Posted on June 28, 2022 by KylieMawdsley
Sherwin Williams Greek Villa: is this the white you’ve been LOOKING for?
When looking for the best white paint color for your walls, trims, cabinets or exterior, it’s easy to get lost in the HUNDREDS of options. But I’m here to make it easy by introducing you to Sherwin Williams Greek Villa.
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BEFORE WE GET STARTED…
In order to show you RELATEABLE & REAL homes, I ONLY use photos from my Online Color Consulting clients. This means I don’t always have the quality photos I need or the RIGHT photos, but DEFINITELY have some SUPER helpful info to help you on your way!
What type of paint color is Greek Villa? Is it warm or cool?
Greek Villa is a WARM WHITE paint color. If you have a north-facing room, the warmth of Greek Villa can help balance this cool light – the same goes for an east-facing room (in the afternoon). On the other hand, with south-facing light or western afternoon light already being warm, Greek Villa will look even warmer.
North, East, South, West – Which Paint Color is the Best?
What’s the LRV of Greek Villa?
There are five different types of white paint colors. With Greek Villa having an LRV of 84, this classifies it as a SOFT WARM shade of white.
Not sure what LRV is? It could save your paint lovin’ life – read all about it HERE.
If you have a dark room, the warmth of Greek Villa (compared to say, Pure White) can help your space look a bit more inviting. BUT you will need to supplement with adequate interior lighting.
If you have a BRIGHT room, Greek Villa will definitely wash out, but so will ANY paint color in the lighter end of things (you’ll need to hit LRVs approx 55 and lower to REALLY start counteracting this).
How to Make a Dark Room Look Brighter – and it ain’t with paint!
The Best LIGHT Paint Colors for a DARK room
Does Greek Villa have undertones?
Unless you have a TRUE white paint color, you will find undertones in any chosen white. And because Greek Villa is a warm white, it has a yellow undertone, just like most of the other popular shades.
What’s the best way to sample Greek Villa?
Let’s take a quick break to talk about paint samples…
Undoubtedly, you’ll be heading out in the near future to grab paint samples – stop right there! I want you to check out SAMPLIZE. Samplize offers peel and stick paint samples that are more AFFORDABLE, EASIER and more ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY than traditional paint pots. Here are just a FEW reasons why I recommend Samplize to my clients…
- samples arrive ON YOUR DOORSTEP in 1 DAY, depending on location
- they’re more affordable than the samples pots/rollers/foam boards that are needed for traditional paint sampling
- if you keep the samples on their white paper, you can move them around the room
Visit the SAMPLIZE website HERE
What’s the best white paint color for my trim if my walls are Greek Villa?
As with ANY white, my best recommendation is to partner Greek Villa with ITSELF.
Why?
When partnering up shades of white, one white can expose the underbelly of another, meaning it’s EASY to get clashing undertones. So, unless you WANT to expose the undertones of Greek Villa and have it look more yellow than it is, you’ll want to keep every painted white surface the same.
White Trims, Cabinets & Walls – Do They Need to MATCH?
3 Steps to Picking the Best White Paint Color
Is Greek Villa a good exterior paint color?
Whether it’s for siding, stucco, brick or trim, Greek Villa is a great option for an exterior. With its beautiful warmth, it can help balance a north or east-facing home. Just note that if you have south-facing light or warm afternoon sunshine, it will lean more into its warm yellow undertone (similar to what’s shown below).
5 Tips for Choosing an Exterior Paint Color
Does Your Exposure REALLY MATTER When Choosing EXTERIOR Paint Colors?
Is Greek Villa a popular color for kitchen cabinets?
Greek Villa certainly COULD be popular for kitchen cabinets but isn’t used nearly as much as Sherwin Williams Alabaster and Pure White. This means it’s DEFINITELY worth trying out if your finishes suit a warmer white paint color.
How to Choose the Best White Paint Color for Your Kitchen Cabinets
The Best Paint Colors for Kitchen Island & Bathroom Vanities
Greek Villa vs other white popular paint colors
Comparison is the KEY to choosing the best paint color for your home. Don’t be afraid to explore other colors to see how undertones, temperatures and LRVs shift…
- Sherwin Williams Alabaster vs Greek Villa: Greek Villa is a bit brighter and cleaner with its slightly higher LRV
- Sherwin Williams Pure White vs Greek Villa: Greek Villa has the same depth/LRV as Pure White but ALSO has more warmth
- Benjamin Moore White Dove vs Greek Villa: White Dove is definitely more muted and softer/less clean-looking than Greek Villa; although they have similar LRVs
By the way, if you’re thinking of getting one brand to match another’s paint color, I DON’T recommend it. Read why HERE.
Which paint colors go with Greek Villa?
