All the details about one of my favorite paint colors, Benjamin Moore Navajo White (not to be confused with Sherwin Williams color of the same name).
Navajo White is a beautiful, creamy white that is timeless and fresh.
This color feels a little tricky because Benjamin Moore changed the color code of it a couple times through the years, so you’ll see it noted as OC-95 or 947. Rest assured it’s the same color. I panicked at the store when they asked me which one. Apparently I didn’t have someone experienced that day!
We first used Benjamin Moore Navajo White in the North facing mudroom and mudroom bath. This paint color is frequently used by one of my favorite designers, Phoebe Howard. I studied the spaces she used it in and felt it would be a great fit for all the newfound natural light we had in those spaces. I was right! It’s stunning – day and night.
It was our hope when we purchased our current home we would use just 1-2 paint colors for the entire home. However, the lighting is vastly different in different areas of our home, so I used several different shades of cream to best fit each space. You can learn more about our favorite cream color paints here.
Our sizable well-lit breakfast room needed something a bit warmer than the Sherwin Williams Zurich White we had initially painted it. After the roof leaked not once, twice, but three times (after being replaced!), we decided to finish the room to our initial vision.
Having loved it in the mudroom, we decided to use it in the North-facing breakfast room. It’s very pretty, but I prefer it in daytime rather than evening, where it appears significantly more yellow.
Benjamin Moore Navajo White Details
Spaces it Works Well In
- open concept spaces
- rooms with a significant amount of natural lighting
Makes a Room Feel
- light
- warm
Undertones
- yellow {more so than most}
Styles it Fits
- traditional
- country
Tips
- paint the ceiling in the same color (can use a different sheen)
- paint moulding in the same paint color, but one sheen higher
Trim Color to Pair With
- the same color in the same sheen or one sheen higher. I first discovered this color being used as a trim. I like to paint the ceiling the same color as well, otherwise it will read yellow against stark white.
Painting indoors? You can learn all about choosing ceiling paint and trim paint here! You will also find detailed information about using this color in tile paint and furniture paint.
You can find all of our paint colors here and keep track of all of yours here. If you use any of them, please return to share your thoughts!
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What sheen would you use for ceiling? I’m painty Navajo white egg shell for walls and semi gloss for trim
I use flat for the ceiling typically, but you can use eggshell as well.
Hi Julie! Just started the Marascopa white on cabinets and realized it’s too white. We get a lot of natural light and my adjoining rooms/furnishings are in warm tones (not to mention the existing crown molding). I think I needed something a few shades warmer. Might Navajo white work? I got some swatches and am really struggling. There are a few slightly darker, warm whites I was leaning to. Thoughts?
What direction does your kitchen face?
Julie-
Thank you so much for such a detailed explanation of Navajo White. I just settled on this color for the majority of my home and would have ended up with white trim and ceilings had I not found you 😉 What sheens did you end up using on the wall and ceiling?
So glad you found it helpful! I like flat for a ceiling typically and satin (other brands call it eggshell) for walls.
Ok, I was thinking that. Thank you!
Julie, did you use Benjamin Moore, or another brand? I have a sample in Behr and wondered if it would be like yours. Thank you!
Benjamin Moore – it will definitely be different because their paint formulas are different.
I was thinking of painting my kitchen Navajo White. The cabinets are a light maple color.(golden Hue) The kitchen faces west, with a skylight, and 3 windows, coming from the west,north, and south. Would the Navajo White, make the cabinets look even more yellow? Also, would u definitely paint the ceiling in Navajo White, also? I always just use ceiling white?
I normally use ceiling white, but have found it makes Navajo White look rather yellow. I highly recommend getting a sample, but I think it should work for you.
Julie, I cannot believe my luck in discovering your blog today.
My home’s exterior siding is currently Navajo White with white trim and dark green (a custom BM mix) shutters but I am in the process of transitioning to vinyl siding.
