Dover White
SW 6385 · Sherwin-Williams
Sherwin-Williams
Dover White
SW 6385
Subtle yellow-beige, a warm color
- Color family
- White
- Sold for
- Interior and exterior
Sherwin-Williams Dover White SW 6385 is a soft cream white with an LRV of 83, bright enough to light a room while still reading warmer than a plain white. Our method classes it as warm with a subtle yellow-beige undertone, among the creamiest of the popular Sherwin-Williams whites. It is a whole-house wall and trim color, a cabinet color and a siding color, and it is the white people reach for when Alabaster SW 7008 is not quite warm enough.
Updated
Is Dover White warm or cool? Undertones by the numbers
leans yellow
Undertone
Subtle yellow-beige
A gentle lean, quiet on the wall.
Dover White measures warm with a small, clear lean toward yellow and nothing toward red, and it carries more of that yellow than Alabaster SW 7008 or Greek Villa SW 7551 at nearly the same lightness. That is what makes it read as cream rather than white: next to a bright white trim the wall looks buttery, and next to warm oak or a tan sofa it settles into a soft white again. There is no pink in it and no green, so it never goes rosy or sour, only more or less yellow. Cool gray tile and stainless steel make the yellow show most. Classic Light Buff SW 0050 measures as the same color, and Creamy SW 7012 is a near twin, a touch darker.
Dover White in north, south, east and west light
Dover White does its best work in a north-facing room, where the cool, even light takes the edge off the cream and leaves a warm white that never goes gray. South rooms push it the other way: in afternoon sun it reads plainly cream, and beside a cool white counter it can look yellow. East light warms it at breakfast and cools it by evening, and west sun at the end of the day can tip it toward gold. Bulbs between 2700K and 3000K suit it; 4000K bulbs fight the cream and make it look tired.
Watch for
- A sunny south wall beside white quartz or white tile makes it read yellow, not white
- Under 4000K bulbs the cream goes flat, closer to a dull beige than a white
- Against Extra White SW 7006 trim the walls look buttery; a warmer trim white closes the gap
Best rooms and surfaces for Dover White
Every room in a house can take Dover White, and the ones that suit it best have warm finishes: living rooms, hallways and bedrooms all take it well, and its brightness keeps a small room open. On kitchen cabinets it is a cream, not a white, so it suits warm counters, brass hardware and wood floors, and it fights with bright white appliances or a gray quartz. Bathrooms are the room to be careful in: white tile and cool fixtures pull the yellow forward, so it does best there with warm stone or wood. As a trim and ceiling color it pairs with deeper warm walls such as Neutral Ground SW 7568 from its own strip. It is the wrong pick for a room full of cool grays, where it will look dingy beside them.
Dover White on an exterior
Sherwin-Williams lists Dover White among its top exterior colors, and it is a cream siding color first. In full sun it reads nearly white with a warm glow, which is why it suits brick, stone and warm roof colors; on a shaded north side it holds its cream and looks softer than a bright white would. For trim, Extra White SW 7006 gives sharp lines while Greek Villa SW 7551 keeps the whole house soft. Dark doors in Iron Ore SW 7069 or Urbane Bronze SW 7048 sit well against it.
Try Dover White on your own walls
Upload a photo of your room, or the outside of your house, and TryMyHome renders Dover 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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Dover White vs Alabaster, Greek Villa, Creamy and Shoji White
AlabasterDover WhiteDover White vs Alabaster SW 7008
Dover White is a touch lighter; both have a subtle yellow-beige undertone.
Alabaster SW 7008 and Dover White are the same lightness on a wall; the difference is all in the cream. Dover White carries more yellow, so it reads as a soft cream where Alabaster reads as a warm white. Pick Alabaster when you want a white that is merely not stark; pick Dover White when you want the room to feel warm and slightly golden, or when the trim is Alabaster already.
Greek VillaDover WhiteDover White vs Greek Villa SW 7551
Dover White is a touch darker; both have a subtle yellow-beige undertone.
Greek Villa SW 7551 is a touch lighter and noticeably cleaner: a white with a little warmth, where Dover White is a cream with a lot. On the same wall Greek Villa looks like the trim and Dover White like the color. Choose Greek Villa for a bright, airy room with cool finishes; choose Dover White for warm wood, brick and a cozier read.
CreamyDover WhiteDover White vs Creamy SW 7012
Dover White is a touch lighter; both have a subtle yellow-beige undertone.
Creamy SW 7012 is Dover White's near twin, the next step down its fan-deck strip and a touch darker. On a wall the two are hard to tell apart; Creamy reads a hair deeper, Dover White a hair brighter. If you have a sample of one, you have both. Pick Creamy where you want a shade more depth on a sun-washed wall, Dover White where a room needs every point of brightness.
Shoji WhiteDover WhiteDover White vs Shoji White SW 7042
Dover White is noticeably lighter; both have a subtle yellow-beige undertone.
Shoji White SW 7042 is clearly darker, eight points down the scale, and less yellow: a greige-white against Dover White's cream. Next to each other Dover White looks bright and buttery while Shoji White looks calm and slightly gray. Shoji White wins in a modern room with black, gray or green in it; Dover White wins in a traditional room with warm wood and brass.
Questions about Dover White
Does Dover White look yellow?
It can, and more readily than Alabaster SW 7008. Dover White has a clear yellow lean with no red or green in it, so on a sunny south wall or beside bright white tile it reads cream to yellow. Surround it with warm wood, tan fabric and a warm trim white and it reads as a soft white; surround it with cool grays and stark whites and the yellow shows.
What colors go with Dover White?
Sherwin-Williams pairs it with Dakota Wheat SW 9023, a warm gold, and Waterloo SW 9141, a deep slate blue. In practice it goes with warm wood, brass, terracotta and black, and with deeper warm neutrals from its own strip such as Neutral Ground SW 7568. It struggles beside cool grays, which make it look dingy, and beside blue-white tile.
Is Dover White good for kitchen cabinets?
Yes, if you want cream cabinets rather than white ones. It reads warm and a little golden on doors, so it suits warm counters, wood floors and brass or bronze hardware, and it hides fingerprints better than a stark white. It clashes with bright white appliances and cool gray quartz, where it looks yellow by comparison.
What is one shade darker than Dover White?
On its fan-deck strip the next step down is Creamy SW 7012, so close that the two are hard to tell apart on a wall; the step below that is Aged White SW 9180, a visible move toward beige. One shade lighter is Whitetail SW 7103 at the top of the strip. Among its closest matches, Ivory Lace SW 7013 is a touch darker and a touch more muted.
Is Dover White a good exterior color?
Yes. Sherwin-Williams lists it among its top exterior colors. Full sun bleaches it toward white, so a house that reads cream on a cloudy day reads bright white at noon, while the north side keeps the cream all day. Sample it on the sunny and shaded sides before committing, and keep the trim white warm so the two do not fight.
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 Dover 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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