Kelly moore swiss coffee vs benjamin moore swiss coffee

Read all about Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee, plus see 26 real homes that use it!

Swiss Coffee by Benjamin Moore (OC-45) is an off-white shade that has plenty of rich, creamy undertones. Whether you are craving a shade to fade into the background next to a more bold hue or one to add some depth to a neutral space, this shade is surprisingly versatile.

Believe it or not, white paint colors are some of the hardest paint colors to choose. It’s just not as easy as slapping a coat of any white paint on the wall. They all differ from one another – significantly.

And looking at dozens of color swatches and trying to decide between warm, cool, or neutral as well as factoring in undertones…well, it’s enough to give anyone a massive headache!

That’s why I like to have a few tried and true shades of white that I can turn to whenever I find myself having a hard time choosing between white paint colors.

I’m a BIG fan of white paints that are versatile and beautiful.

All Whites Shades are Created Equal, Right?

Nope. The more you study white paint colors the more you’ll see that white paint is surprisingly complex.

Swiss Coffee by Benjamin Moore is one that I often turn to because it’s a soft, creamy off-white color that has just a bit of warmth to it. It’s like that one girl you went to college with: she’s extremely popular, gets along well with just about everyone, and almost always makes you smile.

The shade works equally well in traditional spaces as it does in modern, minimalistic, farmhouse, and even contemporary rooms.

It also works well in art rooms or creative spaces where you want a calm background to blend and inspire. Didn’t I say it was versatile?

This color was created in 1931 by Benjamin Moore and has remained a mainstay in the line ever since, for good reason.

Fun fact: Swiss Coffee was named after the choice of coffee enjoyed by Benjamin Moore’s staff at the time the color was developed!

Like most shades in the white and off-white families, Swiss Coffee’s appearance can dramatically change depending on what room you use it in. It will look more natural and creamy next to yellow undertones or grayed next to cooler colors.

Let’s dive in to learn more about this dreamy creamy color to see if it’s right for your home.

FAQs About Swiss Coffee

LRV of Swiss Coffee by Benjamin Moore (OC-45)

Let’s get into the numerical specifics of Swiss Coffee paint. I’m a numbers gal because they provide an objective means for evaluation to aid the very subjective method of simply looking at paint.

Swiss Coffee LRV = 83.93.

LRV stands for Light Reflectance Value: It’s a numerical value between 0 and 100 that indicates how much light a shade reflects. Zero represents pure black (because it doesn’t reflect light), while 100 represents pure white (because it reflects the greatest amount of light).

Lighter paint shades REFLECT more light from them, which means they have a HIGHER LRV. The opposite is true for darker shades.

Take a look at Swiss Coffee next to a swatch of pure white:

With an LRV just under 84, Swiss Coffee reflects a lot of light. In fact, it’s so light that it would easily fall into the white category, but its yellow undertones make it a pleasant (and light) off-white.

Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee vs Other Colors

Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee vs White Dove

Both of these colors are in the Benjamin Moore off-white collection and are actually very similar colors. Both will work well in rooms that have low natural light.

Benjamin Moore White Dove is a little lighter with an LRV of 85.38 and has weaker yellow undertones. It reads as a brighter white that’s still warm, whereas Swiss Coffee reads as creamier.

Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee vs Chantilly Lace

Since Swiss Coffee has an LRV of 83.93, it’s a bit darker than Chantilly Lace, which is 92.2 on the LRV scale. There’s a limit as to how bright I’ll go with white paint, and Chantilly Lace is just about at that line.

With its slightly green undertones, it reads as brighter and less creamy than Swiss Coffee does.

Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee vs Linen White

With an LRV of 82.9, BM Linen White is nearly as bright as Swiss Coffee but reads as way more yellow.

Since yellow tends to turn people away, Swiss Coffee is often much more popular than Linen White because it feels like a warm white without so much of the yellow undertone poking through (most of the time).

Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee OC-45 vs Simply White

Simply White was Ben Moore’s Color of the Year in 2016, and it has been a very popular shade ever since.

Very light and bright with an LRV of 91.7, Simply White is often used not only as a wall color, but for ceilings and trim as well.

Both shades have warm yellow (and some green) undertones, but Swiss Coffee with it’s LRV of 83.93 and some brown hue shows up on walls as darker and richer than Simply White. Not muddy, but just not as bright as Simply White.

Swiss Coffee versus Navajo White

Navajo White is another Ben Moore off-white, but more tinted with an LRV of 79.88, and more creamy and beige-y than Swiss Coffee, and can read even a bit orange in warm artificial or natural light.