I found a vinyl color (Norandex beige) that is close to Navajo White but I am unsure whether Navajo White is a good fit for dark navy blue shutters or even whether navy blue shutters are a good exterior color choice. (It seems every builder who uses the Norandex beige always chooses shutters of various greens. Plus, I have heard that blue is the quickest color to fade.) That said, I do love navy and using it on the exterior would make for a more cohesive flow from exterior to interior.
Is Navajo White (close to) a good fit with navy shutters or should I stick with green? I want the house to stand out (i.e., have a look-at-me presence, not a blah/ordinary look based on shutter color).
If not a cream similar to Navajo White, what color would you suggest to coordinate with navy shutters? I do not want yellow (or any more yellow than is in Navajo White); I do not want white (there are already three white houses on my street); and I do not want brown or dark tan. My roof is new with a weathered wood shingle.
What color would you suggest for the front door if navy shutters used or what color if green shutters used (not red, already two red doors in the neighborhood).
Thank you so much for your assistance.
I can really only speak to colors I have worked with, I think it would look pretty with a dusty navy or Hale Navy, but I would definitely test next to it.
Will BM White Linen go nicely with warm oak woodwork? We want a warm lighter color than the current shaker beige
I’m sorry, I haven’t tested that color.
Oh boy! I never realized how hard it was to settle on a color. I am looking to do something throughout the house, maybe a beige. I have Kilim Beige in my bedroom and I love it! I have SW Latte everywhere else, but it seems so dark. I notice the paint color changes throughout the day and the sun coming in from the west in the afternoon makes everything look school bus yellow! Is there a nice beige out there that would stand up to all the sun???
Try Sherwin Williams Realist Beige or Sherwin Williams Accessible Beige. I think you’ll love Realist!
Thank you for all of the information! I love reading your blog! This is the first blog that I have found that really breaks it down and makes it easy. Im now transforming my mudroom/laundry with this color all because of this post and im loving it! 🙂
Oh gosh, thank you!!! I truly appreciate your kindness.
Thank you Julie for the BM Soft Chamois Cream suggestion.
How do think it would go with BM Dill Weed– a green?
I’ve painted my kitchen in Dill Weed. I didn’t think it would be as dark as it seems to me. Oak really changes the color of paints. I’m learning.
Beautiful!
I love the way you broken everything down, undertones etc. I’m spinning in circles trying to find paint without yellow undertones that don’t look grey. I painted my kitchen BM Dill Green but it is to dark and my narrow hallway SW softer tan and it seems to yellow. My home is all Oak- cabinets, doors, crown molding, and time. What I’ve done makes everything seem dark to me. Any help, paint colors, advice would be greatly appreciate. I would love to send you pictures, if you able to help. Thank you so much.
I would use Benjamin Moore Soft Chamois Cream Paint Color – if paint could be a crowd pleaser, this would be it! It’s light, but warm, yet not yellow!
My kitchen walls are Navajo white with lots of natural light, wood cabinets and terra cotta floor.
I now need to repaint my entrance which has the same floor and flows into the kitchen. There is almost no natural light in the entrance, and Navajo white is too dark and yellow. I am looking for a brighter/lighter version of Navajo white. What do you suggest? Chamois white? Linen white? You can see the entrance from the kitchen so must be a smooth transition. Thanks
I had the same issue with our kitchen. I found this cream kitchen cabinet color I had made worked really well in our adjacent room with little natural light. You could also try a sample of Benjamin Moore Soft Chamois Cream Paint Color. Another idea would be to go a few shades down and ask them to decrease the yellow. Whatever you do, I’d love to hear/see photos!
Julie, we decided to go with quartzite because it gave us a marble look with the interest of a real stone. It brings the cabinets, navajo paint and anything else we throw at it all together. The room gets some light so I sampling soft chamois walls and ceiling with Navajo White trim…
Sounds beautiful, Cindi!
