Shoji White by Sherwin Williams: The Perfect Warm White
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Hi friends! Today I’m sharing my honest thoughts on Shoji White by Sherwin Williams (color matched at Home Depot), the white paint color we ultimately chose for our living room and kitchen. If you’ve followed along here for a while, you know this was a much-debated decision. I hemmed and hawed over finding the right paint color for over a year before finally committing. That’s how serious this was (lol). You can read the full blog post where I discuss all the warm white paint colors I considered here.
I like to describe my home style as cozy with a hint of trend. We have small kiddos that live here, so I learned a long time ago not to be overly fussy with things. At the end of the day, I just want things to feel cozy and intentional. When choosing Shoji White SW (also called Sherwin-Williams Shoji White), I was looking for a warm paint color that would feel grounding in our very starkly bright, south-facing room. I needed a good option that didn’t feel too bright white or too dark.
I truly believe Shoji White was the perfect warm, neutral paint color for our home—so let’s get into it!
To keep these as true to color and as honest as possible, I am uploading photos taken with my phone and completely unedited! To note: these were taken in the morning, when the sun is least warm in my home. I also turned off overhead lights.
What color is Shoji White by Sherwin Williams?
Shoji White by Sherwin Williams is an off-white with subtle greige undertones. I would almost call it a very, very light greige with a subtle pink undertone. It has an LRV of 74, so it’s a nice in-between between a lighter or darker color.
What I love about this color is that while it is technically a greige, it reads beautifully warm white or cream when a whole wall is painted! In the photo you’ll see below, I was realizing VERY quickly how “unfinished” my walls looked before.
Why we chose Shoji White as Our Warm White:
There’s a whole blog post about our process of choosing this popular choice here, if you want a short story long! Ultimately, I wanted something warmer and “dimmer” than the stark white walls we had before (Simply White). Do not get me wrong, Simply White is a beautiful paint color (it is truly a bright, warmer white). But I was after an even warmer white paint with a lower Light Reflectance Value (LRV)—Shoji White has an LRV of 74, which hits that sweet spot between lighter colors and darker colors. It reflects just enough light without feeling cold.
We sampled several different colors, but Shoji White gave us the most neutral warmth with subtle greige undertones, and no strong yellow, pink, or green undertones. After ruling out all the others for different reasons, Shoji White felt like a natural choice and a great option for our space.
The before and after of this wall kills me! WOW! It gave this room so much coziness that it was simply lacking before.
How Shoji White Looks in Our Home:
To keep things real, I’m uploading unedited iPhone photos taken in the morning—when the sun is coolest in our home—with no overhead light fixtures turned on. I want to give you an accurate look at this creamy white wall color in real life.
I have noticed the this color is a bit of a chameleon in the sense that it will take on the hue of what’s around it. For instance, if you use a warm light bulb in a lamp, it will really show off it’s warmth. And the same goes with cooler lighting. I’ve noticed the same with green and pink, as well. While I would say this shade does not lean too far green or pink in terms of hues (it really is just a warm neutral), it *does* have them.
When you compare the before and after, the transformation is dramatic! Shoji White reads as a light color, but feels warm and grounding like a cozy hug. It’s a white, creamy look that works beautifully in both our living room and kitchen. I think it would be an excellent choice for all light, to be honest: west-facing rooms, north-facing rooms, or east-facing rooms too. This is a fail-proof color, in my opinion.
Again, it just looked unfinished before Shoji!
Shoji White vs. Simply White (our previous wall color):
The difference between Shoji White and Simply White is huge. Simply White felt too stark in our space with blue/green hues, especially against our warm wood tones and wood beams.
Shoji White, on the other hand, feels soft, balanced, and versatile. I even went ahead and painted our brick fireplace the same color for a cohesive look. Our fireplace was previously painted in the color Stone Hearth against Simply White walls. While the contrast was fun, it was never very calming to me and something always felt a little off.
For reference, our trim and doors are painted Sherwin Williams Pure White, and the contrast is subtle, soft, and timeless—exactly what I was after.
It truly reads as just a beautiful cream color, not greige at all. I will say the *only* time I see any hint of greige at all is at night in very dim light.
Shoji White against Edgecomb Gray:
When choosing a wall color, I also had to consider our cabinet color, Edgecomb Gray by Benjamin Moore. Here’s a full write up of that paint project here. I just painted these over the winter and was NOT about to do it again this soon.
Shoji White was the perfect warm complement. It’s lighter than Edgecomb Gray, but they do not clash whatsoever. It added softness without clashing, and worked well with our existing color scheme.
If you’re picking a warm white paint, I highly recommend using stick on paint samples to test in your space. It’s so helpful to compare similar colors like White Duck, Swiss Coffee, or even Accessible Beige side by side with Shoji White to get a feel for the color in your space.
As hard as this decision was to commit to and make the final decision on, I have ZERO regrets. Shoji White brings all the warmth and coziness that I wanted, without making the house feel too dark.
SAVE THIS PIN FOR LATER:
If you’re on the hunt for the best white paint color, Shoji White is a great choice—especially in homes with natural light that needs soft warmth. But I definitely always recommend sampling it in your space first!
I hope this post on Shoji White by Sherwin Williams gives you the courage to choose the right warm white for your space!
Happy painting, friends 🙂
Courtney
