Hex #F6F6ED · LRV 89.52 · neutral beige
Simply White was Benjamin Moore's 2016 Color of the Year and has stayed on every major designer's short list ever since. It sits at a near-perfect balance point between pure and soft — warmer than Chantilly Lace, cleaner than White Dove, and calibrated to read as a true bright white with just enough warmth to feel livable. With an LRV of 89.52 it delivers the reflectivity of a pure white, but the faint warm undertone keeps rooms from reading stark or clinical. If you want a bright white that works in virtually any context without committing to an obvious cool or warm character, Simply White is the benchmark.
Simply White carries the subtlest possible warm undertone — a whisper of yellow-cream that you can only identify by direct side-by-side comparison with a truly neutral white like Chantilly Lace. Under north-facing cool daylight, Simply White holds its brightness without reading cold or blue. Under warm incandescent and 2700K LED, it deepens very slightly but resists the cream shift that affects warmer whites. In south-facing strong sun, it reaches near-dazzling brightness while keeping its warmth. This lighting stability is what separates Simply White from other warm whites — it behaves predictably across more conditions than almost any alternative.
Simply Whiteperforms differently across rooms. Here’s how it reads in the spaces where it’s most often specified.
Simply White in a living room delivers the bright, clean envelope that flatters both modern and transitional décor. It pairs equally well with white-oak, walnut, or painted floors, and its balanced warmth means it coordinates with both cool and warm furniture palettes without forcing a temperature commitment. Use it as a whole-wall color with semi-gloss Simply White trim for a subtle, high-contrast architectural effect.
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Simply White in a bedroom produces an airy, bright canvas that maximizes reflected daylight — particularly valuable in north-facing or lower-light bedrooms where a whiter white would start to feel gray. Its faint warmth keeps the room from feeling institutional while the high LRV keeps it from feeling heavy. Pair with natural linen, warm wood furniture, and soft textiles.
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Simply White is close to default for modern kitchens, especially for cabinetry. It reads cleaner on cabinets than White Dove and less stark than Chantilly Lace, landing in the balanced zone that both traditional and modern kitchens welcome. It pairs beautifully with white marble, calacatta quartz, brushed nickel, and both brass and chrome hardware. Always use a cabinet-grade paint (Benjamin Moore Advance) for durability.
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Simply White in a bathroom delivers a clean, airy, spa-like envelope without the faint cream cast that affects warmer whites under warm bath lighting. It pairs especially well with white marble tile, chrome or brushed nickel fixtures, and either white or natural-wood vanities. It's among the most lighting-stable bathroom whites — useful when the room mixes cool natural light with warm vanity lighting.
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Simply White in a dining room creates a clean, gallery-bright envelope that works equally well for daytime lunches and candlelit dinners. Its balanced warmth flatters wood furniture and food alike, and its high LRV keeps the room feeling generous. Pair with deeper accent walls (Hale Navy, Kendall Charcoal) or with rich wood dining furniture for traditional elegance.
More dining roompaint colors →These are the finishes, neighboring colors, and natural materials that reliably pair with Simply White in the most common interior applications.
Simply White sits in the balanced middle of Benjamin Moore's white library. Compared to Chantilly Lace (OC-65, LRV 90), Simply White is marginally warmer and slightly less reflective; Chantilly Lace is the cleaner, more neutral pure white. Against White Dove (OC-17, LRV 83), Simply White is noticeably brighter and less warm — White Dove reads as a soft cream next to Simply White's clean brightness. Cross-brand, Simply White's closest analogue is Sherwin-Williams Pure White (SW 7005, LRV 84), though Pure White is slightly softer and cleaner-neutral in most light. Among mid-warm whites, Simply White is the one that reads most consistently as a bright white with just a whisper of warmth.
Simply White works beautifully as a whole-envelope color — walls, ceiling, and trim all in the same color with a sheen shift (flat or eggshell on walls and ceiling, semi-gloss on trim). This treatment produces the gallery-bright effect that luxury residential designers favor while retaining enough warmth to keep rooms feeling livable. If you want trim to read as distinct, step up to Chantilly Lace on trim only for a subtle brightness boost that still feels cohesive.
The moods Simply White most often produces, and the interior design styles it fits most naturally.
Simply White's lasting place on designer short lists reflects a simple achievement: it is the rare warm white that reads bright rather than creamy. Its balanced calibration between pure and soft makes it the default answer when Chantilly Lace feels slightly cold and White Dove feels slightly too warm. If you want a bright, clean white with just enough warmth to feel inviting — and you want it to behave predictably across rooms and lighting conditions — Simply White is one of the safest, most enduring choices on the market.