Sherwin Williams Natural Linen (9109): Undertones, LRV, & Real Home Results
Sherwin Williams Natural Linen is a light, warm beige paint color. It works well on interior walls, especially in open-concept spaces and whole homes, as well as bedrooms.
Its undertones lean orange, which can influence how Natural Linen coordinates with interior finishes.
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 favorite warm neutral paint colors.
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 and not as TAN as the warm neutrals from the 90s. Natural Linen is, in fact, one of the more modern beige paint colors on the market.
If you have a north-facing light, Natural Linen’s warmth will still show up to the party but will be muted (the same goes for eastern light). However, if you have south-facing or 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?
WHAT’S 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 – read all about it HERE.
WHAT ARE NATURAL LINEN’S UNDERTONES?
Being a beige paint color, Natural Linen’s main undertone is orange. And while orange can flex into yellow or pink, Natural Linen doesn’t STRONGLY cater to either, making it flexible for a wide range of interior finishes.
Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE of Natural Linen!
WHAT’S THE BEST WHITE COLOR WITH NATURAL LINEN?
Because Natural Linen has an orange undertone, it’s fussy towards whites with too much yellow. I’d check out Benjamin Moore White Dove or even Chantilly Lace. Sherwin Williams Pure White is also worth sampling.
I might even be inclined to lighten Natural Linen by 75% and see what that looks like. It’s hit-and-miss (usually hit, but you never know) and can be a great way to get a coordinating soft white.
The ULTIMATE GUIDE to White Paint Colors
IS IT A GOOD EXTERIOR COLOR?
Natural Linen can work on an exterior but is often light for homes in the northern states and Canada. You see MORE Natural Linen in the southern states, as a beige like this often suits the types of tiles/stone used on driveways and patios.
5 Tips for Choosing an Exterior Paint Color
Does Your Exposure REALLY MATTER When Choosing EXTERIOR Paint Colors?
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.
- Sherwin Williams Rivers Edge / China Doll
- Sherwin Williams Moderate White
- Benjamin Moore Muslin
- Sherwin Williams Accessible Beige
READ MORE
The 8 Best WHOLE HOME Warm Neutral Paint Colors
Paint Color Review: Benjamin Moore Cedar Key
The 5 Best Off-White Paint Colors
NEED HELP?
Check out my Online Paint Color Consulting – I’d love to help!
ORIGINALLY WRITTEN IN 2021, UPDATED IN 2024
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