Linen White
Dunn-Edwards' rosy linen-beige, reviewed honestly: not Benjamin Moore's cream, the rooms where the undertone earns its keep, and the trim that makes it look dirty.
Jessica has spec'd whites and neutrals for more than 300 rooms and keeps a sample wall of painted drawdowns in her studio. Every color review is checked against real reader rooms in the comments and re-tested when a formula changes. About the testing process →
- 1Revere Pewter55
- 2Agreeable Gray60
- 3Linen White68
- 4Shoji White74
- 5Dover White83
The Fast Verdict
Dunn-Edwards Linen White is linen fabric, not paper. At LRV 68 it is a low-chroma rosy beige — warm enough to finish a room, deep enough that any true white next to it makes it look dingy. Dunn-Edwards keeps DEC749 in Classics as a light beige, not as a white. Buy it when you want that unbleached-linen read on walls or cabinets. Skip it if the word White on the can is doing the selling, or if you meant Benjamin Moore's cream of the same name.
Warm living rooms and bedrooms with oak · kitchen cabinets with brass and butcher block · one-color walls + trim in older houses · anyone who actually wants linen-beige, not a white
You actually want a white · trim is staying Whisper, Warm White, or leftover builder-bright · cool grey marble, grey LVP, or cool LEDs · you searched Linen White and meant Benjamin Moore
- Real linen-beige body at LRV 68 — rosy, not yellow-cream
- One-color rooms (walls + trim + ceiling) look original in older houses
- Flatters oak, walnut, plaster, brass — every warm wood tone
- Cabinets hide scuffs better than Whisper, Warm White, or any gallery white
- The rose is the useful gap in the DE Classics: not Bone White, not Navajo White
- Looks dingy and slightly pink next to Whisper, Warm White, or a white tub
- Not a white — buyers expecting white see beige by the second wall
- Cool north light and grey floors pull the rosy undertone all the way forward
- The name collides with Benjamin Moore Linen White — a different, brighter cream
What Color Is Linen White, Really?
The name is the trap, twice. Linen White sounds like a cousin of White Dove — a soft wall white you could put on trim. It is not. Dunn-Edwards files DEC749 in the Classics collection as a soft neutral with a subtle rosy undertone, Munsell 7.84YR at chroma 1.0: yellow-red family, almost no saturation, the color of unbleached linen, not of paper. That YR hue is the whole distinction from the yellow-ivory Classics sitting next to it. Bone White (DEC741) is a yellow-ivory at LRV 69. Navajo White in this deck is a yellow-beige at LRV 70. Linen White is the pinker of the three — peach-beige, not butter. The second trap is Benjamin Moore Linen White (PM-28, LRV 83), a brighter yellow cream already reviewed on this site. Almost every internet photo tagged Linen White is that can. Confirm the chip says Dunn-Edwards DEC749 before you buy gallons.
At LRV 68 it sits almost twenty points below the creams people compare it to. Whisper is at 87; White Dove is at 85; Dunn-Edwards Swiss Coffee is at 83; Cottage White is at 80; Birch White is at 79. Pale Oak is the useful cross-brand neighbor at LRV 69 — similar depth, greige, no rose. Stucco Tan in this deck is the same number, 68, and sandy instead of rosy. That gap is the useful part if you want a light beige with body, and the whole problem if you wanted a white. On a wall Linen White holds enough peach-beige to soften shadows and flatter oak; on millwork it reads as painted woodwork rather than plastic-bright. Put it next to Warm White (LRV 93) or leftover builder trim and the field looks unwashed, because it is beige.
Undertone in one line: warm rosy-beige, low chroma — peach first, never a clean white, never the yellow cream BM sells under this name. In even south or east daylight it reads as finished linen. In cool north light the rose comes forward and the wall can look faintly pink or dingy. In west afternoon sun it goes peach, not butter. If your sample looks dirty, a brighter white is sitting next to it, or the bulbs are cool. If it looks pink, that is the YR hue being honest about the hour. Both versions are the same can.
Where It Shines
Give it real daylight, warm wood, and no brighter white next to it, and it behaves like the linen it is named for: quiet, finished, a little peach, never chalky. The one-color room — walls, trim, and ceiling all Linen White with only sheen changes — is the pairing this color was mixed for: older plaster, oak floors, and unbleached textiles look original instead of freshly painted. Kitchens are the second home when the counters are warm: satin on cabinets hides knuckle marks a gallery white would broadcast, and butcher block plus unlacquered brass sit comfortably against the rosy beige.
Where It Fails
Almost every regret about this color follows one of three scripts, and all three are visible on a large sample before the first gallon. None of them are a bad batch — but if your room matches one, this is not your white, and a second coat will not fix it.
The can says White. The wall says beige. At LRV 68 this is a light rosy linen, not a white, and treating the chip as a soft white is how you end up with a peach-beige you did not order. If white is the goal, Whisper (LRV 87) is the Dunn-Edwards can; Milk Glass (LRV 86) is the cream that still reads as white. This one is linen.
