Posted on June 1, 2022 by KylieMawdsley
Is Sherwin Williams Aesthetic White the MOST POPULAR beige?
Have you been looking for the perfect, soft, off-white paint color that isn’t gray? You’ve come to the right place. And while Aesthetic White isn’t necessarily the most POPULAR beige (yet), with trends leaning warmer, I think we’ll be seeing a lot more of this bad boy.
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IS AESTHETIC WHITE A WARM OR COOL PAINT COLOR?
Aesthetic White might look like a simple off-white, but it’s a beige paint color that leans slightly into gray. With this gray undercurrent, Aesthetic White doesn’t have the typical golden look that a lot of beige paint colors have (the ones that often scare people) and lacks strong undertones.
This next photo shows a HOT MESS of a kitchen with a wide variety of finishes and undertones – none very well-coordinated…
With a few coats of Aesthetic White, it’s like a brand-new space, without having to touch the countertops or backsplash…
In north-facing light, you’ll see Aesthetic White lean a touch more toward the greige end of things, but it will STILL hold its warmth, as Aesthetic White is a warm color at heart. However, in south-facing or afternoon western light, Aesthetic White will be in its glory without looking overly toasty!
North, East, South, West – Which Paint Color is the Best?
Thank you to my readers and Online Color Consult clients who send in their AFTER photos – you make my colorful little world go round!
THE LRV OF AESTHETIC WHITE
Aesthetic White has an LRV of almost 73. This number (Light Reflectance Value) means it’s an off-white paint color that’s on the EDGE of the light range. If you have a bright room, Aesthetic White can act like a much brighter off-white, but if you have a dark room, it could look flat and dingy (learn more HERE). Would I still do it? Maybe, but I’d need to improve my interior lighting and consider bulbs around 3000K.
Not sure what LRV is? It could save your paint-lovin’ life – read all about it HERE.
In this next photo, look at how the soft off-white of Aesthetic White works with the older-style granite countertop and beige tile floor…
While the above finishes might love a big with a bit more orange-pink undertone, Aesthetic White has a slightly more modern, moderate look.
WHAT ARE AESTHETIC WHITE’S UNDERTONES? WILL IT LOOK PINK, YELLOW, GREEN?
Generally, Aesthetic White doesn’t grab any obvious undertones in the average room. While I’ve seen it flex slightly pink and green, these hues are modest at best.
This is because, like most white and off-white paint colors (thanks to their higher LRVs), Aesthetic White can pick up cues and reflections from its environment. Therefore, pay attention to your exposure and any strong interior or exterior colors/finishes (i.e., green grass or a red feature wall) that could affect how it looks!
SAMPLIZE Peel & Stick paint samples have two coats of REAL PAINT and cost less than a sample pot!
Get your sample of Aesthetic White HERE!
WHAT WHITE TRIM OR CABINET COLOR GOES WITH AESTHETIC WHITE WALLS?
Being a soft beige, Aesthetic White can be fussy with whites that are too warm (yellow/creamy). The best white paint colors for Aesthetic White include Sherwin Williams Pure White, Sherwin Williams Extra White, and Benjamin Moore White Dove, although I recommend lightening White Dove by 25% (this is what I did in my home).
While Extra White might not normally be a great match, its formulation in trim and cabinet paint makes it look warmer than expected (but I still prefer Pure White and White Dove).
Here’s the bedroom at our lake home, with Aesthetic White walls and White Dove 25% lighter on the ceilings and trims…
SHOULD I Paint My Wood Cabinets White? A QUESTIONNAIRE
The 4 Best White Paint Colors from Sherwin Williams
IS AESTHETIC WHITE A GOOD COLOR FOR KITCHEN CABINETS?
HELLLLLLS YEAH! Aesthetic White is a great option if you don’t want white cabinets but are nervous about having overly creamy cabinets…
Here’s another good shot of Aesthetic White on kitchen cabinets…
Keep in mind that while Aesthetic White can work, some finishes, especially from the Tuscan-style early 2000s, need more of an orange (orange-pink) undertone (sample and compare to see which colors settle in best!)
See a CURATED BUNDLE of my FAVORITE OFF-WHITE BEIGE PAINT COLORS!
IS AESTHETIC WHITE A GOOD EXTERIOR PAINT COLOR?
Aesthetic White can be a soft alternative to white for many homes with warmer stone and brick colors. It can also be a great exterior trim color. However, if your home has a lot of beige brick or stone, Aesthetic White might not have enough orange undertone to do the trick – sample and compare!
5 Tips for Choosing an Exterior Paint Color
COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO AESTHETIC WHITE
Every color has its particular nuances, and while some colors have SIMILAR versions in other brands, there isn’t much out there that rivals Aesthetic White. Let’s explore a few…
AESTHETIC WHITE vs. BENJAMIN MOORE MARITIME WHITE
While both of these beautiful beiges have their place, they approach beige with different intentions. Aesthetic White is muted and grayed out—more of a ‘whisper of beige’ than the usual bunch. As for Maritime White, while it’s not remotely overpowering (it’s quite fabulous), it comes at beige with more undertone and purpose, including a more noticeable orange undertone.
