Hex #EDEAE0 · LRV 82 · warm white
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Alabaster was Sherwin-Williams' 2016 Color of the Year, and the industry never quite let it go. It is the warm, creamy off-white that designers reach for when pure white feels too stark — soft enough to take the edge off morning sunlight, warm enough to flatter wood and brass, and quiet enough to recede behind even the most ambitious art walls. With an LRV of 82 it reflects nearly as much light as a pure white, but its slightly warm undertone keeps a room feeling livable rather than gallery-cold. It is the house's softest possible whole-wall neutral.
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Alabaster's warmth comes from a faint beige-yellow undertone — too subtle to read as a beige, but unmistakably present when compared to a true white like Chantilly Lace or Pure White. In north-facing rooms Alabaster loses almost none of its warmth and continues to read as a clean soft white. Under warm LED or incandescent light it deepens slightly and can take on a faint cream cast, which is usually the desired effect in living and bedroom spaces. Under very cool daylight bulbs (5000K+) the warmth reads more muted; if you need Alabaster to stay consistent in a mixed-lighting space, spec warm-white (2700K–3000K) bulbs for predictable behavior.
Alabasterperforms differently across rooms. Here’s how it reads in the spaces where it’s most often specified.
Alabaster makes a living room feel instantly more welcoming than a stark white without sacrificing brightness. Its warmth pairs beautifully with warm wood floors, linen upholstery, and natural-fiber rugs. Use it as the whole-wall color with a slightly whiter trim (Pure White or Extra White) for subtle architectural separation, or carry Alabaster up the walls and trim for the popular envelope-in-one-color treatment.
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In bedrooms, Alabaster's soft warmth produces a restful, enveloping effect without dipping into the moodier LRV range. It's one of the few whites that can work in a bedroom that gets strong morning sun — the warm undertone keeps the room feeling soft rather than glaring. Pair with deeper neutral bedding or a muted wall art palette.
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Alabaster is among the most-specified kitchen wall and cabinet colors in the country. On cabinets it produces a creamy classic look that avoids the coldness of pure white; on walls it complements both white and natural wood cabinetry. Always use a premium cabinet-grade paint (alkyd or waterborne-alkyd) when painting cabinets in Alabaster — it will chip without it.
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Alabaster delivers spa warmth in a bathroom without tipping into a yellow or cream read. It pairs particularly well with marble-look tile, brass hardware, and warm wood vanities. In small bathrooms it's especially effective because its high LRV maximizes reflected light while the warm undertone keeps the space from feeling clinical.
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In a dining room, Alabaster produces the soft, gallery-inspired warmth that makes art pop and candlelight flatter. It's often paired with a deeper accent wall (Urbane Bronze, Hale Navy) or with deep stained wood furniture. Consider a slightly reflective finish — satin or pearl — to bounce evening light.
More dining room paint colorsThese are the finishes, neighboring colors, and natural materials that reliably pair with Alabaster in the most common interior applications.
Alabaster sits in the warm-soft camp of off-whites. Compared to Pure White (SW 7005, LRV 84), Alabaster is noticeably warmer and softer; Pure White is the more balanced, slightly cooler everyday white. Against Benjamin Moore White Dove (OC-17, LRV 83), the two are close enough that designers often substitute — White Dove has a marginally greener-gray undertone where Alabaster leans more yellow-beige. Chantilly Lace (OC-65, LRV 90) is considerably whiter and brighter; use it when you want a high-contrast trim against Alabaster walls. Simply White (OC-117, LRV 89) is a cleaner, slightly cooler soft white — less creamy than Alabaster, still warm enough to feel inviting.
Ranked by Delta E 2000. Under 1.0 looks the same on the wall.
The most common Alabaster mistake is pairing it with a pure-cool trim white. The warm-cool mismatch makes Alabaster look yellower than it is and makes the trim look slightly blue. Stick with warm-leaning trim whites — Pure White, Extra White, or Alabaster itself on the trim for a tone-on-tone envelope — and the color will sit beautifully in the room.
The moods Alabaster most often produces, and the interior design styles it fits most naturally.
Alabaster's staying power reflects a simple truth about residential paint: most homeowners want their white to feel warm, but not obviously warm. Alabaster delivers exactly that — a soft white with quiet personality that brightens a room without calling attention to itself. If your instinct tells you pure white will feel too clinical but a cream will feel dated, Alabaster is almost always the right answer. Sample it against your fixed finishes, pair it with a sympathetic trim white, and it will work across every room in a modern or traditional home.