Linen White is a soft, creamy white paint color by Benjamin Moore. Linen White is considered an off-white paint color. It is popular among homeowners and designers alike, due to its versatility.
Linen White is part of Benjamin Moore’s Off-White Collection, Premium Mix Collection, and Classic Color Collection. It has been around for many years, and is included in so many collections due to its popularity.
If you are interested in a creamy white paint color, keep reading for all the details on Benjamin Moore Linen White, including where to use it, what colors it goes best with, and what style homes in tends to work in.
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What Color is Benjamin Moore Linen White?
Benjamin Moore Linen White is a creamy white paint color. It could also be considered an off-white shade, because it has a good bit of color in it for a true white paint color.
Linen White is a very classic sort of paint color. It feels traditional and formal, but can also work in a cottage style home.
Benjamin Moore Linen White Undertones
Linen White has soft orangy yellow undertones. When you compare it to other creamy white paint colors, such as Alabaster or Greek Villa, you can see that Linen White doesn’t have just pure yellow undertones. It has a bit more of an orange undertone to it than those other creamy whites.
People frequently want to know if Linen White will look yellow. Linen White does have a considerable amount of yellow in it, and may look fairly yellow in some rooms.
In particular, you see the yellow if you pair Linen White with a color that is cool, such as green, blue or purple. You also see the yellow more in south facing rooms.
Is Linen White Warm or Cool?
Linen White is a warm paint color, due to its yellow and orange undertones. Warm paint colors have red, orange and yellow undertones, and tend to make a space feel cozy.
Linen White does just that. It feels warm, soft and comfortable, but also looks fresh and bright on your walls.
Linen White LRV
Linen White has an LRV of 81. LRV stands for Light Reflectance Value. It is a scale that goes from 0, which is completely black, to 100, which is completely white. It basically provides information about how light or dark a paint color is.
Sitting at 81 indicates that Linen White is a light paint color that falls in the white range, but is very close to the off-white range. In fact, Linen White has a bit more color in it than most shades with an LRV around 81.
Where Can I Use Benjamin Moore Linen White?
Benjamin Moore Linen White is a great paint color for walls. It works in almost any space, including living rooms, dining rooms, entryways, basements, bathrooms, bedrooms, offices, and more.
Linen White will look even warmer in a southern facing room because the yellow sunlight will emphasize the yellow undertone in the paint. In a northern facing room, Linen White warms up the room a bit in a nice way, looking more like a creamy white.
Coordinating Colors for Benjamin Moore Linen White
Linen White is a versatile paint color that goes well with many other paint shades. Linen White looks nice with gray paint colors, greige paint colors, blue paint colors, green paint colors, pink paint colors, red paint colors, tan paint colors, brown paint colors, and black paint colors.
Linen White can also be used with other cream and white paint colors with similar undertones to create a tone-on-tone or layered look in a space.
Here, Benjamin Moore pairs Linen White with Colorado Gray, a light, grayish blue, and Black Raspberry, a bold, purple shade. This coordinating colors pairing shows how Linen White can work with cool paint colors.
In this color scheme, Linen White is paired with Deep Creek, a greenish brown, and Urban Nature, a light green paint color. Together, these coordinating colors for Linen White show how Linen White can be a part of an earthy color scheme.
Trim Colors for Benjamin Moore Linen White
When choosing white trim colors for a white paint color, most people like a white trim that is lighter than their walls.
First, you can go with a very bright white trim color that creates a bit of contrast between the white trim and the creamy colored walls.
A good, bright white trim color to pair with Linen White is Chantilly Lace. Chantilly Lace is Benjamin Moore’s brightest and whitest paint color. It just barely hints warm, and serves as a great trim color for almost any paint shade.
While Chantilly Lace won’t provide a huge contrast with Linen White, it will give you the most of any paint color.
