Off-whites make the space feel bright and airy while introducing a touch of coziness. You want to use a warm white for your painting project when you prefer the cozy and inviting look over the crisp vibe.
If you’re a newbie in painting, then picking the right white is a challenging task. So many off-white paint choices are available, so that you might wonder about their differences.
Alabaster by Sherwin Williams is a trending white color, popular among home bloggers and designers for its softness. If you aren’t sure whether it is the right fit for your painting project, we have you covered.
What Color is Sherwin Williams Alabaster White?
- LRV: 82
- RGB: (237, 234, 224)
- Hex Value: #EDEAE0
Alabaster (SW 7008) is off-white with a warm undertone that achieves the perfect balance. It belongs to Sherwin Williams’s white colors collection and was announced as color of the Month in April 2022.
Its gorgeous soft white tone sets a cozy mood in the space, perfectly fitting for rustic and traditional styles.
Alabaster is perfect for painting the interior walls in any room. You can also use it for furniture painting projects if you want a timeless color. Also, it is an excellent choice for painting the house exterior to enhance the curb appeal.
Sherwin Williams Alabaster LRV
Alabaster features an LRV of 82, sitting high on the LRV scale. If you aren’t familiar with this concept, we will break it down for you. LRV, or light reflectance value, is a scale that determines how light or dark a color is, where 0 is black, and 100 is white.
The higher the LRV number, the lighter the color is. The scale is helpful when comparing different colors to determine which one has more depth.
With 82, Alabaster isn’t the brightest and freshest white out there. Instead, the LRV indicates it is an off-white that doesn’t reflect as much light as pure whites.
Sherwin Williams Alabaster Undertones
Alabaster is a warm white with prominent yellow undertones, looking somewhat creamy. It leans towards beige but still keeps neutral compared to similar tones.
It is the perfect choice for north-facing rooms, where the warmth would balance the cool light. In south-facing rooms, the warm undertones of Alabaster are more prominent.
If you don’t want your white to look too warm, then Alabaster might be the ideal choice. It would be best to test the color to see how it interacts with the natural lighting and other colors in your space.
Sherwin Williams Alabaster Color Palette
Creating a color palette with warm whites is a daunting task. The yellow undertone can clash with pure whites or other cool tones, so it is essential to be careful.
I will explain the potential situation where things could go wrong, so you can understand how to curate a perfect color scheme.
Warm whites like Alabaster go well with other warm colors. Remember that cool tones can look off and clash with your creamy white.
Natural light also influences how a color looks in a particular room. Painting a north-facing room in Alabaster results in this color looking slightly cooler.
Gray tones with a hint of warmth pair excellently with Alabaster. Greige compliments this white with its prominent warm undertones.
If you’re after the organic aesthetic, Alabaster goes well with wood and brushed metals. Natural texture perfectly complements this white, bringing the modern organic style to your home.
Sherwin Williams Alabaster Exterior
Alabaster works well with many architectural styles ranging from traditional to modern. The light color doesn’t retain heat, making it a perfect choice for areas with hot climates.
The warm tones beautifully contrast the greige look, creating a simple color scheme for enhanced curb appeal. Thanks to Alabaster’s neutral nature, you can experiment with accent colors for the trim, door, and shutters.
Sherwin Williams Alabaster Interior Use
Alabaster is a versatile warm white that fits various interior styles. Its gentle warmth perfectly complements the modern farmhouse style, making the space feel inviting.
In shabby chic and cottage styles, Alabaster creates a relaxed environment and enhanced vintage aesthetic.
Coastal styles also benefit from versatile colors that pair nicely with natural textures and blue colors. Its warm nature perfectly fits the modern organic style, enhancing the natural esthetic.
Alabaster Bedroom
Warm whites are an excellent choice for the bedroom as they set a serene mood for a good night’s sleep.
The board and batten wall in an Alabaster semi-gloss finish keeps the neutral feel while introducing subtle visual interest with the texture. The antique dresser in gray perfectly complements the gorgeous white focal wall.
Sherwin Williams Alabaster Living Room
Thanks to its power to elevate the mood, Alabaster is the ultimate paint choice for a living room. We love how it brings subtle warmth to this living room, making it look inviting and cozy.
