Behr Swiss Coffee~One of Behr’s most popular white paint colors
Here I am again, writing another blog post about paint. But you guys sure do like these blog posts.
And here I am again talking about Behr paint. My favorite paint to paint with. My whole house is painted with Behr paint. I have Behr Silver Drop throughout my whole house and it is still my all time favorite paint color.
And yes, I am one of those that will color match any Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams paint color to Behr. Some designers might cringe when I say that but I haven’t had any problems with color matching my paint with Behr paint.
Choosing a paint color for your home is by far the hardest decision most people can make and most go through a period of decision paralysis.
It can stop them in their tracks.
You can guess what the number one thing I get asked most to help with? You guessed it…picking out paint colors.
It’s even harder helping someone who is miles away when I am helping an e-Design client.
I’ve learned quite a bit about picking paint colors these past few months. The number one most popular paint request is “what white paint color is best for my space”.
Talk about going down a black hole! White paint is so tricky and picking a perfect white paint color can make anyone go insane. There really isn’t a “perfect” white paint color either. Every white has it’s own personalities in the form of undertones.
I really wish there was one white paint color that would look good in every home and in every room. Since white is so reflective, you need to take everything into consideration. I have even asked clients to send me pictures of their windows so I can see if there are lots of trees outside. Lots of trees means the possibility of green undertones showing up.
I always say to start off with a “popular” white paint color and go from there. It’s a good starting point. From there you can decide if you want a warmer of cooler white or a white with less yellow undertones.
So let’s talk a little bit about one of Behr’s most popular white paint colors
(Psst…I did a post already on some of Behr’s most popular white paint colors if you want to go down that rabbit hole)
Behr Swiss Coffee
(Not to be confused with Benjamin Moore’s Swiss Coffee…we are strictly talking about Behr Swiss Coffee)
There is a reason Swiss Coffee is one of Behr’s most popular paint colors. It’s just one of those colors that once you put it on your walls, you immediately love it.
It’s a warm white with an LRV of 84. Without getting too technical, LRV stands for Light Reflective Value. The higher the number, the whiter the paint. You can assume a white paint color with a LRV of 84 isn’t going to be one of your starker whites and Swiss Coffee is definitely not a stark white.
Is Behr Swiss Coffee warm or cool
Behr Swiss Coffee is a soft warm creamy white. Swiss Coffee would look good on walls, trim and cabinetry. I usually recommend with white paint to paint your walls and trim the same color and just use a different sheen for each.
But in the picture below, the designer used Behr Cotton Knit as her trim color with Swiss Coffee as her wall color…which I think is a great idea. Click on the link below the picture to see more.
Does Behr Swiss Coffee look yellow
Swiss Coffee doesn’t look straight out of the can yellow but it definitely has some yellow undertones. This undertone can come out more in rooms without natural light (think basement or a bathroom).
If your room gets a good amount of natural light, you might not even notice Swiss Coffee’s undertones.
Behr Swiss Coffee Complimentary Colors
If you head over to Behr’s website you will see some of paint colors that they suggest that would look great with Swiss Coffee. I think this is a great starting point. Since Swiss Coffee is a warmer white, I would pair it with other warmer paint colors, even earthy colors would look great with Swiss Coffee. I would not do a cool gray paint color with Swiss Coffee, unless you are looking for that contrast.
Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee vs Behr Swiss Coffee
To make things more complicated, Benjamin Moore also has a Swiss Coffee. I hate to say this but I cannot give you a definite description of the difference between these two paint colors. I do not have a sample of Benjamin Moore’s Swiss Coffee but from what I can tell online, these two colors are very similar.
BM Swiss Coffee has a LRV of 83.93 which is very close to Behr’s LRV of 84. Both are creamy soft white paint colors.
Sherwin Williams Alabaster vs Behr Swiss Coffee
As you can tell, these two paint colors are very similar. Think of them as first cousins…that are almost identical. I honestly cannot even tell you what the difference is between these too.
(You can read more about Sherwin Williams Alabaster here.)
Benjamin Moore Cloud White vs Behr Swiss Coffee
Another fist cousin to Swiss Coffee is Cloud White from Benjamin. Cloud White is not as identical to Swiss Coffee as Alabaster is. Cloud White is a tad bit lighter but ever so slightly. Cloud White is one of Benjamin Moore’s most popular white paint colors.
I painted my oldest daughter’s room Cloud White but naturally I had it colored matched at Behr.
Need some painting tips?
DIY Painting Supplies
I listed out some of my favorite items I use when painting…
(This post contains affiliate links.You can see my disclosure policy here)
Benjamin Moore Classic Colors Fan Deck: Just in case you want to be even more overwhelmed you can order all of the Benjamin Moore classic paint colors
Same goes for Sherwin Williams Paint Deck
Paint brushes: I love all of Wooster’s paint brushes but this one is hands down my favorite one to use. It makes cutting in so much easier.
Painter’s tape: I hate taping and I really try to avoid it but when I can’t I make sure I use a good tape
Drop Cloths: Yes, you need them and you need many. I have used trash bags and old shower liners before too.
Cleaning Cloths: These are amazing every day cloths for cleaning but work great for baseboards and walls before painting.
Paint Cup: This paint cup is brilliant and has a magnetic strip so your paint brush stays safe from falling in your paint.
Multi Position Paint Brush tool: The best tool you will ever use if you have tall ceilings or just in general. I used something similar to this to paint my 15 foot ceilings in my family room and it was a life saver.
Paint Edger: This might get a bad rap but if you do it right, it has been a nice helper for me. Especially when trimming around windows and along baseboards.
Touch up cup: Nothing is worse than having to pull out the whole can of paint for a little touch up.
How to choose the right paint color
Start with inspiration:
I talked a little bit about this in this post but I’ll touch on it again. Picking your paint color for your walls should be one of the later things you do when designing a room. Find a large focal piece (rug, art, window treatments) and look for colors in those pieces that catch your attention. Get on Pinterest and look at magazines. Get some ideas of what you like. It is your house.
Decide on the mood of the room:
Do you want your room to be light and bright or dark and moody? If you home doesn’t get a whole lot of natural light, stark white walls might look dingy. I would consider a paint with some color to it.
Grab your swatches and bring home samples
Bring home some swatches and ideally some sample paints if you feel extra ambitious.
Use large foam boards from the dollar store and paint sample boards. Test them in every room. Remember each room gets different natural light. See how they look in the morning and at night.
You can also order large free swatches from Benjamin Moore here
Consider everything in your home…your trim, your floors etc. My floors are Brazilian cherry (aka very red) and I knew I wanted a color just a tad cooler to play off the warm red tones of the floor.
Is your trim bright white, or creamy white? Very cool gray colors might not play well with very warm white trim.
Get what I am saying?
If you want to see the undertone of color, look at the darkest color on the paint color strip. If you love a paint color but fear it can be too dark, ask them to cut it with 25% or 50% white.
Keep a list of your home paint colors
It’s always a good idea to keep a list or spreadsheet of the paint colors you have used in your home. I can’t tell you know much it has helped me.
Good luck and happy painting!
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You might also like:
Behrs Most Popular White Paint Colors
Benjamin Moore White Paint Colors
Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray (Why It’s So Popular)
