Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee Paint Review (And the Sherwin Williams Answer)

This is my honest Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee review.

Swiss Coffee is the creamy white behind a thousand Studio McGee inspired kitchens. It’s warm, it’s soft, and it has been quietly popular for well over a decade.

It’s also the most confusing paint color in America.

Here’s why: at least ten different paint brands sell a color called Swiss Coffee, and they are not the same color. So before we talk undertones and LRV, we need to sort out which Swiss Coffee you’re actually asking about.

Let’s untangle it.

What Color Is Swiss Coffee?

Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee OC-45 is a soft, creamy off-white. It’s warmer than most whites and gentler than most creams, which is exactly the space people want to live in.

Fun bit of trivia: in Switzerland, kaffee crème is an espresso drink with a soft foam on top. The color is named for the froth, not the coffee.

The technical details, straight from Benjamin Moore:

• Color: Swiss Coffee OC-45
• Hex: #EEECE1
• RGB: 238, 236, 225
• LRV: 81.91

Wait, Which Swiss Coffee?

This is the part most reviews skip, and it’s the reason people end up with the wrong color on their walls.

Here’s how the main three compare:

• Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee OC-45 (LRV 82).
  The famous one. The most muted and the most neutral of the group, with the faintest gray steadying the cream.
• Behr Swiss Coffee 12 (LRV 84).
  Brighter and noticeably creamier, with a peachy lean. It has been one of Behr’s best sellers for years.
• Valspar Swiss Coffee 7002-16 (LRV 86).
  The lightest and cleanest of the three. Barely any undertone at all.

So if a friend raves about Swiss Coffee and you buy a different brand’s version, you may not get the color you saw. Always ask which one.

Does Sherwin Williams have Swiss Coffee?

No. Sherwin Williams doesn’t sell a Swiss Coffee in its main paint deck, which surprises a lot of people who go looking for it.

You’ll see plenty of articles claiming otherwise, usually mixing up brand codes. Take that as a caution: if a source can’t keep the brands straight, don’t trust its undertone advice either.

If you want the Swiss Coffee look in Sherwin Williams, these are your closest options:

• Alabaster SW 7008 (LRV 82).
  The closest match to the Benjamin Moore version, and identical in LRV. This is my pick.
• Greek Villa SW 7551 (LRV 84).
  A little brighter. A great match for the Behr and Glidden versions.
• Snowbound SW 7004 (LRV 83).
  Cooler and slightly pink, but it captures the same soft-white feeling.

For the rest of this review, when I say Swiss Coffee, I mean the Benjamin Moore version.

Swiss Coffee LRV and Undertones

LRV stands for Light Reflectance Value, from 0 (black) to 100 (pure white). Swiss Coffee sits at 81.91, so call it 82.

That puts it right on the line between white and off-white. In a room by itself, it reads as a soft white. Next to anything crisper, its cream comes forward immediately.

The undertones

Swiss Coffee is creamy, and creamy usually means yellow to most eyes. There’s a whisper of gray in it that keeps it from going full butter, but make no mistake: this is a warm color.

Here’s how it behaves:

• In morning light, it reads brightest and shows its creamy side.
• In north-facing rooms, its warmth is an asset. It pushes back against cold blue light.
• Under warm bulbs at night, it takes on a golden glow.
• Next to a bright white, it looks distinctly cream. Every time.

How lighting changes Swiss Coffee

My Tip: If you love the idea of Swiss Coffee but fear yellow walls, try it at 75 percent strength. Studio McGee popularized this trick, and it works. You keep the softness and lose some of the cream. Ask your paint store to mix it at 75%.

Where Swiss Coffee Works Best

Swiss Coffee walls and trim

This is Swiss Coffee’s best use, and there’s a specific rule attached to it.

Use Swiss Coffee as your only white. Walls, trim, doors, ceiling. Let the sheen create the contrast instead of a second color: flat on the ceiling, eggshell on walls, semi-gloss on trim and doors.

Do that and Swiss Coffee reads as a soft, expensive white. It’s the whole look.

Swiss Coffee kitchen cabinets

Swiss Coffee cabinets are gorgeous if you’re at peace with creamy cabinets. That mushroomy, off-white cabinet look has been trending for years and it suits traditional and transitional kitchens beautifully.

It’s also practical. Creamy whites hide fingerprints and splashes far better than stark whites, which matters in a kitchen that gets used.

I’d think twice in a very modern or contemporary kitchen, where the cream can read dated against sharp lines. See my trendy farmhouse white kitchen ideas for how creamy whites live in real kitchens.

Swiss Coffee living room

In living rooms, Swiss Coffee does exactly what you want a warm white to do. It brightens the space without the chill of pure white, and it lets your furniture and art carry the personality.

It’s especially good in living rooms that don’t get much natural light, where a cool white would feel bleak. Browse my farmhouse living room paint colors for more options in this range.

Swiss Coffee bedroom

Bedrooms are where Swiss Coffee’s evening glow becomes a feature instead of a flaw. Under lamplight it goes soft and golden, and the whole room feels safe and warm.

More ideas in my calming farmhouse bedroom paint colors guide.

Swiss Coffee exterior

Outside, Swiss Coffee is lovely on painted brick, stucco, and older homes with character. It has a softness that suits Tudor, French Country, and restored farmhouses in a way crisp whites can’t manage.

Designer Note: Sunlight bleaches color. Outside, Swiss Coffee loses most of its cream and reads close to a warm white, which is why it works on homes where a stark white would feel wrong. My modern farmhouse exterior paint colors guide has more full schemes.

