Soft White
2170-70 · #FAEDE3 · LRV 83 — near-white with a hint of color, very light — near-white, broadens small spaces.
- 1Agreeable Gray60
- 2Pale Oak69
- 3Soft White83
- 4Moonlit Beach88
- 5Crème Fraiche93
What Color Is Soft White, Really?
Soft White 2170-70 is a near-white with a warm blush in it. Its LRV is 83, high in the white range, so it reflects a lot of light and reads bright on a wall. The hex is #FAEDE3 with the hue at 26 degrees, on the red-orange side, and lightness around 94 percent. In plain terms it is a white with a faint peach-pink warmth rather than a neutral or a cool one.
People choose it when a plain white feels flat or clinical and a cream feels too yellow. The blush warmth softens edges and flatters skin tones, which is why colors like this show up in bedrooms, dressing rooms, bathrooms, and nurseries. At this lightness it still functions as a white, so it can carry a whole house without reading as a color choice.
The name sets a trap. Soft White is not a neutral white. On a large wall, in south light, or under warm bulbs, the peach side becomes visible and some people are surprised by it. It also bounces its warmth onto white trim and ceilings, which can make a true white beside it look slightly blue. Benjamin Moore sells through independent dealers, so pick up a sample and paint a board large enough to show the wall effect.
The hue sits at 26 degrees, in the red-orange range, and in the hex #FAEDE3 the red channel is highest, green next, and blue lowest. That descending pattern is what gives the color its peach-cream character. Lightness is around 94 percent, so the pigment is heavily diluted and the warmth stays gentle in most conditions. What you see depends on neighbors. Against a crisp blue-white it looks obviously peach. Against a yellow-based cream it reads pinker, because the neighbor claims the yellow. Against an actual pink it looks like a plain warm white. Cool gray tile, white marble with gray veining, and stainless surfaces all make the blush jump forward, sometimes more than you want in a bathroom or kitchen. Paint a board and hold it against your existing tile, counter, and trim white before you commit, since this color is defined by contrast more than by itself.
Best Rooms and Uses for Soft White
This is a whole-home near-white that earns its place in rooms that feel cold. Bedrooms, nurseries, dressing rooms, guest rooms, and north-facing living rooms all benefit from the blush warmth, and hallways painted in it feel less like a corridor. On ceilings it takes the sterile edge off flat white without looking colored. It works on trim and doors in a house that runs warm throughout, though many people prefer a cleaner white on trim so the walls have something to sit against. On cabinets it gives a soft, aged look rather than a modern one. Outdoors it holds up as a light warm body color with white trim and a dark door. Where it disappoints is next to cool materials. Gray-veined marble, blue-gray tile, and cool stainless kitchens all pull the peach forward and can make the walls look pink.
How Lighting Changes Soft White
At LRV 83 Soft White reflects a great deal of light, so brightness is never the issue. Direction of light is. North-facing rooms are where it behaves best, because cool indirect daylight tempers the peach and the walls settle into a warm, soft white with just enough color to feel comfortable. South and west rooms push the other way. Direct afternoon sun brings the blush forward and large walls can look faintly pink. East rooms show the warmth in the morning and quiet down later. Bulbs shift it as much as windows do. Warm 2700K lamps deepen the peach at night, which reads cozy in a bedroom and less so in a kitchen. Neutral 3500K to 4000K bulbs hold it closer to a plain white. Because the LRV is high, the color also bounces onto ceilings and trim, so check those surfaces in your sample, not just the wall.
Most complaints about Soft White are a light mismatch. Upload a photo of your actual room and see it on your walls — then ask for the same wall in north light or evening lamps before you buy a single sample.
Need It From Another Brand?
Any paint counter can custom-tint Benjamin Moore 2170-70 directly. If you would rather stay in one brand's own deck, these are the closest stock matches, measured as ΔE2000. Under 2 is a difference you will not see on the wall.
| Brand | Closest color | ΔE | LRV | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherwin-Williams | Palish PeachSW 7114 · Sherwin-Williams | 1.2 | 85 | Color page → |
| Behr | Soft MuslinW-D-110 · Behr | 1.4 | 86 | Color page → |
| Valspar | Halogen8007-11A · Valspar | 2.8 | 87 | Color page → |
| Glidden | Terrace White53YY 87/070 · Glidden | 3.6 | 87 | Color page → |
| Dutch Boy | Aged Marble006W · Dutch Boy | 4.4 | 87 | Color page → |
| HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams | Mercer WhiteHGSW 4054 · HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams | 2.9 | 87 | Color page → |
Similar Benjamin Moore Colors
The nearest shades to Soft White within Benjamin Moore's own range, ranked by perceptual color distance — useful when you want the same look a touch lighter, darker, or warmer.