FULL Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Maritime White
AESTHETIC WHITE vs.WHITE DUCK & SHOJI WHITE
With trends leaning warmer, all three of these warm neutrals are getting more attention. However, there’s one main difference between these colors – undertone. White Duck and Shoji White have a bit more of a creamy backdrop (yellow undertone) mixed up with a neutral base to calm it down. Aesthetic White favors an orange undertone, although it’s similarly muted.
FULL Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams White Duck
Shoji White trim with Sherwin Williams Retreat siding / FULL Paint Color Review of Shoji White
What they have in common is that they all approach their undertones in a super passive way—some people don’t see White Duck and Shoji White as being cream at all, while others find Aesthetic White too gray. And this is their glory for those who want a minimal commitment to color!
AESTHETIC WHITE vs. ACCESSIBLE BEIGE
Comparing these two is smart as they’re closely related! Accessible Beige has an LRV of 58, so it’s darker than Aesthetic White at 73 (while still in the light range). Should you want to do your walls/cabinets/trims one or the other, there’s enough contrast that these two colors go well together. If you want more contrast, lighten Aesthetic White by 25% or darken Accessible Beige by 25%.
FULL Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Accessible Beige
Accessible Beige has a bit more color and body compared to the slightly more grayed-out look of Aesthetic White; however, both approach beige with similar, muted intentions.
And if you’re thinking of color matching between brands, you might want to read THIS first.
Ideas to Update Your 2000s Home – 6-PART SERIES!
WHAT COLORS LOOK GOOD WITH AESTHETIC WHITE?
Being a light, warm neutral with muted undertones, Aesthetic White is pretty darn flexible, and it’s relatively easy to create a beautiful color palette around it…
- a wide range of greiges, especially those with LRVs of 60 or darker, including Amazing Gray
- muted stormy shades of gray with blue-green undertones like Sherwin Williams Argos
- beige paint colors with similar undertone profiles, like Sherwin Williams Balanced Beige
- medium to dark green paint colors can look gorgeous with Aesthetic White’s organic base
READ MORE
Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Maritime White
The 14 Best Trendy Beige & Tan Paint Colors
The Next IT Color in the Paint World (and it’s not white OR gray!)
Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams White Duck
The 5 Best Off-White Paint Colors
Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Ballet White
Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Shoji White
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 for you in 2022!
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I’m really liking this whole paint swatch (aesthetic white, white heron, zurich white, etc), what trim color goes best?
I really love some others you mentioned (white duck, creamy, etc), but they pair best with a warm trim. Mine is a crisp white trim. So how do you know what trim color looks best with a particular paint color? Is there a general rule of thumb?
Hi Kylie, I’m in the process of choosing a color for my downstairs area. I watched many of your paint color videos multiple times. I love the Aesthetic White, I painted a small sample on my wall. My only delima is that I have cream color cabinets and off white trim. I think it looks pretty good but I know you said cream colors don’t typically look great with Aesthetic white. I have a sample of Ballet white and White Duck on my walls also. They are pretty but still likes AW better. Just not sure since it’s hard with only a small area that’s painted. Thoughts welcome
Hi Kylie! Thank you so much for all of this incredible info. You are my guiding light in selecting paint colors for a huge home renovation! Please excuse the non-paint-related question but I was wondering if you know the brand of cabinet hardware in the photo with the granite counters, or could point me in a direction to find out. I’m desperate to find similar hardware for my new kitchen and having no luck. Thank you so much!
Author
Oh Danielle, I DON’T know where it was from!!! I do have this blog post, maybe it would be helpful??? https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/update-oak-wood-cabinets-with-hardware-thats-budget-friendly/
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! You’ve helped me soooo much with picking paint colors. My kitchen cabinets are aesthetic white and also my fireplace mantle/trim. But now I’m desperate to know what color to do the trim in for my whole house. Please help! 🙂
Author
Wahoo, you’re welcome! Without seeing the room and its finishes, I would guide you towards SW Pure White or BM Chantilly Lace :).
Hi Kylie, I love all your advice, and especially your HUMOR 🙂 All of my doors and trim are basic L4 white. I love the idea of Aesthetic White for my kitchen cabinets. What do you think? Also, would Modern Gray wall color pair well with Aesthetic White and L4?
Author
Thanks, Emily! I’m not at ALL familiar with L4 white and when I looked it up, all I got was info on pills ;). HOWEVER, I can say that I’m not a huuuuge fan of Aesthetic White with Modern Gray on the walls. However, Aesthetic White is pretty good at handling whites, as long as they have a higher LRV and not too much yellow :).
Thanks!
Hi Kylie! Thank you soooo much for this great info. I’ve read your articles for many days!
And it helps me to narrow down the paint colors for my living room wall!
Could you help me the last question? I am thinking of painting my wall with this SW Aesthetic White or SW Alabaster , but I have a travertine floor and I have an easy facing, west facing, and South facing in my living room. And I have true white door,trim, and fireplace… So now I’m desperate to choose. (We have a lot of greens outside of my backyard;)
Could you help me the last dicision? Please help!
