Are you looking for the perfect white paint color for your home? If so, you’ve probably come across Alabaster by Sherwin Williams. Sherwin Williams Alabaster is one of the most popular white paint colors, and for good reason. Alabaster by Sherwin Williams is a simple, soft and warm white that doesn’t feel stark. This makes it the perfect white color for a variety of different spaces!
It’s one of my go-to whites and also one of my favorite paint colors to use! I’ve used Sherwin Williams Alabaster in a lot of different rooms in two of my homes. I’ve used it on walls in an eg-shel finish, ceilings in a flat finish and even on cabinets in a semi-gloss finish.
Today, I’ll share with you my paint color review for Sherwin Williams Alabaster including lots of real life photos of it from different spaces around my home. I hope this will help you decide if it’s the right color for your home!
Note: This post may contain affiliate links, you can find more information in my disclosures here.
What color is Sherwin Williams Alabaster?
Alabaster is a beautiful shade of white that is warm, cozy, soft and feels peaceful. Sherwin Williams Alabaster is a great option if you’re looking for an off white that will feel timeless and add interest to your space without feeling dull or too yellow/creamy.
What are the undertones of Sherwin Williams Alabaster?
Alabaster has beige undertones as opposed to yellow undertones that are typically used to bring warmth to white paint colors. In my experience, Sherwin Williams Alabaster doesn’t have green undertones or pink undertones either. This makes it ideal if you’re looking for a warm white that doesn’t feel dated or dirty.
Does Sherwin Williams Alabaster look yellow?
You might be wondering, does Sherwin Williams Alabaster have yellow undertones because it’s a warm white? Based on my experience, Alabaster doesn’t look yellow and it doesn’t have yellow undertones unlike some other warm white paint colors. It really only has a beige undertone that makes it a pretty neutral warm white.
Is Sherwin Williams Alabaster cool or warm?
Alabaster by Sherwin Williams is definitely a warm paint color. It’s a beautiful warm white that looks stunning by itself or paired with other warm colors.
What is the LRV of Sherwin Williams Alabaster?
The Light Reflectance Value (LRV) of SW Alabaster is 82. LRV measures the percentage of light a paint color reflects. It’s measured on a scale from zero (absolute black, absorbing all light and heat) to one hundred (pure white, reflecting all light). This means that Alabaster by Sherwin Williams is a pretty bright color. Most white paint colors are in the 80-94 range.
What colors compliment Alabaster?
Alabaster is a beautiful warm white color that looks amazing on its own or it can be paired with other warm colors. A very popular combination is Alabaster and Accessible Beige by Sherwin Williams, it’s what we did throughout most of our last house. We used Alabaster in an eg-shel finish on the walls and Accessible Beige in a semi-gloss finish on the door and trim:
If you asked me does Sherwin Williams Alabaster go with Accessible Beige, my answer would be: Absolutely yes!
Some other colors that complement Sherwin Williams Alabaster are:
- Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze
- Sherwin Williams Doeskin
- Sherwin Williams Gray Area
- Sherwin Williams Wool Skein
- Sherwin Williams Natural Linen
I don’t recommend pairing Alabaster with paint colors that are too cool.
Colors like Sherwin Williams Alabaster
If you’re considering Sherwin Williams Alabaster and want to check out a few other shades, here are nine very popular white paint colors:
I’ll compare each of these white paint colors directly to Sherwin Williams Alabaster for you next:
Sherwin Williams Alabaster vs Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace
Chantilly Lace is one of the most popular white paint colors!
However, if you’re considering Sherwin Williams Alabaster for your space, Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace would give your space a very different look.
Chantilly Lace is a classic and cool white:
Chantilly Lace is a much cooler than Alabaster when you compare the two:
Sherwin Williams Alabaster vs Benjamin Moore Simply White
Simply White by Benjamin Moore is a very popular clean, crisp white with a hint of warmth.
Simply White has a Light Reflective Value (LRV) of 89.5, which is much higher than Alabaster at 82. This means that Simply White is significantly brighter.
It could be a great option if you’re looking for a paint color that is more crisp than Alabaster:
Sherwin Williams Alabaster vs Benjamin Moore White Dove
White Dove by Benjamin Moore is a clean and classic white.
It’s slightly brighter than Alabaster:
Sherwin Williams Alabaster vs Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee
Swiss Coffee by Benjamin Moore is a white with just the right amount of warmth:
Swiss Coffee has almost the same exact LRV as Alabaster:
The two colors look very similar and would be great to compare in the exact setting they’re being considered for to determine the best choice:
Sherwin Williams Alabaster vs Benjamin Moore Alabaster
Lastly, I wanted to compare Sherwin Williams Alabaster to Benjamin Moore Alabaster. While the two might share the same paint color name, they are two very different shades of white and not to be confused!
Alabaster by Benjamin Moore is a fresh white with touch of pink:
Alabaster by Benjamin Moore is also much lighter and brighter than Alabaster by Sherwin Williams:
Sherwin Williams Alabaster vs other Benjamin Moore white paint colors
Of the five Benjamin Moore colors I’ve compared to Sherwin Williams Alabaster, Swiss Coffee is the most similar to Sherwin Williams Alabaster.
If you’re committed to using a Benjamin Moore color instead of Alabaster by Sherwin Williams, then Swiss Coffee would be my recommendation:
You can order easy peel and stick color samples here!