WCAG 2.1: AA is 4.5 : 1 for normal text, 3 : 1 for large text, AAA is 7 : 1.
Soft White vs Similar Colors
Fondant AF-255 at #F8EDE3 and LRV 86 is the closest sibling and differs mainly in light return, so it reads a little brighter while keeping the same warmth. Frosted Petal 2089-70 at #F9ECE7 and LRV 82 carries more blue, which makes it read pinker and slightly cooler than Soft White. Ecru 2014-70 at #FDEFE2 and LRV 85 drops the blue and gains yellow, so it looks creamier. Sun Washed 2169-70 at #FDEEE5 and LRV 84 is brighter with a touch more peach. Across brands, Albino 1062, sold by Kompozit, Hirshfield's, and Diamond Vogel, is a genuine match at deltaE 0.53 to 0.86, and Dunn-Edwards Alpaca Wool DE6113 at 0.79 is equally close. Sherwin-Williams Palish Peach SW 7114 at 1.24 and Behr Soft Muslin W-D-110 at 1.38 are visually identical in normal room light. Clare Wing It at 2.23 and Valspar Halogen 8007-11A at 2.78 are very close but sample first. Farrow & Ball Pointing No. 2003 at 4.78 is close but visibly different, reading yellower and less pink.
Colors That Go With Soft White
The nearest colors in the line give the easiest companions. Fondant AF-255 at LRV 86 is a few points brighter with nearly the same character and is a natural trim white over Soft White walls. Ecru 2014-70 at LRV 85 leans slightly more yellow, useful in a connected room where you want the warmth to move toward cream. Sun Washed 2169-70 at LRV 84 and Sun Kissed Peach 2168-70 at LRV 85 are brighter and a touch peachier, good on a ceiling above Soft White walls. Bridal Pink 2013-70 at LRV 85 confirms the pink direction if you want it, and Frosted Petal 2089-70 at LRV 82 sits slightly deeper and cooler. Beyond whites, warm oak, walnut, rattan, brass, and aged bronze all sit comfortably with it. For contrast use a deep green, a warm charcoal, or a black on doors and hardware rather than a cool gray, which can look blue beside it.
Coordinated palette
Generated by hue-rotating #FAEDE3 in HSL space. Pair Soft White with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.
Soft White FAQ
Is Soft White warm or cool?
It is warm. The hue sits at 26 degrees on the red-orange side, so the color carries a faint peach-pink cast rather than a gray or blue one. Despite the name it is not a neutral white. In cool north light the warmth reads as gentle and soft, while direct sun brings the blush forward.
What LRV is Soft White?
Soft White has an LRV of 83. Light reflectance value runs from 0 for black to 100 for pure white, so 83 is high and the color returns plenty of light. It brightens small or dim rooms and behaves like a white on the wall, while keeping a visible warmth that a true white does not have.
Is Soft White actually pink?
It has a pink-peach lean but it is not a pink. In the hex #FAEDE3 red is highest and blue lowest, which produces a blush cast at very high lightness. On a small chip it looks like a plain white. On a full wall, especially under warm bulbs or afternoon sun, the blush becomes noticeable.
Does Soft White work in a dark room?
Yes. At LRV 83 it reflects a lot of light, so it lifts a dim or north-facing room, and the warm base keeps it from turning gray and gloomy the way a cool white can in low light. Pair it with warm 2700K to 3000K bulbs and the peach reads cozy rather than pink.
What trim goes with Soft White?
Fondant AF-255 at LRV 86 is a close relative that reads slightly brighter, so it gives a gentle trim step without a color clash. A cool, blue-based white on trim is riskier, because Soft White bounces warmth onto it and the trim can start to look blue. Running Soft White on both walls and trim also works well in a soft, low-contrast room.
How is Soft White different from Fondant?
Fondant AF-255 sits at LRV 86 with a hex of #F8EDE3 against Soft White at LRV 83 and #FAEDE3, so the two share nearly the same warmth and differ mostly in brightness. Fondant reads a little lighter and cleaner, which makes it useful as trim over Soft White walls. Use Soft White when you want a fraction more color in the wall itself.
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