Alabaster provides a neutral backdrop for layering colors and textures in a living room. The detail-rich rug, mix-and-match throw pillows, and earthy hues add character to this space.
Sherwin Williams Alabaster Kitchen Cabinets
Alabaster is a timeless paint choice for kitchen cabinets. This classic color is the ultimate choice if you plan to update your kitchen for a fresh look.
It pairs nicely with black accents, giving off the modern farmhouse vibes. Wood textures perfectly complement this color’s warmth, creating a cozy setting.
However, there is one thing to be careful about when designing a kitchen with this color. The countertop choice can change how Alabaster looks since other colors can bring out the yellow undertones.
Make sure to avoid using countertops in crisp white color. The cooler whites will clash with Alabaster resulting in a yellow and muddy look.
Sherwin Williams Alabaster Kitchen Walls
Thanks to its versatility and warmth, Alabaster is the perfect choice for painting kitchen walls. The color brings understated elegance to the space regardless of the kitchen style.
The white color disperses the natural light through the space making the kitchen look visually larger. Moreover, it is an excellent choice if you’re going after a clean, timeless look.
Sherwin Williams Alabaster Bathroom
Bathrooms can be somewhat tricky to design. If you don’t like the cold look of stark whites, then Alabaster is a great pick.
The worth of this paint color turns a bathroom into a relaxing personal retreat with a touch of coziness. It goes well with fresh and bold colors, so this is a great chance to trace some character to an otherwise dull space.
We love how they paired Alabaster walls with Sea Serpent by Sherwin Williams for the vanity. The gorgeous dark navy adds a bit of drama to this bathroom design while Alabaster tones it down.
Alabaster Walls with Pure White Trim
Many homeowners are worried that the trim might appear too cool when painting the walls in a warm white. In such cases, opt for a white with a slight warmth for the trim.
Alabaster walls pair nicely with Pure White for the trim. These colors have different depths, but the mutual warm undertone connects them. Pure White is a bright white with a minimal yellow undertone, so it perfectly complements Alabaster walls.
While other cool and bright whites make Alabaster look creamy, the contrast isn’t too noticeable when paired with Pure White. You would want to avoid SW Extra White since it can lean to its blue undertone when placed next to a warm white such as Alabaster.
Comparing SW 7008 Alabaster to Other Whites
Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore offer a wide array of warm white paints. Therefore choosing the right fit for your needs might be overwhelming.
While they might appear identical, there is still a difference between them. The colors offered vary in depth or undertone, so you can choose the one that suits your lighting conditions and color scheme.
In addition, we provide a detailed comparison of the most commonly used warm whites.
Sherwin Williams Alabaster vs Benjamin Moore Alabaster
Both Sherwin Wiliams and Benjamin Moore provide a white tone named Alabaster. Even though they belong to the same color family, we can find apparent differences.
Benjamin Moore alabaster is a lighter tone with an LRV of 87. Go with it if your space feels more open and airier.
However, the depth isn’t the only difference. We can notice that benjamin moore alabaster has cool undertones and doesn’t look as creamy as SW Alabaster.
Sherwin Williams Alabaster vs Behr Alabaster
BEHR Alabaster is a warm white, as same as SW Alabaster. However, the warm undertones are accentuated in BEHR Alabaster. With a lower LRV of 76, BEHR Alabaster has more depth.
If you’re looking for a slightly darker and warmer color than SW Alabaster, this might be your option.
Sherwin Williams Alabaster vs Pure White
Alabaster and Pure White belong in the off-white collection by Sherwin Williams. The difference is in the presence of yellow undertones.
Pure White is slightly lighter than Alabaster, with an LRV of 84. Both come with warm undertones, but they are less prominent in Pure White, which makes Alabaster look creamier and warmer.
Sherwin Williams Alabaster vs Snowbound
Alabaster and Snowbound might look similar at first glance, but there are differences in undertones. Snowbound has an LRV of 83 which doesn’t make a significant difference in depth.
Thanks to the pink and gray undertones, Snowbound is cooler white. However, it doesn’t have the cold look of stark whites.
On the other hand, Alabaster has more prominent yellow undertones making it look rather beige.
