Sherwin Williams White Duck is a neutral paint color that is trending right now. It is a classic, off-white shade that is very popular.
In fact, my family just purchased a new home, and White Duck is a top contender for my whole home paint color. So its perfect timing for me to do a complete review on it, both for my benefit and for yours!
Follow along as I do a deep dive into White Duck to find out whether its the right paint color for either of our homes.
White Duck Color Details
Sherwin Williams White Duck is a creamy, off-white paint color. It is hard to classify it as one specific color family because it has elements of so many color families. It blends a very light tan with cream, gray and a hint of green to create a shade that is a pretty amazing neutral.
While some off-whites that are similar to White Duck lean more into yellow or beige, White Duck doesn’t look yellow on your walls. But it will still work well with other finishes that have yellow, orange or even some warm red undertones. This makes is a great color to use to update spaces that have older finishes, such as cream colored tile, honey oak trim or blond flooring.
This mock up shows White Duck on the walls and trim next to honey oak cabinets.
White Duck has an LRV of 74. This means that it reflects a lot of light back in the room, and is a light paint color. It really is the perfect depth for a paint color because it works well in most spaces.
In rooms that don’t have a lot of light, White Duck looks warm and moderately light. While it can fall a little flat without adequate lighting, a few lamps helps it out considerably if you don’t have many windows in the space.
In spaces that have a lot of lighting, White Duck still holds its own and doesn’t wash out because it has a bit of depth to it.
Since we’re talking about lighting already, I should mention that in warm, southern exposed rooms, White Duck will look warm and creamy. In northern exposure, White Duck will lean into its gray undertone and appear more like a light greige (blend of beige and gray).
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Where to Use White Duck
White Duck is one of my favorite neutrals because it works really well in a lot of spaces.
It is great on walls, cabinets, or exteriors. It can work in kitchens, living rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms, or as an all-over-the-house paint color.
Here, you can see a rendering of White Duck on both the walls and the cabinets of this neutral kitchen with Zellige tile and dark countertops.
Even more, it works alongside many different types of finishes. As I mentioned earlier, White Duck can works with yellow, orange and even some red toned woods like cabinets or flooring. It looks great with black, bronze or silver hardware and fixtures.
On an exterior, White Duck provides a light, off-white look to siding or painted brick. Its always important to remember that paint colors look lighter outside than they do inside due to the bright sunlight, so White Duck will be lighter and brighter on your home’s exterior. Its a great option for someone who wants a white home, but not a stark white.
Colors that Go With White Duck
White Duck is a versatile color. It goes with a lot of different accent shades, including greiges, beiges, dark neutrals, greens, blues, pinks, and deep reds.
Sherwin Williams recommends pairing White Duck with Resort Tan, a darker brown, and Portico, a light midtone brown.
Some other paint colors to consider are:
- Socialite, a dusty pink purple
- Breathless, a light pink
- Dutch Tile Blue, a soft blue green
- Cordovan, a deep purplish red
Trim Colors for White Duck
White Duck is a light off-white paint color, so it can be a little fussy about what color trim it sits next to.
My top choice for a trim color for White Duck is Pure White. Its one of my go-to paint colors for trim because it works with just about any paint color. Pure White is light and bright, with faint yellow and gray undertones that make it slightly warm and clean looking. It isn’t stark at all.
Another option for White Duck is to use the color drenching technique that is so popular right now. Color drenching is when you paint all the walls, trim and ceiling in the same color. You can do it all the same sheen for the most seamless look, or use a higher sheen on the trim to make it look just a hint lighter and brighter than the wall color (even though they’re actually the same paint color).
Other Paint Colors to Consider
Sherwin Williams White Duck has so many good qualities. Its soft, warm, versatile, and easy to use. It feels organic and comfortable without leaning too earthy.
Additionally, it goes well with many different wood tones and hardward finishes. Personally, I like White Duck because it works well with yellow tones like the flooring in my new home, but won’t look too yellow on my walls. It has enough gray in it to be modern and neutral than some true creams.
But, there are a few other good paint colors to consider as well.
The first is Sherwin Williams Natural Choice.
Natural Choice is a very similar paint color to White Duck. It has nearly the same LRV and a lot of the same tones and undertones.
But when you put the two next to eachother, their subtle differences start to appear.
Natural Choice has a bit more creamy and earthy, while White Ducks leans cooler and more like a taupe. You don’t see this when it is by itself, but next to Natural Choice, White Duck starts to look slightly pink. (Isn’t color funny like that?).
This subtle pink is what makes White Duck a good choice for red toned woods.
So, Natural Choice might be better in a space that has more greens, or a space where you want to have a slightly creamier paint shade.
Another paint color to consider is Sherwin Williams Shoji White.
They are similiar colors that are a gray beige cream blend.
Shoji White has maybe a bit more gray in it. White Duck has maybe a bit more beige in it.
Shoji White leans pinker. White Duck leans more towards green.
(See how what color a shade is next to influences it? Compared to Natural Choice, White Duck looks pink. Compared to Shoji White, White Duck looks green.)
I used Shoji White in my previous house and loved it there. My cabinets had a subtle pink undertone, and Shoji White paired with them perfectly. But, you definitely did see the pink undertone at certain times of the day. It wasn’t excessive at all, but to the trained eye, it was there.
So, if you want a creamy, off-white, and can’t stand a pink undertone, go for White Duck. If you want a slightly softer shade, Shoji White is probably the pick for you assuming it goes with the other colors in the room.
Wondering How To Pick the Perfect Paint Color?
I have the best solution for you!
Samplize sells peel and stick paint samples in almost every paint color.
These no-mess, peel and stick sheets are made from real paint, so they will show you exactly what the paint color will look like.
Simply place them on your walls next to your trim, furnishings or fixed elements, and easily see which paint color works best in your space and with your lighting.
Then, peel the sheet off your wall and reapply it somewhere else if you like. You can try several different paint colors with no mess, no fuss and no cleaning paint brushes.
Oh, and you can have them in your home by tomorrow with OVERNIGHT shipping!
As a bonus, be sure to use the code LoveRemodeled10 at check out to get an extra 10% off! Samplize sheets are cheaper than a sample can of paint, and way less work.
They are the easiest (and fastest!) way to try a paint color in your home, with no hassle.
Even More Colors to Consider
If you’re still on the hunt for the perfect neutral, check out these other articles:
Perfect Warm Neutrals from Sherwin Williams
Warm Neutrals from Benjamin Moore