Swiss Coffee Coordinating Colors

Swiss Coffee is easy to build around as long as you keep the palette warm.

• Alabaster SW 7008 (LRV 82).
  Not a pairing, an alternative. If you’re a Sherwin Williams household, this is your Swiss Coffee. Read the full Alabaster review.
• Accessible Beige SW 7036 (LRV 58).
  A warm greige that steps down naturally from Swiss Coffee walls. See my Accessible Beige review.
• Evergreen Fog SW 9130 (LRV 30).
  Sage green and cream is one of the great farmhouse pairings. Details in the Evergreen Fog review.
• Hale Navy HC-154 (LRV 7).
  The classic deep navy against cream. It never misses.
• Urbane Bronze SW 7048 (LRV 8).
  Warm, earthy, and grounded. Beautiful on a hood or front door.
• Iron Ore SW 7069 (LRV 6).
  Soft black for the modern farmhouse contrast.

Beyond paint, Swiss Coffee loves warm materials: white oak, brass, terracotta, rattan, and unlacquered hardware. Cool grays are the one family I’d keep away from it.

Swiss Coffee vs. Similar Colors

Swiss Coffee vs. Alabaster SW 7008

The cross-brand question everyone asks. Both sit at LRV 82, and they are genuinely close. Swiss Coffee is a touch creamier and a hair softer. Alabaster has slightly more structure to it. Honestly, if you’re standing in a Sherwin Williams store, buy Alabaster and don’t look back. You will not miss the difference.

Swiss Coffee vs. White Dove OC-17

Both Benjamin Moore, both beloved. White Dove (LRV 85) is brighter with soft gray undertones that hold the cream back. Swiss Coffee is warmer and creamier. If you want a soft white that won’t go yellow at night, White Dove is the safer pick. If you want cozy, Swiss Coffee wins.

Swiss Coffee vs. Behr Swiss Coffee

Same name, different color. The Behr version (LRV 84) is brighter and more saturated, with a peachy cream lean. Benjamin Moore’s is more muted and more neutral. Neither is better. Just know they aren’t interchangeable, and don’t let a painter swap one for the other.

Common Mistakes with Swiss Coffee

• Pairing it with bright white trim.
  This is the big one, and it’s the most searched Swiss Coffee question there is. A crisp white trim makes Swiss Coffee walls look yellow instantly. Use Swiss Coffee on the trim too and change the sheen.
• Buying the wrong brand’s version.
  Ten brands, one name, ten different colors. Confirm which one before you buy.
• Using it with cool gray floors or countertops.
  Cool grays drag the yellow right out of it.
• Expecting a neutral.
  Swiss Coffee is a warm cream. If you dislike yellow-leaning whites, no amount of sampling will fix that. Choose White Dove or Pure White instead.

My Honest Verdict

Swiss Coffee is a beautiful color that gets misused constantly, and almost always for the same two reasons: bright white trim and brand confusion.

Used correctly, as your only white, with sheen creating the contrast, it’s genuinely lovely. Warm, forgiving, and soft in a way that reads expensive. It’s a strong choice for kitchen cabinets, north-facing rooms, and older homes with character.

But I’d steer you elsewhere in three cases. If you want a crisp white, this isn’t it. If your finishes are cool-toned, it will fight them. And if you’re a Sherwin Williams household, Alabaster gets you the same look without the extra trip.

That’s the honest read: a great color with rules, and most of the people who dislike it broke one of them.

Color Reference Table

Color	Code	Hex	LRV
Swiss Coffee (Benjamin Moore)	OC-45	#EEECE1	82
Swiss Coffee (Behr)	12 / MQ3-44	#F1EDE0	84
Swiss Coffee (Valspar)	7002-16	#F4F1E8	86
White Dove (Benjamin Moore)	OC-17	#EFEEE5	85
Hale Navy (Benjamin Moore)	HC-154	#434B56	7
Alabaster	SW 7008	#EDEAE0	82
Greek Villa	SW 7551	#F0EBE0	84
Snowbound	SW 7004	#EDEAE5	83
Accessible Beige	SW 7036	#D1C7B8	58
Evergreen Fog	SW 9130	#95978A	30
Urbane Bronze	SW 7048	#54504A	8
Iron Ore	SW 7069	#434341	6

Note: Sherwin Williams does not sell a Swiss Coffee in its main paint deck. Alabaster is the closest match.

FAQs

Does Sherwin Williams make Swiss Coffee?
No, there’s no Swiss Coffee in the main Sherwin Williams deck. Alabaster SW 7008 is the closest match at the same LRV of 82, and Greek Villa is a good alternative if you want it brighter.

Is Behr Swiss Coffee the same as Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee?
No. They share a name only. The Behr version is brighter and creamier at LRV 84, while Benjamin Moore’s is more muted and neutral at LRV 82.

What trim color goes with Swiss Coffee walls?
Swiss Coffee. Painting the trim a brighter white is the fastest way to make the walls look yellow. Use the same color in a higher sheen instead.

Final Thoughts

Swiss Coffee has been popular for over a decade, and it isn’t going anywhere. It’s the cozy white that made creamy walls feel current again.

Just go in with your eyes open. Know which brand you’re buying, keep it as your only white, let sheen do the contrast work, and skip it entirely if yellow-leaning whites bother you.

And if you’re standing in a Sherwin Williams store wondering where the Swiss Coffee is, my Alabaster review has your answer. For a softer, greigier take, my Shoji White review is worth a look too.

Happy painting, friends.

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