Get all the details about one of my favorite paint colors, Benjamin Moore Navajo White (not to be confused with the Sherwin Williams color of the same name).
We’ll show you this color used in our home, at various times of the day, for a complete review that will make your paint color decision oh-so-easy!
Navajo White is a beautiful and rich 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.
Another reason this color feels a little tricky is because it changes so much throughout the day. I love it as a rich cream, as well as a more bleached out warm white.
With that in mind, you’ll see the color in varying lighting throughout this post. It’s rich and creamy, with strong yellow undertones – though it never feels like an actual yellow. Want to learn more? Keep reading!
Why You’ll Love this Paint Color
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. Don’t miss my favorite Warm Whites!
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 a stunning color – 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.
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 was very pretty in that room, though I liked it best it in daytime rather than evening, where it felt significantly more yellow.
While we’ve since painted that room in a brighter white with less yellow undertones, we’ve kept this color in other spaces, because it’s just right!
Benjamin Moore Navajo White OC-95
You can learn more about our favorite cream color paints here.
Spaces it Works Well In
- Open concept spaces
- Rooms with a significant amount of natural lighting
- North-facing rooms
- This can also be a good color for rooms with that face east in the afternoons (western morning sun).
Makes a Room Feel
- light
- warm
Undertones
- yellow (more so than many of my favorite cream paint colors)
Styles it Fits
- traditional
- country cottage
- farmhouse
Benjamin Moore Navajo White LRV 78.26
The LRV of a color is important, because it showcases how much light is reflected on a simplified scale. Learn more in our guide to What is LRV?
Knowing the LRV of a color can also help you make a more educated comparison!
With an LRV of 78, this color is comparable to Soft Chamois at 78.94, and Sherwin Williams Zurich White, which has an LRV of 76.
Tips
- Paint the ceiling in the same color (can use a different sheen). We learned this lesson the hard way – when we painted our ceiling with a traditional bright white ceiling paint, it made this color feel too yellow in our breakfast nook.
- Paint moulding (like our picture frame moulding or board and batten) in the same paint color, but one sheen higher.
- Want to pair Navajo White with a gray paint color? Just make sure it’s a deeper, more saturated shade for contrast.
Coordinating Colors
- Try this color with a mushroom paint color for some contrast.
- Pair it with Benjamin Moore Hale Navy for a striking style.
- I don’t recommend pairing this color with a sage green paint color, as greens can bring out the yellow in this shade.
- This color works well with dark grays and blacks, especially if you’re updating a cream kitchen, as shown in the Instagram kitchen below.
Trim Colors
Careful with trim for this color, as going with a lighter warm white can easily make Navajo White look more yellow in comparison.
- For trim, try using this same color, just 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 BM Navajo White will read yellow against stark white ceilings.
- Another option is to do Navajo White on your trim, but just a percentage! Try lightening it to 75% or even 50% to ensure the trim coordinates, with just a slight change in depth.
- Or, use Navajo White on your walls, with a deeper color on the trim. Our favorite Greige Paint Colors will coordinate beautifully as a trim color.
- Sherwin Williams Extra White or Benjamin Moore Simply White would give you more contrast. Because they both have a slight hint of yellow undertones, they will coordinate well but showcase the rich depth of cream in Navajo 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.
Find all of our paint colors in our paint palette here and keep track of all of yours here. If you use any of them, please return to share your thoughts!
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.
Sat, Apr 11 at 2:07 PM
Julie, you indicated that you could only comment on colors with which you have worked and that is totally understandable. I recognize that the vinyl will not be an exact match to Navajo White but I have taken the siding sample to my local BM store and it was their opinion that the siding was as close as I would ever get (i.e., that it was very close) to Navajo White.
Leaving the vinyl colors out of the equation, am I understanding correctly that, in your opinion, Navajo White and Hale Navy would be a good combination? (Those are the two colors I am attempting to duplicate if deemed a good combination.)
Also, assuming my color choices were Navajo White for the siding and Hale Navy for the shutters, what BM color do you feel would be a good choice for the door, Hale Navy or something else? If you cannot comment on a specific BM color for the door, can you describe a generic color (as you did in your previous response when you mentioned “dusty navy” )? Thanks again.
Julie, you indicated that you could only comment on colors with which you have worked and that is totally understandable. I recognize that the vinyl will not be an exact match to Navajo White but I have taken the siding sample to my local BM store and it was their opinion that the siding was as close as I would ever get (i.e., that it was very close) to Navajo White.
Leaving the vinyl colors out of the equation, am I understanding correctly that, in your opinion, Navajo White and Hale Navy would be a good combination? (Those are the two colors I am attempting to duplicate if deemed a good combination.)
Also, assuming my color choices were Navajo White for the siding and Hale Navy for the shutters, what BM color do you feel would be a good choice for the door, Hale Navy or something else? If you cannot comment on a specific BM color for the door, can you describe a generic color (as you did in your previous response when you mentioned “dusty navy” )? Thanks again.
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.