Benjamin Moore’s White Dove is a hugely popular white paint color.
Heralded as one of the top ten best-selling paint colors by Benjamin Moore year after year, White Dove is favored by homeowners and designers alike.
In fact, many people would say that White Dove is Benjamin Moore’s best white. It is both classic and versatile, making it a great choice if you’re looking for an amazing white paint shade.
What Color is White Dove?
White Dove is a soft, warm white. It is almost creamy without being too yellow, and is warm, but not so warm that it is stifling.
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The Undertones of White Dove
With an LRV (Light Reflectance Value) of 85, White Dove is a fairly light white.
To give you some perspective, white paint colors can range in LRV from the upper 70s all the way to 100. A quick peruse of the Benjamin Moore paint fan found that the paint shades with the highest LRVs top out at about 90 (White Opulence, Chantilly Lace, Palm Coast Pale, Pink Damask, and Aloe Vera, in case you’re wondering!). So an LRV of 85 means White Dove is a pretty light white paint color.
Despite being a white paint color, and a light one at that, the undertones that are present in white paint are hugely important.
Undertones can really influence how the color looks on the wall. For instance, in comparing the colors below, the undertones are very apparent: Pink Damask looks pink, Aloe Vera looks green/blue, and White Opulence just barely hints at pink.
Because of the different undertones of these “white” paint shades, the feeling they impart on the room changes. Aloe Vera is cool, potentially making the room feel larger. Pink Damask has a very warm feeling, and has enough pink to make a room feel feminine. White Opulence, with its very subtle pink undertones, is warm but not too overpowering.
As you can see from the picture above, White Dove doesn’t have any super strong “color” undertones. It has a bit of yellow in it, and White Dove also has a just a hint of gray in it, which pulls it back from appearing too stark.
So to summarize, White Dove is a good white that isn’t too white, meaning it won’t appear stark. It has a little bit of a creamy quality, but isn’t so yellow that it looks yellow on your walls. It is right in the sweet spot!
Where Can I Use White Dove Paint Color?
White Dove is a great color for your walls, but can also be used on trim or cabinets.
On your walls, White Dove is bright and luxurious.
White Dove is a great white to paint your walls if you aren’t sure what white to pick. It’s barely-there warm undertones in a neutral gray make it a friendly option for a variety of styles and accent colors.
On trim, White Dove is clean but not overly crisp.
Some trim paint colors, such as Sherwin William’s Extra White, are cool and stark feeling. White Dove won’t present that way.
Painted in a semi-gloss sheen, White Dove will be bright and will look perfectly white, and will be a perfect compliment to warm wall paint colors.
On cabinets, White Dove is warm and welcoming.
White Dove is a great shade for painting your countertops if you have warm shades in the kitchen. Many colors of granite countertops and any number of backsplashes will look amazing when put next to White Dove cabinets.
But, while White Dove is a popular white paint color for cabinets, it is important to use this white paint color carefully if you’re going to have a lot of other white elements in the kitchen.
Typically, modern white accents in a kitchen favor cool whites. Quartz or marble countertops and traditional white subway tile tend to be pretty stark whites. If you have elements such as these, you may want to consider going with a different white paint color, as White Dove may appear dingy next to them.
What Colors Go with Benjamin Moore White Dove?
White Dove is a highly versatile white paint color. Due to its very subtle gray undertones, it can coordinate with a lot of different colors.
Benjamin Moore pairs White Dove with Cheating Heart (a dark gray color) and Silver Lake (a silvery shade), for a bold, minimalistic palette.
Additionally, White Dove is paired with Yukon Sky (a purpley-gray) and Horizon Gray (a sage green) for a more muted, pastel palette.
Truly, White Dove looks amazing with beiges, grays, blacks, blues, greens, reds, and more.
One of my personal favorite pairings for White Dove is to put it with greige paint colors. Because it has those gray undertones, it is a great white to put with greige paint shades such as Revere Pewter, Edgecomb Gray and Agreeable Gray.
It also pairs nicely with both wood and metal accents.
Looking for a Curated Color Palette for White Dove?
If you want even more suggestions for coordinating colors for White Dove, check out Love Remodeled’s White Dove Paint Palette.
It has 8 hand-picked paint colors that all go perfectly with White Dove, including white shades, neutrals, and accent colors.
The Most Popular White Paint Colors
White paint colors can be challenging to pick. The undertones alone make it a hard choice.
One of the best ways to determine if a white paint color will go in your home is to get a sample of it. My favorite way to try out a paint color is to get a Samplize square. This 12×12 stick on sheet is made with real paint, and is easily transferable to different surfaces. This means you can try White Dove next to your couch, on the wall by the window, and even in that back corner that gets almost no light.
Pick up a Samplize square here!
If you’d prefer to roll the dice on a white paint color, White Dove is a good one to try. It tends to do well in a lot of homes (which is why it is so popular!).
A few other highly popular white colors are Alabaster, by Sherwin Williams, and Simply White, by Benjamin Moore.