All in all, if you’re looking for a warm, rich (but not dark) traditional, even elegant off-white, definitely give Navajo White some more consideration, too.

26 Real Homes Painted Swiss Coffee

Are you ready to get to the fun part? Let’s see this color in action as I share 26 real homes using Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee paint.

Quick note: Don’t forget the finish! Learn all about paint sheen here.

In general, for low-traffic areas like bedrooms, a flat or eggshell finish works great.

Bedrooms Painted Swiss Coffee

1. Swiss Coffee Bedroom with Vaulted Ceiling

I can’t think of a better shade of white for this bright bedroom from Becki Owens. BM Swiss Coffee plays very well with the wood ceiling beams as well as the black accent pieces and pops of blue. It’s soft and creamy enough so that it doesn’t look stark or cold. Plus, it works with the brighter shades of white in the fireplace marble, window shades, and furniture.

2. Guest Room Painted BM Swiss Coffee

In this example by Bria Hammel Interiors, you can see the range that this color has. Look at how the color changes as your eyes move from the window to the darker corner.

See the gray and brown undertones making their appearance? While they would be there anyway due to the lack of light, they’re highlighted by the nearby decor pieces.

3. Warm, Welcoming Wall Color

Hello, creamy yellow! Up until now, we haven’t seen obvious yellow undertones. But, I did say that Swiss Coffee has them, so I had to show them off at least once! 😉 In this example, the yellow is notably there, but it’s not offensive since it really reads as creamy rather than “yellow.”

It’s all about the lighting here, though, because when you scroll through the other images of this bedroom, there’s one from a different angle that doesn’t look nearly as creamy.

It’s a good reminder of how lighting impacts the way a paint shade appears – use those color swatches before you commit to a color!

4. Swiss Coffee Walls and Ceiling

This bedroom from Studio McGee definitely reads as creamy, but you don’t notice the yellow undertones as clearly as you did in the previous example.

Here, the creaminess is just enough of a shade difference to help the walls stand out against the bright white bed and linens. And it looks incredible with that wood beam on the ceiling!

5. Swiss Coffee Master Bedroom

Here’s an interesting example of Swiss Coffee by Benjamin Moore. The lighting in this room definitely brings out those warmer undertones.

But it looks amazing – especially when paired with all the taupe and neutral tones in the nearby decor!

6. Nursery Dresser in Swiss Coffee

Swiss Coffee really shines bright on this repainted dresser-turned-changing table in this nursery reveal from My Design Dump. The off-white drawer fronts softly complement the gray walls in the room.

The paint appears creamy and not too yellow and is the perfect warm combination with the light wood accents in this neutral nursery.

Swiss Coffee Painted Bathrooms

7. Benjamin Moore Board and Batten

Gorgeous! I love how creamy this off-white looks in this bathroom from Zig and Company.

The green, yellow and black surrounding decor get to take center stage, with Swiss Coffee playing a crucial supporting role to make it happen.

8. TImeless Wall Color

Timeless is a perfect description for Swiss Coffee – and I think this bathroom is a prime example. I’m in awe of how understated yet prominent this paint color is in this very chic bathroom.

9. Shiplapped Powder Room in Swiss White

If you are dying to bring shiplap into your home (🙋‍♀️), one look at this half bath from Jenna Kate at Home will probably have you running out to buy supplies today. Just go for it!

And grab some Swiss Coffee (color swatches) to add that warm, comforting vibe that shiplap demands.

Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee Living Spaces

10. Living Room Built-Ins in Swiss Coffee

Swiss Coffee is one of my top choice colors when I want a beautiful, creamy and subtle background to let other decor pieces shine.

I love the simplicity that this color brings, which allows this crazy dichotomy of standing out and fading into the background. Doesn’t it like the perfect shade in this living room from Design Loves Detail?

11. Swiss Coffee Modern Living Space

I think there are few whites or off-whites that bridge the gap between light and dark as well as Swiss Coffee does.

The creamy softness combined with the gray and slight brown undertones makes this a go-to off-white to create a drool-worthy living room. It fits perfectly with the brown, gray, and black pops of color in this space from Wildflower Home Blog.

12. Comfortable, Relaxing Cream Paint

I love the comfortable, relaxed vibe that Swiss Coffee gives, and to me, that’s what a living room is all about. This vintage yet modern living space is the perfect example with its cozy cool furniture pieces and warmly painted walls.