The most common pairing mistake: Linen White walls, Whisper, Warm White, or leftover builder-white on the trim. Warm White is a true white wearing a warm name (LRV 93) — twenty-five points brighter, and it wins the comparison. Linen White looks dingy, slightly pink, slightly unwashed. Chantilly Lace (LRV 90) and a standard white tub do the same trick. The fix is the one-color rule: walls, trim, and ceiling all Linen White, sheen change only.
Carrara-look quartz, grey LVP, and cool north daylight sit at the opposite temperature and shove the rosy undertone forward until the wall reads pink-beige or dirty cream. On the chip it is a soft linen; in those rooms the peach is the whole story. Sample a big board on the actual north wall and against the actual slab. If you cannot live with the pink hour, or the stone is staying cool, pick Whisper or Chantilly Lace and let the floor be the soft one.
Room by Room
With oak or walnut, plaster, and south or east light it is the settled linen those rooms were built around. Eggshell on the walls; same color on trim in semi-gloss. Grey LVP and a wall of cool art will pull the rose forward — sample first. A west glass wall is the peach-hour test, not a given.
Warm counters, brass, butcher block, terracotta — all of it loves this beige. Satin on cabinets wipes clean and hides knuckle marks around handles. Cool white quartz, grey tile, or a white farmhouse sink will make the boxes look more pink-beige by contrast. Urethane-fortified cabinet enamel either way.
Filtered daylight and 2700K bulbs hold the linen to a glow instead of a peach wall. Eggshell; same color in semi-gloss on the millwork. Crisp white linens will make the walls look more beige than they are — stay on cream or oatmeal bedding. If the bedroom faces north and stays dim, Whisper is the Dunn-Edwards answer, not this.
Dining rooms run on lamplight, and 2700K bulbs make the rosy beige look intentional rather than dirty. Pair it with Light Sage — it needs real sun to read green, and this cream is the trim that keeps it from going khaki — or drench the room in one color. A west-facing dining room with uncovered glass is the afternoon peach test again.
Semi-gloss Linen White under mid-tone greige, sage, or Stonish Beige reads as classic painted woodwork, not a bright cut line. Do not use it as trim under a cool gray or a crisp white wall — that is where the beige looks like discoloration. One-color houses work: Linen White walls in eggshell, the same formula in semi-gloss on the woodwork. Warm White on the casings is the pairing to sample and usually decline.
With warm stone, wood vanities, and brass: easy. With a white tub, white tile, or cool grey marble: it argues, and the linen looks dingy-pink — the same trap every off-white in this depth hits. If the fixtures are staying bright white, use Whisper or Milk Glass on the walls and vanity instead.
Your Light Is the Risk
Even warm daylight keeps the rose quiet and the wall reads as finished linen. This is the light where LRV 68 still behaves like a soft off-white.
Cool grey daylight strips the warmth and leaves the rosy base exposed. The wall goes dingy pink-beige. Test a big board on that wall before you buy gallons.
Quiet linen in the morning, fuller peach-beige by afternoon, a short rosy flash at golden hour. It changes — most people who wanted beige love it.
2700K lamps: creamier, cozier, the bedroom version. Cool LEDs: the rose reads dirty-pink — swap bulbs, not paint.
Most complaints about Linen 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 Dunn-Edwards DEC749 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 | Polite WhiteSW 6056 · Sherwin-Williams | 0.9 | 74 | Color page → |
| Behr | Tuscan BeigePWN-62 · Behr | 1.6 | 73 | Color page → |
| Benjamin Moore | Bride To Be1009 · Benjamin Moore | 0.5 | 71 | Color page → |
| Valspar | Bungalow White2005-10C · Valspar | 0.5 | 73.3 | Color page → |
| PPG / Glidden | South PeakPPG1071-1 · PPG / Glidden | 1.3 | 74 | Color page → |
| Glidden | Pine HutchPPG1067-1 · Glidden | 2.3 | 73 | Color page → |
Similar Dunn-Edwards Colors
The nearest shades to Linen 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.
WCAG 2.1: AA is 4.5 : 1 for normal text, 3 : 1 for large text, AAA is 7 : 1.
Linen White vs the Colors You're Also Considering
Every Linen White sample board has the same rivals on it. The numbers show the real lightness gap — then it comes down to which risk you would rather live with.
Pick this when your painter is already in Dunn-Edwards and you want the deeper, rosier linen-beige, not BM's yellow cream.
Benjamin Moore PM-28 · LRV 83Linen WhitePick this if you meant the famous cream — fifteen points brighter, yellow not rosy, a beautiful cream with a narrow lane.
Pick this when Whisper feels too clean and you want the linen to show.
Dunn-Edwards DEW340 · LRV 87WhisperPick this if you actually want a white — Dunn-Edwards' White Dove analog, grayed and nineteen points brighter.
