colors
Not sure if Oxford White is right for you? Want a bit warmer or cooler? I’ve got more!
READ MORE
The Ultimate Guide to Choosing White Paint Colors
Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams High Reflective White
Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Simply White
The 8 Best White Paint Colors from Benjamin Moore
Not sure which paint color is best for YOUR home?
Check out my Online Paint Color Consulting – I’d love to help!
Originally written in 2020, updated in 2022 for you!
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Is there a reason that you recommend Pure White more than Oxford White? They seem so similar. Our painter prefers BM paint so we would love to hear your opinion about these two colors. Thank you!
Author
Hi Erin! I find that sometimes Oxford White can look just a bit dingy yellow, just a bit off for me.
My walls in condo are BM Simply white in flat. Would you suggest White Dove or Chantilly Lace for the trim? I would do sheen for trim.
Thank you,
Carla Siegel
Cbsdecor1@gmail.com
Author
I definitely wouldn’t do White Dove. If you want to see the warmth of Simply White a bit more, Chantilly Lace would do that, but if you want Simply White to blend in a bit and act like the brightest white in the room, you would actually do Simply White on the trim!
Would you recommend Oxford White as an exterior trim? Paint color with siding painted something like charcoal blue?
Author
Personally, I would lean more into BM Chantilly Lace, but of course, it can depend on window colour and what not.
I have cabinets painted in white dove and south facing windows in all rooms. I’d like to keep the walls in the white/neutrals to keep that clean farmhouse look and warm
Author
I would definitely recommend sticking with White Dove on the walls as well then 🙂
We painted the whole bottom floor of our home cloud white with Chantilly lace trim and to me,The cloud white is looking too dingy/ almost yellow. . If we wanted a fresh colored white- with limited light what would you have suggested. We have (sherwin Williams) pewter green Cabniets.
Author
Wellll, I would be doing Chantilly Lace on the walls too! I suppose you could look at Simply White, but if it were me, I would keep going with Chantilly 🙂 This blog post here might help! https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/white-paint-colours-walls-cabinets-trim-do-they-need-to-match/
I have read just about all of your posts about choosing the right white paint for our home – thank you for sharing all of your knowledge! We have decided to paint our kitchen cabinets white but have white appliances (read your post about that too, of course). We have warm colors throughout the house and our trim/doors are “Western Acoustic” from Kelly Moore (I think) – definitely a warm, creamy white but luckily we don’t have much of any trim in the kitchen (just a couple of baseboards outside the cabinet area) or any doors in sight from there, so I think we are safe. Obviously the current trim color is too creamy for the appliances, and Chantilly lace/HRW are way too bright for our home decor. The best white I have sampled so far that I think ties the warm colors in our home with the white of our appliances is SW Pure White. It doesn’t seem to clash with anything, at least. Thoughts? Should we also try BM Oxford White or any others before making the final decision? Also, we are having new Clarino quartz countertops installed that area slightly warm white with taupe/beige accent colors. Backsplash is currently painted BM Shaker Beige which is what the whole wall color is in the kitchen. Wish we could replace all our appliances but that just isn’t going to happen. I think I’m almost there but would love your opinion.
I would love to know what you chose for your cabinets and if you are happy with your choice. I have similar undertones in my home and also considering white cabinets (and currently have white appliances).
Thank you!
Hello if painting the walls in a house oxford white what color would look best on the ceiling?? (i feel oxford white samplize samples looks too dark on the ceiling especially in the kitchen)
Hi! I am trying to decide on a white paint color for the exterior of my all brick, north-facing house. I want it to be white, but not stark white. And I plan on doing light beige shutters, maybe SW Agreeable Beige. I sampled BM White Dove, SW Pure White, and BM Oxford White. White Dove was too “dark”/beige for what we are looking for. I am torn between Pure White and Oxford White. From reading your blogs, it seems you lean more toward Pure White for the interior of a home due to Oxford White coming off as yellow at times, however I was wondering if your opinion is the same for the exterior of a home?
I’m confused. Is Oxford White the same color as White Heron? Both colors are listed in the title of this review but you do not mention White Heron, unless I completely missed it?
Author
Hi Laurie! Benjamin Moore has many colors with different names – even though they’re the same color. So, Oxford White CC-30 is exactly the same as White Heron oc-57 🙂 I generally refer to the most COMMON na me used for the color.
Kylie, you are spot on with this post. A couple of years ago you gave me 2 options to paint my kitchen cabinets, SW Pure White, and BM Oxford White. I have St. Cecilia Granite, a little on the warm side. I opted for the Oxford White because it was closest to all the trim in my house. I wish I had went with Pure White, which was your first choice. I have an east facing kitchen and most of the time the cabinets look more cool than warm, and they have a hint of green. I’m having the hardest time trying to pick a white timeless subway tile now.
Hi Kylie, I’ve read lots and lots of your ideas on white paints. I have stock cabinets best color matched to BM Oxford white. If I do walls in kit and trim OW, what white should the ceiling be painted. I don’t want to make cabinets look yellow due to ceiling color? tiny kitchen, one window facing west mostly, with a bit towards North. Recessed lighting. THANKS
Author
Hey Maria, if it were ME, I would keep going with Oxford White! It’s a reasonably bright white, so there’s no good reason to switch to a different white on your ceiling 😉