Because Greek Villa is a brighter white, it’s pretty darn flexible as to its color partners. HOWEVER…
- be cautious when partnering it with other white paint colors – Greek Villa really only wants ITSELF as a white partner
- Greek Villa can be fussy with some of the popular warm off-white paint colors, particularly shades of beige and taupe
READ MORE
SHOULD I Paint My Wood Cabinets White? A QUESTIONNAIRE
The ULTIMATE GUIDE to White Paint Colors
6 Questions to Ask Before You Paint Your Cabinets White
Not sure which paint color is best for YOUR home?
Check out my Online Paint Color Consulting – I’d love to help!
Chat soon,
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I am sampling Greek Villa in my home with honey oak trim and floors and sapphire blue granite countertops. It looks quite nice, but I am just nervous about using it as a whole house paint.
First time commenting but wanted to put my full support behind Greek Villa as an awesome white with a welcoming warmth to it. In our previous home, we used GV, on all of our trim, ceilings (in flat), and on our son’s bedroom wall when painting alternating navy stripes. It is the perfect white to me. I also love Sherwin Williams Pure White but for exterior applications because it’s very crisp. In our current home, we chose Benjamin Moore White Dove as our cabinet color and as our whole house trim and ceiling colors (partially open concept). While I like WD, I wish it was a bit brighter at times. We live in a south facing home but are surrounded by a lot of trees and greenery outside so we don’t get the full brightness as a normal south facing home, especially towards the back of the home where our kitchen& family room are located. We also have good artificial lighting with recessed lighting, sconces and ceiling light and WD still looks a little muddled to me. If I could go back and reselect the cabinet color, trim and ceiling color for the home, I would pick Greek Villa 1000 times over White Dove, especially given the natural light in this home. Again I like WD but GV is cleaner, slightly brighter and just as welcoming if not more than WD. When we complete our basement renovation, I know we will use Greek Villa for mostly all walls, ceilings and trim (with different finishes for each) as White Dove will be too dark for the lower level.
Author
YES, THIS is such a great comment to read, thank you! When comparing colours, sometimes it’s notes like these that help others figure out which white is best for them – one way or another! And I agree, it’s just that bit brighter and cleaner than White Dove. I’m even tempted to use it in our next home that I do white!
I’m so excited to read your review, as I’ve chosen Greek Villa for our home that we are currently building! We are also surrounded by woods and will have lots of natural light, but like yours it will be affected by the woods. All of our windows but one facing north and south and we will have good artificial lighting. I’m more excited about Greek Villa after reading your review! Thanks for sharing
Yes!! I have my north facing two story great room/whole downstairs painted in Greek Villa. I wanted a white with some warmth that wouldn’t make my great room look cold (and I used your website to figure all that out). I think it’s a great interior option. I will say that we have an open floor plan, so the foyer faces south and is painted the same color and I don’t like it as much there. But all rooms have four walls… you gotta pick the color for the best impact.
Author
YES, I love when the right whites are used to balance an exposure like this – well done! And I know, it’s so hard when you have multiple exposures. I have the same thing in our home (with White Dove) and while I love White Dove the MOST in my south-facing rooms, I still like it well enough in the northern spaces, even though it loses a bit of its warmth :).
I have BM White Dove at 50% painted throughout our beach condo and it is STUNNING and just “white” in my south facing bedroom, warm in the morning in the east facing LR (can see the yellow undertone-which is beautiful in my space) but a bit flat in the afternoon – but colorful art brings it to life. It’s grayed out in the dark hallway and north facing room but still lovely with lamps, etc. There’s a depth about White Dove that I love. It would have been beautiful for my home repaint, but we are using Sherwin Williams and I liked the very slight nod to beige (and it is slight) that Greek Villa has.
We are in the process of painting SW Greek Villa throughout our home. It sampled beautifully compared to SW Alabaster and BM White Dove, way less grayed down and more consistent in every room, even north facing. It’s glorious!
Author
This is the feedback I LOVE to get, thank you, Cindy!
Could Greek villa be used on walls with a pure white flat ceiling? Southern exposure…I am a bit afraid after reading your review
I have Greek Villa cabinets and trim going into my new home. I am trying to find the perfect wall color. I was originally thinking of doing all GV, but I think I do want just a subtle difference between wall/trim. Is there a darker white that you would suggest for my walls that won’t make GV look yellow? Shoji? Aesthetic? White Duck? Would any of those work or would you suggest something different? Also, with our build we are hoping to stick with Sherwin Williams.
Thanks for your insight and knowledge, your blogs help me SO much!
What did you choose for your walls?
I’m remodeling and have chosen Pure White for trim and Greek White for Cabinets with Pure Linen for walls. Will that work. I was also looking at Shoji White for walls. After reading comments I’m thinking I should use Greek Villla for cabinets and trim? Yikes! I get confused.
