BENJAMIN MOORE SWISS COFFEE – Is it all it’s cracked up to be?
If you’re a fan of Studio McGee and love white cabinets, walls, or trim, you’ve probably come across Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee. And Shea McGee’s BEAUTIFUL home might have you thinking that Swiss Coffee is the colour for YOU – and it might be. But before you start slapping paint on your walls, we need to have a little chat (insert wine here).
NOT Swiss Coffee. This is Sherwin William’s Alabaster
Let me preface this by saying that Swiss Coffee IS a beautiful paint colour, and I’ve seen it look stunning in many homes. So, if you currently have it and it’s working – AWESOME POSSUM (in other words, don’t shoot the messenger).
The 5 Types of White Paint Colours
HOWEVER, there’s a ‘but’. It’s actually such a HUGE ‘but’ that you’ll think it’s been surgically enhanced to be a badonkadonk big enough to make the Kardashians jealous. But before we talk about that…
THE TOP FOUR SHADES OF WARM WHITE
There are four popular shades in the SOFT white world – Sherwin Williams Pure White, Sherwin Williams Alabaster, Benjamin Moore White Dove, and Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee. All have their place (just so you know, Swiss Coffee isn’t popular in MY world – it doesn’t even make my TOP 10, but it is in others).
NOT Swiss Coffee. This is Benjamin Moore White Dove
BUT (here it is, and it’s JUICY) if there’s ONE of these white paint colors that’s slightly more likely to flash GREEN, which one do you think it is?
BENJAMIN MOORE SWISS FREAKIN’ COFFEE
That’s right – green. Is it subtle? YES, very. Can this undertone work for some homes? YES. Will you see it in YOUR home? Maybe not. But for MOST people, GREEN isn’t the undertone they’re looking for when choosing a soft, warm shade of white for their walls, cabinets, or trim.
SWISS COFFEE?! Nope. This is Sherwin Williams Pure White
And do you know which white is SO SIMILAR TO SWISS COFFEE THAT IT’S CRAZY? Benjamin Moore White Dove.
WHITE DOVE vs. SWISS COFFEE
While both White Dove and Swiss Coffee are popular white paint colors, White Dove is MUCH more predictable than Swiss Coffee and NOT inclined towards green. So if I’m looking for a soft, warm white, which one do you think I’ll choose 99.9% of the time? White Dove.
White Dove is also a bit WHITER and BRIGHTER than Swiss Coffee, making it a bit more flexible. You might have seen that Shea lightened Swiss Coffee by 25%, which would brighten it – maybe even a WINK lighter than White Dove. Would this affect the way the undertones read? Possibly. I’ll ask Shea next time we chat (wink wink).
Benjamin Moore White Dove
One of the ONLY reasons I suggest Swiss Coffee to my Online Paint Colour Consulting clients is when it already EXISTS in the home, and it makes sense to continue with it. This is ALSO why I don’t have images of Swiss Coffee to show you, and I have shared my FAVE, more FLEXIBLE shades of white instead.
Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee vs. The TOP 5 Shades of White!
LEARN MORE ABOUT WHITE PAINT COLOURS…
The ULTIMATE GUIDE to White Paint Colours
Is White Still Trendy on Walls, Cabinets & Exteriors?
Benjamin Moore’s 8 Best White Paint Colours
FULL Paint Colour Review: Sherwin Williams Pure White
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CHECK OUT MY ONLINE PAINT COLOUR CONSULTING!
In the final photo of this post, the caption reads “White Dove.” I’m just wondering, are the cabinets painted White Dove or just the walls or both? Thanks!
Author
Ahhh, those are White Dove cabinets with Edgecomb Gray walls 🙂