13. BM Swiss Coffee Living Kitchen Combo

Talk about versatility! From easy, comfortable vibe to chic transitional, Swiss Coffee by Benjamin Moore really CAN do it all! It’s very light – but still soft – in a room with tons of natural light like this one from Design Loves Detail.

Kitchen and Dining Rooms in Swiss Coffee Paint

Sheen note: Picking the right color is only winning the battle, not the war. Remember to pick the right paint finish, or sheen, also! Read up on what you need to know about picking the perfect paint sheen.

For kitchens, eggshell or satin are popular finish choices for walls. For cabinets consider semi-gloss or high gloss for the most durable finish (and a gorgeous glow).

14. White Painted Kitchen Cabinetry

Swiss Coffee is an ideal color for kitchen cabinets. Isn’t this color incredible with the blue-gray elements in this kitchen from Becki Owens?

15. Swiss Coffee Kitchen Walls

This kitchen demanded a soft creamy white just like Swiss Coffee to be the color that brings together the light brown wood and light gray counters and backsplash.

16. Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee Dining Area

The dark paint on the doors needed a soft white so that the walls wouldn’t look too crisp or cold.

Swiss Coffee by Benjamin Moore is just the paint color for the job as shown here in this beautiful example from Blesser House.

17. Nice in a Kitchen Nook

At first glance in this kitchen, you see the yellow undertones of the wall paint. However, if you look a little closer, the lighting and surrounding decor are pulling out a nice balance of brown undertones as well.

18. Kitchen Cabinets Painted BM Swiss Coffee

In rooms with lots of natural light like this one from Studio McGee, Swiss Coffee reads as a bright creamy white.

By contrast, in rooms like this kitchen with low natural light, the color reads as even creamier. Add some brass cabinet pulls, and you have the recipe for very warm off-white cabinets.

19. Eclectic Dining Room Swiss Coffee

Remember how I mentioned that Swiss Coffee has very slight green undertones? They come out in this beautiful room from Emily Henderson thanks to the green trim color!

Benjamin Moore’s Swiss Coffee Laundry & Mudrooms

20. Lovely in a Laundry Room

The gray cabinets in this laundry room pull out the gray undertones of Swiss Coffee. The resulting effect is a clean and crisp (but not too crisp) color that’s perfect for a small room with little or no natural light.

21. Mudroom Painted Swiss Coffee by Benjamin Moore

Okay, hands down… I love this mudroom from Touch of Gray Blog! It doesn’t have much in the way of natural light, but that’s no problem for Swiss Coffee! It’s soft, chic, and simple.

22. Marvelous Mudroom

Woah. This space is probably the envy of the entire neighborhood.

Thanks to the wall of windows and Swiss Coffee paint providing the perfect soft subtle background, the outside view can be the focal point.

Swiss Coffee Exteriors

23. Home Exterior Painted in BM Swiss Coffee

White home exteriors with dark brown and black accents are my favorite.

As you can see in this example from Laurel Bern Interiors, Swiss Coffee is a terrific exterior color because it won’t blind anyone when the sun shines on it, and it won’t look gray and drab on a cloudy day.

24. Awesome in Outdoor Living Spaces

I’ve always wanted an outdoor fireplace (or outdoor kitchen), and this one looks pretty dreamy and perfect – if you ask me! I love the Swiss Coffee painted brick fireplace. So cozy and cool.

25. Swiss Coffee OC-45 Outside

Swiss Coffee, like all off-whites, has undertones that surrounding colors can pull out.

Here, the grass is highlighting the green undertones of this paint on the exterior of the house. Once the sun goes down, it won’t look green anymore.

Other Spaces Painted Swiss Coffee

26. Benajmin Moore Swiss Coffee Hallway

I love love love this hallway from Easy – Like Sunday Morning. It’s light, soft, creamy, comfortable, and airy. Swiss Coffee for the win!

Are you feeling the love for Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee yet?

This off-white paint color is so versatile, and its creamy nature works well in many different decor styles and lighting situations. If you’re looking for a soft off-white that isn’t too yellow, check out Swiss Coffee by Benjamin Moore.

Remember it’s always better to sample than be sorry!

Pin this paint color for later! And if you use this paint shade, leave a comment on the pin! That helps others decide if they want to try this color, too!

Pssst…before you go, I sure would love to hang out with you again really soon! And before you’re on your way, make sure you grab your free copy of the 5 Biggest Mistakes People Make When Picking Paint, so you can avoid the heartache (and hole in your wallet) when your paint choices don’t quite work out! Click here, and I’ll send your free copy right now!

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Top 17 kelly moore swiss coffee vs benjamin moore swiss coffee