White Dove vs. Alabaster
Alabaster is one of Sherwin William’s most popular white paint shades. In my opinion, it is basically Sherwin Williams’ White Dove (or White Dove is Benjamin Moore’s Alabaster, depending on how you look at it).
Now, I’m not saying that they’re the same color, because they’re not. When compared to each other, Alabaster has a bit more gray in it, and maybe even the slightest hint of beige, and doesn’t come off as luminous as White Dove is. But they’re similar in terms of their popularity and versatility.
Check out this post for a full review on Alabaster Paint Color.
White Dove vs. Simply White
Simply White is another highly popular Benjamin Moore color. It is very clean, and has an LRV of 91 – wow!
As you can see, Simply White has much less “color” in it than White Dove. It is a great shade for trim, cabinets, and can even be used on walls for a stark, minimalistic look.
Check out this full color review on Simply White!
Final Thoughts on White Dove Paint
White Dove is an amazing go-to paint color for walls, trim and cabinets. While there are important considerations when choosing white paint colors, White Dove tends to be a safer choice than many due to its light gray undertones.
White Dove is hailed as one of the most popular Benjamin Moore paint colors (is possibly the most popular white shade from Benjamin Moore) and is a favorite of homeowners and designers. Because of this, I’ve included it in my list of top white paint colors from Benjamin Moore.
Want to see all your paint options in one convenient place? Click here to get everything you need to start painting, including Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore paint color decks!
Benjamin Moore White Dove Paint Color Review
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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sarah
Thursday 21st of March 2024
Planning on painting my kitchen cabinets White Dove and possibly walls in kitchen Revere Pewter. Worktops are Black granite. Planning on painting a lot of other rooms in White Dove. What do you suggest painting skirting and ceilings White Dove too? I'm decorating to put the house on the market
Lauren
Tuesday 16th of April 2024
Hi Sarah! I think you could either go with White Dove in a higher sheen on the skirting and White Dove in matte on the ceiling, or use Simply White. Simply White is a little bit lighter and brighter, but with similar undertones. Either will be nice, just depends on whether you want the trim work to stand out a tiny bit or not.
Eileen
Wednesday 14th of February 2024
Hi, I just painted my kitchen Repose Grey with White Dove as my ceiling color n now I want to paint the cabinets in a nice rich navy blue. Can’t you help me. My counter top is a white quartz with light grey veins
Lauren
Friday 1st of March 2024
Hey Eileen! Hale Navy or Naval would be great options! Sounds beautiful!
Beth
Thursday 27th of October 2022
Hi, I just painted the walls of my living room, dining room and kitchen with Benjamin Moore White Dove OC 17. It looks beautiful. I would love to get some color suggestions for the handrail on the stairs and the post of the handrail. I would like a color that is darker than the white dove, so there is some contrast, but not too dark. Is there a color in the gray or greige paints that would work well with whit dove? Thanks so much for any help and suggestions.
Lauren
Tuesday 8th of November 2022
Hi Beth! Edgecomb Gray is beautiful, you could look at Agreeable Gray. Both would be great! I'm glad you're loving the White Dove. Good luck!
Peggy
Sunday 23rd of October 2022
Hello, I painted my open floor plan house white dove because the ceiling had a Navajo white similar color. I would like to paint the front door a dark, almost black color. Do you have a suggestion? I don’t have a decorators eye. I appreciate any suggestions. Thank you.
Lauren
Tuesday 25th of October 2022
Hi Peggy! Iron Ore is a great almost black paint color. It'll look great with White Dove and Navajo White. Good luck!
Anamarie
Tuesday 18th of October 2022
Hello, I love your information regarding paint. I painted my bedroom White Dove and I love it. My friend loves it too, but she can't afford it and wants to find a comparable match to White Dove at Lowe's where she can put it on her Lowes credit card. Can you recommend a close match to White Dove to any of the paint brands at Lowe's or do you think they can color match my Samplize Square that I have for it? Thank you for any help you can give me to help my friend.
Heather
Monday 8th of May 2023
@Anamarie,
I'm guessing this comment is far too late for your friend, but I've color-matched White Dove with Sherwin Williams paint, without an issue. We don't have a Benjamin Moore within a few hours of my house, and I've had a large project that required a rep to come to my house a half dozen times, for various things (stain discussion, etc), so I needed a more local brand. So color-matching is totally fine. My contractor actually loathes Benjamin Moore paint (quality issues) and was pretty anti me using it, for whatever that's worth. I've also color-matched it with some epoxy paint from Home Depot, because I was pretty specific about the type of paint I needed (on an earlier house project). It all looks the same.
Lauren
Tuesday 18th of October 2022
Hi Anamarie! I'm so glad you love the color you chose!! White Dove can look amazing, I agree! If your friend wants to get paint from Lowes, she can ask the paint people to tint any paint she chooses from there in White Dove. The major stores that sell paint have all the formulas for the most popular paint colors. The color might not be EXACT since the paint product itself is different, but it will be close enough. So, just tell her to pick the type of paint she wants and ask Lowes to tint it to Benjamin Moore White Dove.