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 love your decor. Our Lakehouse is mostly Simply White and I was curious to find out what your door (white interior is)? We are painting or Entryway door Urban Raincoat- Behr on the outside and the inside white.. the shiplap in entryway is Simply White as well as the trim. Any thoughts? The problem is ALL our heavy wood doors inside are Acorn Black by Sherwin Williams. Thank you and keep up the great work!! Beautiful!
Hi Amy,
I am not able to help with specific paint questions and consultations at this time! However, you might find my guide to paint samples helpful! My best advice is to buy some paint samples and test the colors next to your ceiling paint, trim paint and cabinetry, and study it throughout the day in different lighting situations. Check out my guide to paint samples here!
Good luck, and have a beautiful week!
Julie
Thank you for your post, Julie! I’m trying to paint my daughter’s bedroom which is facing northeast. It’s a small room with 121 sq feet floor and 9 feet high flat ceiling. It has 2 small windows but does not have a lot of natural light as one is facing northeast and the other is facing southeast right across our neighbor’s window (we often close it for privacy). Is the Benjamin Moore Navajo White still a good choice? Do you have any suggestions for painting her room’s wall, ceiling, trims, and door? Thank you so much for your help!
Hi Ana!
Have you seen my Warm White Paint guide? I can’t offer custom consultations at this time, but my advice would be to buy paint samples (click through to see my post about them) and check in all lighting before making a decision.
Good luck, and enjoy!
Julie
Hi we have an entire house of Navajo white trim and loads of millwork. The house has historical colors. We are trying to tone it all down and do different finishes of Navajo white. My main problem is the ceilings. I tried 25% lighter Navajo white on the ceiling and it is still looking too white against the Navajo white crown. Do you recommend just Navajo white in flat for the ceiling?
Hi Kristen,
That surprises me that 25% lighter would make that big of an impact against the crown! However, we definitely noticed that once we painted our ceilings in that same color, it helped create the overall warm and creamy feeling we were going for – it prevent the Navajo White from feeling too yellow against a bright white ceiling paint.
Good luck with your project!
Julie
Hi Julie! We are moving into a ranch with Navajo white trim throughout and want to “match” the wall color but are afraid it could look too yellow. What is another color a good option to match the trim (to the eye) and err on the side of not coming off looking too yellow? Majority of the windows face north, with one room with some west windows.
Hi Emily,
I would check out Simply White as a good option – it’s a much brighter white with just the slightest touch of yellow in the background.
Or, you could have the Navajo White lightened by 50%. That’s a great way to ensure you’re coordinating but keeping the color less saturated overall.
Good luck!
Julie
Flat white or eggshell?
For walls, eggshell