Sherwin Williams Alabaster vs Extra White
Sherwin Williams Extra White is a very bright white with high light reflectivity. That can make it an ideal choice for trim and ceilings.
Extra White has an LRV of almost 86 (as opposed to Alabaster’s 82) so it’s lighter and also has different undertones:
Sherwin Williams Alabaster vs Pure White
Sherwin Williams Pure White is another favorite white paint color of mine!
I’ve used Pure White in our kitchen at the California Cottage, the barn door I built and for the playhouse I just recently finished at our current house.
To me, Pure White is a beautiful true white without many undertones. I find it neither warm nor cool and it has just the perfect amount of tint to where it doesn’t appear stark.
If that’s what you’re looking for, then I highly recommend Pure White! However, if you’re looking for something with a little bit of warmth, then Alabaster would be my recommendation.
The LRV for Pure White is 84 so it’s just slightly brighter than Alabaster:
Sherwin Williams Alabaster vs Snowbound
The LRV for Sherwin Williams Snowbound is 83, so it’s just a tad brighter than Alabaster.
However, Snowbound by Sherwin Williams appears very different and much cooler than Alabaster in comparison:
Snowbound has gray undertones as opposed to the beige undertones of Alabaster:
Sherwin Williams Alabaster vs Greek Villa
Greek Villa and Alabaster are two Sherwin Williams colors that are very similar in their appearances.
If you’re strongly considering Alabaster, you may want to pick up a paint sample of Sherwin Williams Greek Villa as well to compare which looks better in your space:
Sherwin Williams Alabaster vs other Sherwin Williams white paint colors
Of the four Sherwin Williams colors I’ve compared to Alabaster, Greek Villa is the most similar to Sherwin Williams Alabaster. My recommendation is to try out both to see which one would work best in your space!
You can order color samples here.
Sherwin Williams Alabaster in real life
I find it so helpful to see paint colors in real life used in real homes. It’s fascinating how the appearance of a paint color can change depending on the space and lighting!
I’ve used Alabaster by Sherwin Williams in a lot of different spaces throughout two of my homes and I’m excited to share real life pictures of Alabaster with you.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at some pictures of Alabaster in my houses!
Alabaster by Sherwin Williams on our walls and ceilings
Let’s start by looking at some photos of Alabaster used on walls and ceilings!
Note: Our contractors used the Sherwin Williams Cashmere line on the ceilings and walls. The walls are painted in an eg-shel finish (very minimal sheen but still easy to clean if needed) and the ceilings are painted in a flat finish.
Here is Alabaster by Sherwin Williams in our kitchen:
Is Sherwin Williams Alabaster good for ceilings? It think it’s a great choice for ceilings if the walls and trim are warm colors. We used Alabaster on our walls and it made sense to also use it on our ceilings. However, if you used a brighter white on your walls, I would not recommend using Alabaster on your ceilings because when Alabaster is next to a brighter white, it tends to look dirty/outdated.
Here you can see how Alabaster pairs with Accessible Beige, which is one of my favorite color combinations for walls and trim:
Here is a picture of our daughter’s nursery with Alabaster walls:
Alabaster by Sherwin Williams on our kitchen cabinets
Is Sherwin Williams Alabaster a good color for kitchen cabinets? Based on my experience, I believe it’s an excellent color for kitchen cabinets!
Take a look at our kitchen cabinets at our current house that I painted recently:
Be sure to check out the before and after photos of this budget-friendly kitchen makeover, it always amazes me to see how much of a difference paint can make in a space!
Alabaster by Sherwin Williams as our trim color
Is Sherwin Williams Alabaster paint a good trim color? I used Alabaster by Sherwin Williams on our baseboards and the picture frame molding and walls in our hallway bathroom at the Hills House and love how it turned out:
I also used Alabaster by Sherwin Williams on the baseboards and door in our guest bathroom at the Hills House:
We just recently used Alabaster as the baseboard color in our current home to complement our SPC floors:
Keep in mind that while seeing these photos can be really helpful, I recommend trying out every color with a sample in real life in your own home on your own walls or cabinets. Colors can look very different depending on the space, lighting, time of day, furniture and decorations in a room.
Tips for choosing the perfect white paint
If you’re looking for the perfect white in your home, here are a few tips based on my own experience:
- Narrow down a few favorite colors: I typically like to rely on paint color recommendations from interior designers online. I tend to trust their recommendations of tried and true colors and usually use that as a starting point to narrow down the list of colors I want to consider.
- Get one or more color samples: I highly recommend testing out paint colors in your own space before committing! I like to get a paint sample in the form of a small paint can. Then, I will usually paint a large piece of cardboard and have some leftover paint. You could also order easy peel and stick paint samples like these.
- Move your paint sample around: Test the paint color in different spots of your space and during different times of the day. The lighting and time of day can greatly impact the appearance of a paint color.
- Combine it with other colors and elements in your home: If you have other colors selected for adjacent spaces or if you have specific furniture or home decor that needs to work with the new paint color, move the sample close to them to ensure they complement each other.
- Take a picture of the paint sample in your space: I find it helpful to take picture of the paint sample in different spots. Seeing it on my phone gives me just another different perspective.
Choosing the right paint color can feel overwhelming especially if you’re selecting it for a large space that would be difficult or time consuming to repaint. I hope you found this review of Alabaster by Sherwin Williams helpful!
Do you have a favorite white paint color that you’ve used and love? Let me know in the comments!
As always, feel free to reach out with any questions.
Tina
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