If you want a softer white trim, but don’t want something super creamy, another good shade to pair with Linen White is Cloud White. It has soft yellow undertones, similar to Linen White.
But, Cloud White doesn’t have as much color in it and will provide a very subtle contrast to Linen White.
Benjamin Moore Linen White Compared
When I do a full review on a paint color, I always like to compare the paint shade with other similar paint colors. You see, when someone is considering a paint color, they tend to be looking at it alongside other paint colors.
If you are considering Linen White, you may also be considering White Dove, Navajo White and Swiss Coffee. Let’s compare these paint colors to Linen White to help determine which might work in your home.
Linen White vs. White Dove
White Dove is a very popular white paint color by Benjamin Moore. Like Linen White, White Dove is also included in Benjamin Moore’s Favorites fan deck, which means that it is one of the top 75 Benjamin Moore paint colors.
White Dove also has an LRV of 83, the same as Linen White. But, White Dove has a bit less color in it than Linen White does.
White Dove has soft yellow undertones, but also a hint of gray. This gray tones down the yellow in White Dove and gives it a more approachable feel. If you contrast this with Linen Whites yellow undertones, with a hint of orange, Linen White comes across looking much more warm and yellow than White Dove.
White Dove is also a color that works a little better outside than Linen White. Because it is a little more subtle, it look more like a warm white and less like a yellow outside.
If you’re trying to decide between Linen White and White Dove, consider whether you want a paint color that heavily favors yellow, and may look fairly yellowish in some rooms, or whether you want a creamy white that looks more like a true off-white.
Overall, White Dove is a bit more subtle and muted than Linen White, and is a more popular shade.
Click here for more information on White Dove.
Linen White vs. Navajo White
Navajo White is a second popular white paint color by Benjamin Moore. This paint color is fairly similar to Linen White.
Both Navajo White and Linen White have yellow undertones that trend towards orange, and a good bit of color for a white/off-white paint color.
Truly, Navajo White and Linen White are pretty similar paint colors. Navajo White is a hint more beige thank Linen White though. When you compare the two, Linen White looks a little more sunny, while Navajo White looks a little more like a beige neutral.
Both are shades that will work in similar spaces and with similar coordinating colors. The one that is right for your space is going to depend on your preference. The best way to choose between Linen White and Navajo White is to pick up a Samplize sheet. More on that later.
Linen White vs. Swiss Coffee
For our last comparison, let’s look at Linen White versus Swiss Coffee.
Swiss Coffee is another paint shade that is included in Benjamin Moore’s Favorites fan deck. It is a light, creamy white paint color that has hints of yellow, gray and green.
Swiss Coffee has a similar LRV to Linen White, but looks to have a bit less color in it. The yellow in Linen White comes through strongly when comparing it to Swiss Coffee. In contrast, Swiss Coffee looks more subtle, with a hint of gray and less yellow.
Overall, Swiss Coffee is more of a neutral shade than Linen White. Both are warm paint colors, but Swiss Coffee is just a more muted take on a warm white paint color.
One more consideration to discuss. If you have a white trim with a blue undertone (such as Extra White), Swiss Coffee may be the better creamy paint color. The green in Swiss Coffee tends to neutralize the blue in Extra White. In contrast, a creamy white with yellow undertones, like Linen White, will highlight the blue undertone.
Click here for more information about Swiss Coffee.
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.
Final Thoughts on Linen White, by Benjamin Moore
Benjamin Moore Linen White is a warm white paint color that tends to work well in traditional or cottage style homes. It has a fairly heavy yellow undertone that can look almost sunny in southern facing rooms. In contrast, it warms up a northern facing space nicely, looking warm without being too yellow.
If you want a creamy white paint color, and don’t mind a shade that may take on a yellow hue at some points of the day or in some lights, Linen White should be on your shortlist.
Have a question? Leave me a comment! Remember to check back for a response – it may take me up to a week or two depending on how busy I am, but I’ll be sure to get back to you!
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