Author
Hi Mina, I would be nervous with Alabaster that it will a) flash too yellow and b) pick up too much of that green reflection from outside!
Thank you so much for your advise! Right, that color looks like that.(I painted a sample. ) SW Aesthetic White looks okay for samples, but I am not sure yet… I am thinking of getting a sample of Edgecomb gray as well. I might need to change my floor soon. 😂
I really like your website and how you have changed a house! 💘
Thank you so much for your posts! Is it too much to paint the kitchen cabinets, walls, trim and ceiling aesthetic white using the appropriate paint sheen for each surface?
i love it for the walls issue is deciding trim color as thats going to need to be the same color I paint the builtins and kitchen cabinets (we still have the santa cecilia granite and travertine backsplash). Issue if we use Aesthetic for cabinet paint then what is wall and trim. I like trim/cabinets to be the same or lighter than the walls.
After reading this post I went to my local SW and got one of their ginormous samples in Aesthetic White. My room is west facing with a large 10 ft wide picture window, but the sample board just looks beige? I also tried alabaster but it just looked yellow. Would lightning this color help?
Author
Hi April! It is a beige, but it’s an off-white beige with a bit of gray to calm it down. What were you thinking it might look like?
Hi y’all!
I’m trying to redo kitchen cabinets and whole house walls. But I have to deal with Sapphire Blue granite countertops.
Currently I have pickled oak (aka PINK!) cabinets that match perfectly but YUCK 🤢
I’m thinking of Perfect Greige for the cabinets and Aesthetic White for the walls.
I can’t seem to get a light cabinet paint to work.
Would this be a HUGE mistake??!!
I thinking of painting my walls Aesthetic White and wanting a light beige cabinets but a little darker than my walls, I was thinking Accessible beige but it looks much lighter than I expected in my kitchen and I noticed in your article that is a lighter shade than AW. Any suggestions for light beige color for cabinets. Should I consider reversing the colors?
Hi Kylie!
Obsessed with your posts! You are the only person I refer to for color help! Just painted my south facing exterior Aesthetic White with a large double door painted Uncertain Gray. We have a concrete step under it and I’m leaning towards painting it Dorian Gray. Is there a darker color you’d suggest instead for the concrete steps? Even Fawn Brindle! I know most of your posts have color combos you recommend but this one seems to be missing color combos. Thank you for always making me laugh while learning about colors!
Author
Hey yo! I’m glad we were able to touch base via email – LET ME KNOW HOW IT GOES!
Hi Kylie. I’m preparing to move to a new home, and I’ve learned so much from you. Thank you!
Do you have any experience with using Aesthetic White at 50% darker?
Author
Linda, I don’t, but i’m EXCITED to try. I’m making a note to go to SW and have them mix me a quart 25% darker and 50% darker. I’m hoping to do a video on it as Aesthetic White is a popular shade!
Thanks for your response. I look forward to the video.
Hi! I am thinking of doing aesthetic white darker. Have you tried that out yet?😁
No, not yet, but I still plan on it.
Hey Kylie,
Wanting to do my kitchen cabinets and trim SW pure white, walls aesthetic white on top and evergreen for on lower half wainscoting. Your opinion?
Thanks so much!
Author
Hiya! I love these colors together! I haven’t seen your space to know that this is best for your countertop, backsplash, and flooring, but I like the combo! I also LOVE BM White Dove 25% lighter with Aesthetic White 🙂
Hi! We are remodeling and considering Aesthetic White for kitchen cabinets (Black Pearl Leathered Granite on the perimeter countertops, lighter quartz on island tbd) Planning a classic black and white farmhouse kitchen…but NOT wanting stark white but also don’t want to lean yellow.
We wondered about using Aesthetic White for all our trim too (and for the kitchen walls…just in a different sheen.) I know you have talked about using an off-white for everything (with no brighter white for contrast) so that it all just looks soft white…not beige or off-white. Would it be ok to use Aesthetic White for cabinets, trim and ceiling? We have an open floor plan with warm brown refinished cherry floors and wood beams in the kitchen as well. I was planning Accessible Beige in the living room. Thanks! If there is another white you would recommend, feel free to suggest. I have purchased about 20 different whites from SW wall stick-on samples (White Duck, Shoji, White Heron, Origami, Pearly White, Pure White (too white for me!), Greek Villa, etc.) Thanks for any advice you have!
Author
Oh my goodness, Wendy, YES. And you’re not the only one thinking this, as I’m considering painting my walls/trims Aesthetic White too (just not the cabinets). As for the others you mentioned, the only other color you might explore (although I like Aesthetic White more) is BM China White. I do like Shoji White and White Duck, but they don’t have the same beige backdrpo that Aesthetic White has (that I’m personally partial too). The others on your list, I would leave be :). As for the ceiling, that’s tough. If it’s an 8′ ceiling, you might get a sample of AW made 50% lighter – see how that looks. If it’s a higher ceiling…well, even at 9′ I might do that too.
I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to see photos when it’s all done!
Thank you Kylie! I will send you pictures! ❤️
Would simply white (BM) trim work with Aesthetic White?
Author
Ooo, I find Simply White a touch yellow for Aesthetic White.