Simply White
OC-117 · Benjamin Moore
Benjamin Moore
Simply White
OC-117
Subtle yellow-leaning green, a green color
- Color family
- White
- Sold for
- Interior and exterior
Benjamin Moore Simply White OC-117 is a bright white with a soft yellow in it, warm enough to keep a room from feeling clinical. An LRV of 90 puts it at the top of the scale, so it bounces light and shows whatever the light happens to be doing. Benjamin Moore named it Color of the Year for 2016, and it has stayed one of its most used cabinet and trim whites since. Its second number is 2143-70.
Is Simply White warm or cool? Undertones by the numbers
leans yellow-green
Undertone
Subtle yellow-leaning green
A gentle lean, quiet on the wall.
Simply White measures as yellow held back by a small amount of green, and that green is what stops it turning buttery in a sunny room. The practical result is a white that looks warm indoors and neutral in strong daylight. Beside Chantilly Lace OC-65 the yellow is obvious; beside Swiss Coffee OC-45 the same yellow looks restrained. The green side comes forward in weak light, where a large wall can read faintly sage instead of white, and that catches people out more than the warmth does. Warm floors and warm bulbs keep the yellow in front, which is how most people want it.
Simply White in north, south, east and west light
North light changes Simply White most, because cool light strips the yellow and leaves the green behind, so a large north wall can read soft sage rather than white. Warm wood, a warm rug or 2700K bulbs put the yellow back where it belongs. South rooms show it at its brightest and cleanest. East light gives a warm, faintly sage morning and a grayer mid-afternoon, a wider swing than most whites make, so look at a sample twice in one day. Western sun turns it slightly olive for an hour before sunset.
Watch for
- A big north wall can read sage rather than white
- Swings from warm to gray across an east-facing day
- Goes briefly olive under late western sun
Best rooms and surfaces for Simply White
Simply White is used most on kitchen cabinets, where the warmth keeps a white kitchen from looking like an appliance and the brightness keeps it from looking tired. On walls it suits sunny living rooms and open plans that already carry wood and stone. It works on trim beside a colored wall, though against a cooler white ceiling the yellow gives it away. Bathrooms deserve a proper sample, since a small space with cool tile and bright bulbs is exactly where the green side shows up. In a dim north bedroom it is not the safest pick, and either a whiter white or a frankly warm one will hold better there.
Simply White on an exterior
Benjamin Moore sells Simply White for exterior work, and outdoors the yellow reads as a soft white rather than a cream. On siding in open sun it goes close to plain white, while the shaded elevations keep their warmth, which gives a house some depth instead of one flat tone. It is a common trim and porch-ceiling white over cream and gray bodies. Against a dark body color it reads warmer than a clean white would, softening the contrast instead of sharpening it.
Try Simply White on your own walls
Upload a photo of your room, or the outside of your house, and TryMyHome renders Simply White onto the walls so you can judge it in your light, with your floors and furniture. Your first five renders are free.
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Simply White vs White Dove, Chantilly Lace, Pure White, Cloud White and Decorator's White
White DoveSimply WhiteSimply White vs White Dove OC-17
Simply White is noticeably lighter; both have a subtle yellow-leaning green undertone.
White Dove OC-17 is clearly the softer of the two, sitting at 83 against this color's place at the top of the scale, and its green is doing more of the work. Simply White is brighter and more obviously yellow. A house painted in White Dove feels quiet, while the same house in Simply White feels lit. For cabinets in a dark kitchen, Simply White gives back more light.
Chantilly LaceSimply WhiteSimply White vs Chantilly Lace OC-65
Simply White is a touch darker; undertone subtle yellow-leaning green vs faint yellow-leaning green.
Chantilly Lace OC-65 is the neutral one and Simply White the warm one, and both sit at the very top of the scale, so brightness is not what separates them. Put them side by side and Simply White reads cream while Chantilly Lace reads paper. Rooms with wood, brass and cream stone want Simply White; rooms with black metal, marble and cool tile want Chantilly Lace.
Pure WhiteSimply WhiteSimply White vs Pure White SW 7005
Simply White is noticeably lighter; undertone subtle yellow-leaning green vs faint yellow-beige.
Pure White SW 7005 measures six points darker at 84 with a faint yellow-beige lean, so it comes across as quieter and slightly grayer. Buyers cross-shop the two constantly for cabinet work. Simply White gives a brighter, warmer kitchen; Pure White gives one that stays nearer neutral and sits more easily under a cool white ceiling.
Cloud WhiteSimply WhiteSimply White vs Cloud White OC-130
Simply White is noticeably lighter; both have a subtle yellow-leaning green undertone.
Cloud White OC-130 shares the same yellow-with-green recipe but sits five points lower at 85, which makes it read as a cream where Simply White still reads as a white. In an older house with wood trim Cloud White blends in; in a bright new kitchen Simply White keeps the light moving. They are close enough that using both in one room looks like an error rather than a choice.
Decorator's WhiteSimply WhiteSimply White vs Decorator's White OC-149
Simply White is noticeably lighter; undertone subtle yellow-leaning green vs faint green.
Decorator's White OC-149 is this color's cool opposite: its trace of pigment leans green with no yellow to speak of, and it sits seven points down at 83. Simply White warms a room and Decorator's White keeps it neutral. Use Decorator's White where white cabinets meet gray quartz, and Simply White where they meet wood.
Questions about Simply White
Does Simply White look yellow or green?
Both, depending on the light. In warm indoor light and in full sun it reads yellow, which is what people buy it for. In weak north light the yellow drops away and the green underneath shows, so a large wall can look faintly sage. The shift is small on trim and obvious across a whole wall.
Is Simply White good for kitchen cabinets?
Yes, and more people put it on cabinets than anywhere else. It is bright enough to keep a kitchen from going dull and warm enough that the doors do not read as plastic. It sits well with wood floors, brass and cream stone. Beside cool gray quartz the yellow can look stronger than expected, so hold a sample door against the slab.
What is the Sherwin-Williams equivalent of Simply White?
High Reflective White SW 7757 and White Snow SW 9541 are the closest by measurement, both very close but cleaner. Cheviot SW 9503 follows. Of the Sherwin-Williams whites with a page here, Extra White SW 7006 is nearest and it is cooler, so ask the store to match the Benjamin Moore formula rather than assume a stock white will do.
Is Simply White a good trim color?
Yes, on walls darker or more saturated than it is. Against a color it reads clean, and its warmth keeps the edge from looking harsh. It is a weaker choice beside a whiter ceiling or a cool white cabinet run, where the yellow shows up as a mismatch rather than as a warm note.
Is Simply White the same color as 2143-70?
Yes. Benjamin Moore sells this color under two numbers, OC-117 and 2143-70, and both mix the same paint. The OC number is the one on the off-white fan deck and the one most stores expect. Nothing about the color, the base or the available sheens changes between them.
Get a sample before you paint
Use the visualizer to narrow your shortlist, then confirm the finalist on your actual wall. A peel-and-stick sample of Simply White, checked in morning and evening light, is the last step before a gallon.
- Made with real paint
- Delivered next day
- Peels off clean
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