Sherwin Williams Alabaster vs Aesthetic White
Alabaster is a lighter color, and Aesthetic White has slightly more depth. While the LRV of Aesthetic White is 73, the difference is apparent for the eye.
However, the depth isn’t the only difference when comparing both colors. The more prominent yellow base of the Alabaster makes it look creamier.
On the other hand, Aesthetic White has a pink undertone and looks relatively cooler. This might be why this paint color doesn’t enjoy immense popularity.
Sherwin Williams Alabaster vs Greek Villa
Both Alabaster and Greek Villa are warm whites with gray and yellow tones. Greek Villa is slightly lighter than Alabaster, with an LRV of 84.
When comparing these two popular colors, we notice Greek Villa’s more prominent warmth. Alabaster looks just a little bit cooler and has more gray to it.
Sherwin Williams Alabaster vs Creamy
These white colors come from the same color collection and have differences in terms of undertones. By observing their LRV value, we can notice that there isn’t a huge difference in depth. Alabaster has an LRV of 82, while Creamy has 81.
Both of these colors lean toward beige and show their warm undertones. However, Creamy trends to look warmer.
The yellow undertones seem to be more balanced in Alabaster. Creamy tends to look yellow, with its warm undertones being more prominent.
Sherwin Williams Alabaster vs White Duck
White Duck and Alabaster have a prominent difference in depth. With an LRV of 74, it is significantly darker.
When it comes to undertones, White Duck leans more toward beige. It has a tiny bit of yellow but still keeps the neutral town. On the other hand, Alabaster looks slightly warmer.
Sherwin Williams Alabaster vs Shoji White
While both colors are light warm whites, there is a difference in depth and undertones. Shoji White has an LRV of 74, slightly darker than Alabaster.
Alabaster shows more prominent yellow undertones, a warmer white with a hint of beige. On the other hand, Shoji White is a little cooler with a subtle touch of gray.
Sherwin Williams Alabaster vs Swiss Coffee
Alabaster and Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee have the same LRV of 82, meaning there is no difference in depth. However, there is a subtle difference in warmth.
The yellow undertone is more prominent in Swiss Coffee, making it appear warmer. Alabaster manages to keep its neutral tone, leaning more towards a greige.
Sherwin Williams Alabaster vs Benjamin Moore White Dove
Alabaster has a gentle touch of warmth, while Benjamin Moore White Dove remains neutral with apart gray undertones. Alabaster tends to look more beige, thanks to the yellow undertones.
The LRV of 83 indicated White Dove is a lighter tone, but this isn’t very prominent when we compare them.
Does Sherwin Williams Alabaster Look Yellow?
Alabaster has prominent yellow undertones that give this color its pronounced warmth. The warm undertones are accentuated in some lighting conditions so that Alabaster might look yellow. This happens when you place the creamy white next to cooler whites.
Many aren’t aware of this, but let me explain color theory simply. Once you know this, you will learn how to pair colors to achieve your desired look.
As mentioned earlier, yellow undertones are what gives white colors warmth. Same, blue undertones provide a cool and stark look.
Blue and yellow are opposite positions on the color wheel, meaning they are contrasting colors. When placing two contrasting colors together, they make each other pop.
Therefore, placing a warm white next to a cool white causes the undertones to clash. The blue undertone in the cool white will highlight the yellow undertone in the warm white, making it appear yellow.
This usually happens when homeowners go for warm white cabinets and cool white countertops. Or when pairing crisp white trim and warm white walls.
In such cases, warm whites look muddy and yellow instead of having soft warmth. Also, south-facing windows make the yellow undertone more prominent.
If this isn’t the look you intend, plan your color scheme. Consider taking samples of paint colors to see how they look in your space and fit with their colors.
Final Thoughts
Alabaster is a gorgeous warm white that works with various interior styles. It creates a welcoming ambiance and complements both traditional and modern decor schemes. Thanks to this high LRV, it floods a room with natural light and makes it look visually larger.
Alabaster is ideal for warming up spaces with north-facing windows. Also, it is your go-to color if you love to layer neutrals and curate an organic color scheme.
The warm white is a versatile choice if you love the timeless appeal and don’t want to follow trends. Perfect if you don’t plan to repaint often to keep up with the trends.