A SUBTLE OFF-WHITE WITH SOME TRICKS UP ITS SLEEVES
With trends leaning away from white-on-white palettes, I’m getting many more requests for off-white paint colors. And while I haven’t done a ton of work with this bad boy, he has the potential to be a GREAT shade for your walls, cabinets, trims, or even exterior!
BEFORE WE GET STARTED…
To show you RELATEABLE & REAL homes, I ONLY use photos from my Online Color Consulting clients. Some Pinterest images have been over-edited or aren’t even the color they’re said to be – this won’t happen here. I also don’t take photos from other Designer’s sites.
IS ORIGAMI WHITE A WARM OR COOL PAINT COLOR?
While Sherwin Williams states that Origami White is a ‘delicate white with cool violet undertones’ – it’s not. It’s not white, and its undertones aren’t cold. Origami White is a WARM off-white paint color.
IS ORIGAMI WHITE A GRAY PAINT COLOR?
Origami White has a bit of gray in it, calming it down, but it’s not a traditional gray paint color – it’s not cool enough for that. At best, Origami White is a considerably WARM shade of gray. And while scientifically, it’s in the yellow family, you’ll be hard-pressed to see much yellow in this bad boy.
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WHAT’S ORIGAMI WHITE’S LRV?
LRV is one of the most IMPORTANT details about a paint color; I’m so glad you asked! Origami White has an LRV of 76, which means it’s an off-white paint color. The white range starts closer to 81/82, which means that Origami White isn’t even TRYING to be white.
Not sure what LRV is? It could save your paint-lovin’ life – read all about it HERE.
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WHAT UNDERTONES DOES ORIGAMI WHITE HAVE?
Origami White is a tricky one. With a reasonably low chroma, Origami White has little to no noticeable undertones – no obvious violet, pink, green, blue, orange, or yellow – wahoo! However, this means it will be very susceptible to picking up/reflecting colors from its environment, so be careful what you partner it with!
Because of this and its passive warmth, Origami White offers a smooth take on warm neutral. Not creamy-yellow, not cold gray, yet not committed to the violet of taupe or green of greige. It’s more that it’s a gentle approach to warmth with MINIMAL commitment to undertone.
When sampling colors, putting some white paper next to them is SUPER important, especially with off-whites. If you don’t, an off-white like Origami White can ‘look white’ just because it’s one of the lighter colors in the area…
Take a good look at the above photo and get a good feel for Origami White.
NOW, consider how different your PERCEPTION of Origami White might be with some white next to it…
The best way to get a read on a color ninja-like Origami White is to compare it to other colors. These colors don’t need to be SUPER similar; they just need a comparable LRV, for example…
- Origami White vs Sherwin Williams White Heron: White Heron and its interesting cream-taupe blend, shows how much grayer and NOT creamy Origami White is in comparison. Not to say Origami White can’t pick up a wink, but it’s far less inclined than other shades.
- Sherwin Williams Pure White vs. Origami White: Even though Pure White is a soft white (not a bright one), it shows how much depth Origami White is and how subtle its warmth is. A comparison like this shows the off-white LRV of Origami White and the type of contrast you might like to see between the wall and the trim.
- Sherwin Williams Eider White vs. Origami White. Ooof, whoever said that Origami White has cool violet undertones should compare it with Eider White. Even then, Eider White has a WARM gray-violet hue to it, showing how subtle, warm, and muted Origami White is in comparison.
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SAMPLING ORIGAMI WHITE WITH PEEL & STICK
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Get your Samplize PEEL & STICK SAMPLE of ORIGAMI WHITE
WHAT WHITE TRIM COLOR GOES WITH ORIGAMI WHITE?
Being a super gentle, neutral, off-white paint color, it’s pretty fussy about its white partners. Origami White prefers muted whites without too much cream in them and whites that AREN’T cold. This includes…
- Sherwin Williams Pure White
- Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace
- Sherwin Williams High Reflective White
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IS ORIGAMI WHITE A GOOD EXTERIOR PAINT COLOR?
With its high LRV, Origami White is hit-and-miss. If you want to SEE some color/depth on your home, it won’t give you much. You’ll definitely want to partner it with a super white trim to get as much contrast as possible. The more contrast you have between your siding and your white trim, the more you’ll see the depth/color of Origami White.
On the other hand, if you’re going for a subtle, muted look, you might paint your trim and siding the same color, giving a more simple, monotone look.
Long story short, YES, Origami White can be a great exterior color, as it works with a wide range of asphalt roofs, stone, and brick.
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IS ORIGAMI WHITE A GOOD OFF-WHITE COLOR FOR KITCHEN CABINETS?
Origami White could be a gorgeous off-white for cabinets if you want a SUPER muted look. HOWEVER, I personally lean into either white cabinets or colors with just a BIT more depth to them, like Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray and Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray.
Here’s Origami White on painted kitchen cabinets with Iron Ore on the island…
This next kitchen is a great blend of cabinet colors, with Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace on the main cabinets, and Agreeable Gray on the island, board and batten, and painted trim…
Why?
If you have white trim nearby, the white of your trim could have your Origami White cabinets looking a bit dingy in comparison, as they don’t really COMMIT to any kind of real depth/color.
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WHAT COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO ORIGAMI WHITE?
- Sherwin Williams Aesthetic White vs. Origami White: Aesthetic White is a touch darker and more beige compared to Origami White
- Sherwin Williams Origami White vs. Snowbound: You’re really comparing apples to oranges. Snowbound is a soft WHITE with gray-violet-pink undertones, whereas Origami White is off-white, so it has more depth and a warmer foundation.
- Benjamin Moore Classic Gray vs. Origami White: These two colors are very comparable. Classic Gray is slightly lighter than Origami White, but both are off-white. Classic Gray also pops a bit more undertone compared to Origami White.
Sherwin Williams Aesthetic White on the bedroom walls
WHICH PAINT COLORS GO WITH ORIGAMI WHITE?
Origami White is a super muted, warm, off-white paint color with a few great color palette partners…
- light and medium tones of green-gray (with blue undertones), such as Sherwin Williams Comfort Gray
- light-medium and darker shades of greige with slightly more noticeable green undertones, like Sherwin Williams Jogging Path
- some muted light taupe and greige paint colors
- it doesn’t LOVE beige or cream paint colors
READ MORE
The 6 Best Off-White Paint Colors
The Best Off-White & Light Depth Paint Colors for CABINETS
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Chat soon,