Julie….yes, another lover of Navajo White!! It has worked everywhere in my house on trim, doors, etc. I used bone on the walls. I am now looking for a marble like quartz to go in my kitchen. My new cabinets will be Antique White by Holiday. They were the closest to Ben Moore Navajo White as I could get…it is pretty close. Finding the right counter top has provided difficult. Many make the cabinets look cream, when in fact they are a soft white. I want the cabinets to look soft white , not yellow like. Any ideas are very much appreciated…and thank the BM rep for the explanation of why some of the painters I used resulted in a different shade of Navajo White..only BM for me from now on…
Yes, you truly should use Benjamin Moore for the true formula! I couldn’t agree more! So many quartz options lean grey which does make cabinets look very cream. We opted for Olympia Danby marble which is a pefect pairing. I wonder if you could find a quartz similar?
This color really lightens up the room! Love your use of it in the mudroom.
Hello Julie – thanks so much for your blog posts. I have a South Carolina lowcountry style homewith wraparound porches and painted ceilings and Charleston brick porch floors and mahogany stained door. We are getting a new roof – probably medium pewter gray shingles. I’m doing Navajo White but don’t want white trim to make it look yellow. I’m considering doing the whole body and trim in Navajo White or perhaps trim in 1/2 strength? Not sure about shutters either. Do I need a warm tone with Navajo White or could I do a cool color like a grey? Do you have any thoughts that might help – I’m quite perplexed! Thank you for any suggestions!
I like the trim in the same strength just one sheen higher.
Julie, I was so indecisive about what to paint the exterior of my traditional Cape style home with a terracotta tinted brick porch (I had last done it in a cookie crumb with very light cream trim, and wine barrel colored door, which looked great, but a little too gingerbready and I was ready for classy. What I wanted: A rich cream (my favorite color) with as few undertones as possible but if I had to have any, then yellow. I loved your photos and so tried navajo white. Because I have so much trim and a roof that starts low, I needed the trim to pop, so painted it ultra pure white. Everyone loves it, but I think the house is way too pale yellow. And I am STRUGGLING to choose a shutter color to make me feel good about the whole package. I have a lot of “visions” but they all work best with a solid cream, and/or a second floor to work with to add other dimensions/ trim options. And the greenery in front of my house is making all my lovely hazy green grey blue options that I was feeling good about seem weak and an after thought. Should I just resort to black? (shutters, doors?)
Thank you for ANY advice you can give. I love white, ivory, and all things earthy neutral, but the reddish/orange brick has my hands tied.
Can you send a photo via Instagram message?
Want to modernize sun filled kitchen/family room. Terra-cotta floors throughout. deep teak stained window frames…lots. Kitchen cabinets light tan, cream tumbled stone tile above black/brown/tan granite. Ben Moore Navajo white too yellow in shade. White dove a little too white. Want to do some sort of cream color cuz we are sick of yellow! Any suggestions?
I’d sample this or this.
The Navajo White I think is too yellow for what I want right now. I have an open floor plan townhouse with travertine tile in the dining and kitchen areas (North and West) and honey colored maple wood floors in the living room (Faces East). Our fireplace surround is BM Dove White. It gets very dark in the mid to late afternoon. Right now it is painted BM Macadamia Nut and Key West Ivory and we are tired of it, but love the White Dove on our crown molding and baseboards and fireplace surround. We want something light and bright, but warm and are not fond of the popular grey and griege colors that are so popular today. We like the classic and the french country style. Can you suggest anything? Thank you so much.
I really love Soft Chamois for a warm white!
Painted the walls and ceilings Navaho white, what would go good on the door frames
I personally love using the same color in a higher sheen.
Hi – We just bought a house that almost the whole trim in it is painted Navajo White. The issue we’re having is the whole house is shades of yellow. We’re looking to update some of the colors and we like greys. Will this color look silly with grey? We have a significant amount of trim, columns, crown moulding, so changing the color is an undertaking. Any suggestions for either making a transition or pairing with a color?
I personally wouldn’t pair it with grey. If you wanted to retain the trim, I’d paint the walls in the same shade, just eggshell or repaint the trim with your favorite grey. Navajo White is a warm color while grey is cool.
