Benjamin Moore Swiss CoffeevsBenjamin Moore Navajo White
Why this comparison: Two vintage creamy BM whites; Navajo White is yellower, Swiss Coffee softer. Swiss Coffee and Navajo White are very close (ΔE 3.32). The difference shows up most in side-by-side comparison and under specific light.
Built from our full reviews of both colors — same measured data, same real-room photos. About the testing process →
The Numbers
Swiss Coffee is slightly lighter (LRV 82 vs 78, 4-point delta).
What Each Color Really Is
A creamy off-white with real pigment in it — the cream is not a rumor. The hue sits at 44 degrees, squarely in the yellow-gold part of the wheel, and there is a faint green-gray drag on top of it that keeps the yellow from going candy-sweet. That drag is why designers describe Swiss Coffee as "soft" rather than "buttery," and it is also why a few people swear their walls flashed green next to a cool gray floor. Both reactions are the same paint doing the same thing under different neighbors.
At LRV 82 it reflects almost as much light as the brightest whites, and that is the part most people get wrong. Next to White Dove OC-17 at LRV 85, Swiss Coffee is not darker in any meaningful way — it is warmer. Compare it to Alabaster SW 7008 at LRV 82 and Swiss Coffee is actually the lighter of the two, just more golden. So the choice is never about brightness. It is about how much cream you want to see, and how warm your light already is before the paint goes on.
Warm off-white with real pigment in it — and unlike most creams, it does not pretend otherwise. The warmth sits on the orange side of yellow, so on a big wall it can flash faintly peachy before it settles into cream, especially first thing in the morning. That is the honest description people rarely give it: this is a very light, very desaturated yellow, not a neutral that leans warm. Everything good and everything bad about the color comes from that one fact.
At LRV 78 it returns most of the light in a room, but it is not a bright white and it never pretends to be. Put it beside Swiss Coffee OC-45 — nearly the same hex, LRV 84 — and Navajo White suddenly shows its body: a full step creamier, clearly holding color. That six-point gap is the entire difference between the two most-argued-about off-whites in the Benjamin Moore deck, and it is why so many people who thought they wanted Navajo White end up buying Swiss Coffee.
Specs Side by Side
| Spec | Swiss Coffee | Navajo White |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Benjamin Moore | Benjamin Moore |
| SKU | OC-45 | 947 |
| Hex | #EEECE1 | #EEE7D5 |
| RGB | 238, 236, 225 | 238, 231, 213 |
| LRV | 82 | 78 |
| Undertone | yellow / warm | red-orange / warm |
| Family | White | White |
How Light Changes Them
Cool daylight cancels the gold. Reads as a plain, easy soft white — its safest room.
Direct sun pushes the cream forward. By late afternoon the walls can glow yellow.
2700K lamps deepen it toward butter. 3500K–4000K bulbs pull it back to white.
At LRV 82 it lifts a dark room beautifully — as long as the bulbs are not warm.
Cool flat daylight cancels the yellow and leaves soft cream. This is the room it was made for.
Strong sun stacks on top of the pigment. By afternoon it is a pale yellow wall, not an off-white one.
2700K bulbs push it further into gold — cozy in a bedroom, surprising in a kitchen.
Neutral bulbs strip a lot of the yellow out. The cheapest fix for a room that reads too warm.
Both Colors in Real Rooms
Photos from our full reviews — the same rooms and captions, so you can judge each color where it actually lives, not on a chip.
When to Pick Which
Whole-house walls and trim in one soft color · dim hallways, stairwells and windowless baths · kitchen cabinets with wood counters and brass · older homes with heavy millwork and warm floors
Your ceiling or trim stays a bright builder white · a south-facing room blazes all afternoon · your floors, tile or counters are cool gray · you want a crisp modern gallery white
North-facing rooms and dim hallways · houses with oak or stained trim you are keeping · traditional, Spanish and stucco exteriors · whole-house repaints where easy touch-ups matter
Your floors or tile are cool gray · you want a crisp modern white · the room takes hard south or west afternoon sun · your trim is already a bright blue-white
No comparison page can see your light. Upload one photo of your room and try both colors on the same walls, seconds apart.
Swiss Coffee vs Navajo White FAQ
Which is lighter, Swiss Coffee or Navajo White?
Swiss Coffee is lighter: LRV 82 vs 78. Swiss Coffee is slightly lighter (LRV 82 vs 78, 4-point delta).
Which is warmer, Swiss Coffee or Navajo White?
They sit in the same temperature family: Swiss Coffee reads yellow / warm, Navajo White reads red-orange / warm. Side by side, undertone is not the deciding factor here.
How similar are Swiss Coffee and Navajo White?
Swiss Coffee and Navajo White are very close (ΔE 3.32). The difference shows up most in side-by-side comparison and under specific light. The only reliable test is seeing both in your own room and light — a side-by-side on a screen or chip flattens the difference.
Can I use Swiss Coffee and Navajo White together in one house?
Not in the same room, and be careful in the same house. At ΔE 3.32 they are so close that two walls in each will read as a tinting mistake, not a design choice. Pick one, or keep them on different floors where they are never seen together.
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