Color spec
| Brand | Dunn-Edwards |
| Name | Cottage White |
| SKU | DEW318 |
| Hex | #F7EFDD |
| RGB | 247, 239, 221 |
| HSL | 42°, 62%, 92% |
| LRV | 80 |
| Undertone | warm red-orange tone |
| Family | White |
What Color Is Cottage White, Really?
Cottage White (DEW341) is a soft, warm white with a real cream cast. Its color sits in the pale-yellow range, and while the saturation is moderate rather than strong, there is enough of it that the cream reads on a full wall. This is not a stark, bright white. Think closer to vanilla or fresh butter softened almost to white, with no gray in it.
With an LRV of 84 it is very light and bounces a lot of daylight around a room, so small or dim spaces feel more open. Dunn-Edwards designers reach for it as the warm-creamy white they spec for traditional homes.
It suits cottage, farmhouse, Craftsman and classic interiors, especially homes with wood trim, wood floors or older millwork. If pure white always looks cold or clinical to you, this is the friendlier, lived-in alternative.
Cottage White leans clearly warm and yellow. It is not a near-neutral white with just a whisper of color, its warmth is real and shows up on a wall, though it stops well short of looking like a full cream or yellow paint.
Where it shows most is on large, uninterrupted walls and in strong daylight, where the yellow can build and read almost buttery by midday. Set next to a true bright white, like clean cabinetry or a white ceiling, the warmth becomes obvious and it can look soft or slightly aged by comparison.
Test it against a pure white index card and against your fixed elements. Beside warm wood, stone or brass it settles and looks natural. Beside cool grays or blue-based whites the yellow gets emphasized, so judge it in the actual room before committing.
Best Rooms and Uses for Cottage White
With an LRV of 84 this is a whole-home light color, not a statement shade. It is happiest carried across many rooms as a soft, unifying backdrop, and it works well in living rooms, bedrooms, hallways, kitchens and bathrooms where you want warmth without going dark.
It makes a fine ceiling and trim color in traditional homes, giving millwork a mellow, non-glaring finish that suits older architecture better than a stark white would. On cabinetry it reads as a warm, creamy painted finish that pairs naturally with wood floors and butcher-block or stone counters.
Outdoors it works as a soft body color on cottage and farmhouse siding, and equally as an exterior trim white. Because it is so light, save your contrast for the front door, shutters or an accent color rather than expecting these walls to carry drama.
How Lighting Changes Cottage White
At LRV 84 Cottage White is one of the most reflective colors you can put on a wall, so it magnifies whatever light hits it. In dim or windowless rooms it holds onto brightness and rarely looks dingy.
North-facing rooms get cool, indirect light that tempers the yellow and turns it into a gentle cream, which is often its most flattering look. South-facing rooms push the opposite way, amplifying the warmth so it can read distinctly buttery around midday. East light makes it glow warm in the morning, while west light gives it a golden cast in the late afternoon.
Bulbs matter just as much. Warm 2700K lamps deepen the yellow, so if you want to keep it balanced use neutral 3500K to 4000K bulbs. Always look at a sample on the wall at several times of day.
Most complaints about Cottage 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.
TEST IT IN YOUR LIGHT →Cottage White vs Similar Colors
Antique White (DEW351) at LRV 73 is the deeper, creamier cousin. It puts noticeably more color on the wall and feels cozier, so choose it when Cottage White's LRV 84 looks too pale or washes out in bright light. Cottage White is the better pick when you want more reflectance and a lighter overall room.
Historic White (DET653) at LRV 79 is very close but reads a touch softer and more muted, a little less bright and open than Cottage White. If you like the warmth but want the walls to feel gently aged rather than clean, Historic White leans that way.
Rice Bowl (DE6170) at LRV 75 is warmer still and carries a faint pink-beige quality, where Cottage White stays on the clean yellow-cream side. Compare all of these side by side, since the differences are subtle on a chip but clear across a full wall.
Colors That Go With Cottage White
For crisp trim and ceilings, Whisper (DEW340) at LRV 84 is a cleaner, less yellow white that reads as the fresh accent against Cottage White's warmth, giving you contrast without a hard line.
For a second wall color or an adjoining room, Dover Cliffs (DEC771) at LRV 67 is a soft greige that steps down in lightness while staying in the same warm family. To ground the scheme with more depth, Berkshire Beige (DEC760) at LRV 50 adds a mid-tone neutral for a lower wall, built-ins or a hallway.
For real contrast, Iron Mountain (DET637) at LRV 11 is a near-charcoal that suits island cabinets, an accent wall or interior doors. On a front door, Maiden Voyage (DEA178) at LRV 8 brings a deep navy. Warm woods and brass or aged-bronze metals also sit comfortably with this creamy base.
Need It From Another Brand?
Any paint counter can custom-tint Dunn-Edwards DEW318 directly — but if you would rather stay in one brand's own deck, these are the closest stock matches:
Similar Dunn-Edwards colors
closest in the Dunn-Edwards deckThe nearest shades to Cottage White within Dunn-Edwards's own range, ranked by perceptual color distance — useful when you want the same look a touch lighter, darker, or warmer.
Coordinated palette
Generated by hue-rotating #F7EFDD in HSL space. Pair Cottage White with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.
Accessibility (WCAG contrast)
WCAG 2.1: AA = 4.5:1 normal text · AA Large = 3:1 large text · AAA = 7:1 normal text.
The Questions Everyone Asks
Is Cottage White a warm or cool white, and does it read yellow or gray?
Cottage White is a warm white, not a cool one, and it reads yellow and creamy rather than gray. There is no gray or blue in it, so it will never look crisp or clinical. On a full wall the soft yellow warmth is visible, especially in strong daylight, which is exactly why it suits traditional and cottage-style homes.
What trim white pairs with Cottage White?
Whisper (DEW340) is a good trim and ceiling partner. It shares Cottage White's high LRV of 84 but is cleaner and less yellow, so it reads as the crisp accent against Cottage White's warmth. That gives you a gentle contrast on millwork and doors without a harsh, jarring line between the two colors.
Can Cottage White be used on cabinets and exteriors?
Yes to both. On cabinets it gives a warm, creamy painted finish that works well with wood floors and stone or butcher-block counters. Outdoors it serves as a soft body color on cottage and farmhouse siding, and also as an exterior trim white. Being very light, it stays bright and airy rather than reading as a bold statement color.
What does an LRV of 84 mean in practice for Cottage White?
LRV measures how much light a color reflects, from 0 for black to 100 for pure white. At 84, Cottage White is very reflective and bounces most of the light that reaches it. In practice that means it brightens small, dim or north-facing rooms and helps them feel more open, while staying soft instead of glaringly white.
How is Cottage White different from Antique White?
Both are warm Dunn-Edwards whites, but Antique White (DEW351) is deeper at LRV 73, so it shows more color and feels cozier and more enveloping. Cottage White at LRV 84 is lighter and more reflective, keeping a room brighter and airier. Choose Antique White for warmth and depth, Cottage White when you want a lighter, cleaner cream.
Should I sample Cottage White before painting?
Yes. Because it is a warm white with real yellow in it, Cottage White shifts a lot with light and can look buttery in bright south light or cleaner under cool bulbs. Paint a large sample or board, view it on different walls and at several times of day, and compare it against your trim and a pure white card before deciding.
Will It Work in YOUR Room?
No page can promise how Cottage White behaves in your light. Upload a photo and see it on your own walls in seconds — before you spend a cent on samples.
TRY COTTAGE WHITE ON YOUR ROOM →
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