Navajo white will be yellow if matched into another manf paint. BM Uses different colorants and gray many times instead of black in their off-white colors. The gray colorant is what gives them that luminous quality…reflecting more light than absorbing it. SW, PPG, Valspar, etc., do not have a gray colorant in their system – they use black–therefore unable to get to that same luminous quality and match the color correctly. Just like cooking w/ butter or margarine. Won’t get the same tasting cookies!
Ps I’m a color & design rep for BM 🙂
I purchased from Benjamin Moore, but thank you for weighing in, I appreciate it!
LJ, I have a home with the original (18 yr) BM Navajo White paint on all of my walls. I have to repaint the ceiling and walls in my dining and living room due to repairs (East facing large room with vaulted ceilings and a good amount of natural light). I wanted it brighter, more fresh, and less yellow, but want to keep it mildly warm. Should I move to a 50% tint of the Navajo White? Or even 25% or 33%? I’ve tried samples of each of these but I’m having trouble deciding. Is the 25% tint going too far? I would love (need) your advice.
Thank you for the post Julie. We have just moved in to a new apartment with all walls painted in Bone White (I believe the builders only applied one layer as marks and fingerprints easy stain it). I’m very overwhelmed with all the different tones and undertones available out there. If Bone white is too dark/yellow for us, do you think we can go with Navajo White? The color will be used for a bright NW-W facing living room and no natural light hallway. Thanks!
It may be a touch too yellow for you? I highly recommend Soft Chamois – try a sample
We have 2 kitchens in our home with Almond appliances(I know, dated—lol) as well as a bathroom with the same colour in fixtures—-have found that Navajo white is a very good match and looks quite nice as a mono chromatic background for our furniture and accessories. We will be selling in a few months and will be repainting the kitchen—-I think it’s probably best to stick with the neutral Navajo white unless you can suggest a better match with almond appliances—Thanks
I would do the same or if there’s a drawer you can remove, have it color matched. It will make your kitchen look fresh! Best wishes for a quick sale!
I have Navajo white trim through the whole house. I wish I didn’t! Like you say, it is nice in rooms where there is tons of light, but otherwise it looks faded dirty yellow. We are re-doing the kitchen and I am very stuck trying to find a color for the walls to go with the NW (open to the family room and cabinetry all painted NW). Trying to achieve a light and airy, somewhat elegant-beachy look so I want to stay light, but every sample so far looks horrible next to the NW trim. I like creams way better than whites, but not this yellow ! Any ideas of a wall color with NW, maybe a greige that still stays airy but has enough contrast and color to hold the NW yellow at bay?
Soft Chamois is my all time favorite go to. I’ve yet to see it in a room where it didn’t feel just right!
Would Soft Chamois be okay to paint over 18-yr old kitchen walls in Navajo White? We painted our living room in a gray paint, over the Navajo White, and it turned out blue – we’ve actually learned to love it – a soft, serene blue. Now we want to paint the kitchen, and the gray we used is too dark (still looks blue, just darker than living room). What do you think of the Soft Chamois over NW? Thanks!
Actually, some greys read blue, especially in northern light. Painting over Navajo White shouldn’t have made it look blue. I love soft chamois – pick up a quart and give it a try!
I honestly said that if I never see Navajo white again that I would be totally fine with it. Our previous house in Texas had travertine floors and the ceilings and walls were all Navajo White. We had dark alder trim and doors. Because it was such a dark house, the Navajo White looked so yellow. I absolutely hated it and could not wait to paint it. It took five years because some of our ceilings were 24 feet high. It’s interesting that I would have never guessed your rooms were Navajo white. I guess the lesson is that paint truly looks different depending on the light and what’s with it. It looks fab in your home though!!!
Thank you, Sharon! That’s why I’m breaking down colors because they’re not a fit for every room. Navajo White is truly only a fit for spaces with a lot of natural light. I appreciate you sharing your experience so it helps others.
Navajo White is the trim on the exterior of our home! Love it
Oooh, so pretty! I love it for trim, but love your home even more!