Author
Oooo ya, I would definitely simplify and eliminate one of those whites. Of the two, Pure White is more flexible than Greek Villa, but it depends on your finishes and how much warmth they need 🙂
Really love Greek Villa and want to do walls in our new house in it – but stuck on cabinets and trim colors. Painter recommended doing kitchen cabinets same color as trim (very open floor plan), but cabinets/trim/walls ALL in GV seems like too much. My thought was trim and cabinets in Pure White but this has me rethinking it all again! Any suggestions here? Biggest light source is east facing (wall of sliding glass doors)
Author
Hey HOlly, because Greek Villa is a white, and a slightly warmer one, I wouldn’t mix it with another white and would lean to doing it on the cabinets/trims as well. Mixing and matching whites can end up with clashing undertones or one white making the other look yellow/dingy/etc… 🙂
Just want to add, I painted my south facing living room GV and it was very yellow, I hated it. Changed to WD and love it. Going to try the GV in my north facing kitchen though since I have a gallon left over!
Author
This is good to know! I do love Greek Villa for some rooms, but am often nervous of it BECAUSE of the degree of warmth in it. White Dove is more muted but has similar warm intentions 🙂
Hi Natalie! Did you end up painting your north facing room with Greek Villa, and if so – how did it turn out?
I am redecorating my beach condo. The main light source is the south facing sliding glass door. I am considering SW Greek Villa on the walls. I will eventually replace the cabinets as well. Should I paint everything (cabinets, walls, and trim) all the same? Or maybe Pure White on trim and cabinets with a different wall color? Thanks.
Author
Hi Linda, I would check out this blog post! https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/white-paint-colors-walls-cabinets-trim-do-they-need-to-match/
Hi Kylie! Love reading your reviews and they’ve saved many rooms for me over the years! I’m painting my bathroom cabinets Greek Villa but want some warmth and saturation for the walls. Do you have any fun suggestions for colors that would coordinate? Thanks!
Author
Oh, Anne, I’d love to help, but even MORE so than Greek Villa, it matters what the countertop and tiles are doing in this room!
I have a question b/c I’m SOOO confused as to what the answer is! If my home is facing South (when I stand at the front door and look out of it at the street it’s looking “south slightly westerly”)…my home is a total “open concept”…so when you turn around and walk in the door (the only light coming into the home from the “south” is one little dining room window…but once in the home, the family room that is straigh ahead has huge sliding glass doors across the whole back wall (which when you walk out them you are facing North slightly easterly). So when I’m looking for paint and everywhere I read about what my “exposure” is…Do they mean what direction is my house FACING…or where is the most light entering my home from? (In my case the most light exposure into the home are from the sliding glass doors that are on the north (back) side of the home. HELP ME SOMEONE?!?!!? lol!!! P.S. Kylie…your website has been SUPER informative and helpful in EVERY WAY! I thank you for not only your great information…but also you fun personality and great sense of humor!
Author
Good question! It’s the light that affects the inside of your home, so in your case, this would be a northern light! My home also faces south, but I only have 2 windows with this, whereas my entire open concept living area is alllll north, and this affects our whole home! I hope this helps :). And this might help too! https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/the-best-most-popular-benjamin-moore-paint-colors-north-facing-northern-exposure-rooms/
Hi Kylie, what is your opinion on Greek villa walls and trim same different Sheen. But I need to do the ceiling oh different white because they’re short ceilings. What SW paint would you recommend? I’m considering pure white or extra white. Also, with those two, what color do you do the doors?
Author
Hey Jessi, I love the idea of Greek Vill on the walls and trims in different sheens! As for the ceiling, I would PERSONALLY do it Greek Villa. Pure White will compete with it and Extra White could be too cool. The challenge is that using a white other than Greek Villa could enhance its warmth and have it looking more cream-yellow than originally intended. Or you could ask the paint store to lighten Greek Villa by 25% (if possible, sometimes whites don’t have enough tint in them to be lightened any more 🙂
Hi Jessi – what did you end up doing for the ceiling?
Hi Kylie, I am deciding between Pure white vs Greek villa on the exterior of my home. It faces Southern exposure and has some cognac/yellow colored stone along with some light grey. Windows and soffits are bronze. I need help deciding between the 2. I want something that looks crisp but balanced, not yellow. I look forward to hearing from you.
Author
Of those, I would lean into Pure White, but that’s without seeing your home so i can’t know what’s best for your exact finishes 😉
I have a new kitchen being installed, which opens up into our sunroom which is south facing windows and pineboard walls/ceilings, because of this I chose a very bright cabinet colour of Chantilly Lace, I felt anything warmer would just pull yellow or yellow overtime. I wanted to pick a different shade of white to go on the walls as the dinning room adjacent to the kitchen has no windows so it only gets light from the open concept kitchen/sunroom, and it could feel stark also painted in CL white (we do have pine trim though). Now after reading some of your posts, I am worried that Chantilly Lace cabinets would clash and make my top runner, Greek Villa walls look off. I may just paint it all Chantilly lace and if I absolutely think it’s too stark white, I can repaint it.