Linen White Coordinating Colors
The rule for coordinating with Dunn-Edwards Linen White: stay on the warm side of the fence, and do not put a brighter true white next to it. It flatters dusty beiges, stucco sages, deep navies, and warm woods — and it argues with icy blues, cool greys, and blue-grey stone. These are the partners that keep showing up in rooms that work:
Not Benjamin Moore Linen White
If you landed here from a search for Linen White, pause. Benjamin Moore Linen White (PM-28) is the cream half of the internet has on Pinterest boards: LRV 83, yellow with a grayed edge, famous enough to have its own regret pattern — it looks dingy beige in the wrong room, and it is a beautiful cream with a narrow lane. That review is already on this site. Dunn-Edwards Linen White is a different paint: fifteen LRV points deeper, rosy-beige not yellow, a Western-counter Classic with almost no independent designer write-ups of its own.
The name collision is the whole risk. Painters will color-match the Benjamin Moore cream into a Dunn-Edwards base if you ask for Linen White without a SKU, and you will not get this color. Hold the chip next to PM-28 if you have both — the Dunn-Edwards field is clearly the darker, pinker linen of the two. Match the can to DEC749 and the hex to #E9DCD1, not to a memory of someone else's kitchen.
Linen White With Wood Tones and Floors
Warm wood loves it. Walnut, pale white oak, butcher block, and cedar all sit comfortably against this linen because the rosy beige meets theirs halfway. Unbleached linen textiles, seagrass, and wool rugs are the company the name promises. If your floors are orange-leaning builder oak, sample first: the rose can push the floor more orange the way a yellow cream would, just from the other side of warm.
The flooring that needs a sample first is cool grey LVP or grey-washed wood. Grey floors pull the rosy undertone into relief, and the wall can read pink-beige against them. Warm rugs will not rescue a whole-room clash. Cream carpet is fine; honey oak is a maybe, not a no. Metals are the easy part: unlacquered brass, antique bronze, and matte black all work; polished chrome is the one that leans cold against it.
Three Ready Palettes Built on Linen White
A color is never alone on the wall. These are complete combinations in the 60-30-10 pattern, with the reason each one holds together. Every one opens in the visualizer.
One linen at two sheens keeps older plaster from growing a dirty-trim line. Hale Navy is the single dark note the scheme needs, and it stays navy as long as the room has light.
Try this palette in your roomFine Grain is the DE workhorse greige, and it shares enough warmth with this linen that the wall-to-cabinet handoff stays quiet — until the light goes cool, which is Fine Grain's real risk. The navy island grounds the peach-beige so the kitchen does not float. Keep the counters warm.
Try this palette in your roomLight Sage needs real sun to read green, and this linen is the trim that keeps it from going khaki. Stonish Beige is the Southwest's default stucco beige — one warm mid-tone so the dining room does not look like a sage theme.
Try this palette in your roomLinen White FAQ
Is Dunn-Edwards Linen White the same as Benjamin Moore Linen White?
No. Benjamin Moore Linen White (PM-28, LRV 83) is the famous yellow cream already reviewed on this site — a beautiful cream with a narrow lane. Dunn-Edwards Linen White is fifteen points deeper at LRV 68, rosy-beige not yellow, a Western-counter linen with almost no independent designer write-ups of its own. Almost every photo tagged Linen White online is the Benjamin Moore can. Match by brand and SKU, never by the name on the sticker.
Is it warm or cool? Will it look pink?
Warm — rosy-beige, not grayed, not yellow-cream. In south or east light it reads as finished linen. In cool north light or under cool LEDs the rose comes forward and the wall can look faintly pink or dingy. It never reads icy. If pink is your dealbreaker, this is not your can; that is Whisper or Pale Oak.
What trim color goes with Linen White walls?
Linen White itself, in semi-gloss. A brighter trim white — Whisper at LRV 87, Warm White at LRV 93, leftover builder white, Chantilly Lace — makes the walls look dirty. That pairing is the most common mistake with this color. If you insist on contrast, go darker (Fine Grain or Stonish Beige), never brighter.
Is it good for kitchen cabinets?
Yes, if the counters are warm. Satin Linen White on shaker doors flatters butcher block, oak, and unlacquered brass, and it hides scuffs better than a brighter white. Cool white quartz, grey tile, or a white farmhouse sink will make the boxes look more pink-beige. Use a urethane-fortified cabinet enamel.
Will it look dingy in my room?
Next to a true white, yes. In a dim north room with no lamps, also yes — the rose goes dirty. In even south or east daylight it stays linen. Cool LEDs and grey floors will pull the peach forward too. Sample a big board on the actual wall and look at it through the afternoon before you commit.
How is it different from Whisper, Bone White, or Stucco Tan?
Whisper (DEW340, LRV 87) is Dunn-Edwards' White Dove: grayed, nineteen points brighter, still a white. Bone White (DEC741, LRV 69) is the yellow-ivory Classic next door — same depth, no rose. Stucco Tan (DE6205, LRV 68) is the sandy beige at the same number. Linen White is the rosy one. If Whisper is too clean and Bone White is too yellow, this is the gap.
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