10 Off-White Paint Colors for Home Exteriors
Pros share the off-white shades they used to complement the architecture of these remodeled and new-build homes
If you like the clean, crisp look of white exteriors but don’t want a house to feel too stark or sterile, an off-white paint might be the perfect solution. Off-white is a neutral exterior color that works well for a wide range of house styles.
We asked designers, architects and remodelers to share the off-white paint colors they used for the exteriors of these homes. Please note that paint colors may look different in photographs compared with the paint swatch. Check out the picks, then let us know in the Comments which off-white wins you over — and share your own favorites.
We asked designers, architects and remodelers to share the off-white paint colors they used for the exteriors of these homes. Please note that paint colors may look different in photographs compared with the paint swatch. Check out the picks, then let us know in the Comments which off-white wins you over — and share your own favorites.
2. Crystal Haze by Dunn-Edwards
This Mediterranean-style house in Los Angeles is covered in an off-white mixed with green that softens the look and coordinates with the front door and landscaping.
“The green gives it a nice warm look even in the bright sun,” architect Toni Lewis of Lewis / Schoeplein Architects says. “For exteriors we usually stay away from the paint companies’ whites, which tend to look too harsh or bland in the sun. A very, very pale color that reads as an off-white is a lot more interesting.”
Houzz Pro software has tools that make it easy to share your design ideas with clients. You can add inspiration photos, files, proposals and mood boards to the client dashboard and send messages through the app.
Learn about Houzz Pro software
This Mediterranean-style house in Los Angeles is covered in an off-white mixed with green that softens the look and coordinates with the front door and landscaping.
“The green gives it a nice warm look even in the bright sun,” architect Toni Lewis of Lewis / Schoeplein Architects says. “For exteriors we usually stay away from the paint companies’ whites, which tend to look too harsh or bland in the sun. A very, very pale color that reads as an off-white is a lot more interesting.”
Houzz Pro software has tools that make it easy to share your design ideas with clients. You can add inspiration photos, files, proposals and mood boards to the client dashboard and send messages through the app.
Learn about Houzz Pro software
3. Classic Gray by Benjamin Moore
Designer Stephanie Zaharias of Zaharias Design used a color-matched stucco in an off-white shade with gray undertones for the exterior of this home in California’s Silicon Valley. The color was selected to complement the gray-stained cedar on the exterior’s second level.
“Stucco is always very difficult to get right,” Zaharias says. “I always start with the standard colors offered for stucco, but in my projects they have rarely worked. I tend to select a paint color and color-match it.”
Gutter and eaves paint: Black Beauty, Benjamin Moore
Designer Stephanie Zaharias of Zaharias Design used a color-matched stucco in an off-white shade with gray undertones for the exterior of this home in California’s Silicon Valley. The color was selected to complement the gray-stained cedar on the exterior’s second level.
“Stucco is always very difficult to get right,” Zaharias says. “I always start with the standard colors offered for stucco, but in my projects they have rarely worked. I tend to select a paint color and color-match it.”
Gutter and eaves paint: Black Beauty, Benjamin Moore
4. Moth Gray by PPG Paints
This new-build Houston home is painted in an off-white with greige undertones that blends with the stone facade and provides a nice contrast to the dark metal awnings, wood front door and cedar posts.
“We did not want to distract the eye from the exciting roof line, gables and windows, so we needed a toned-down body color for this home,” Nicola Oliver of Coventry Homes says.
This new-build Houston home is painted in an off-white with greige undertones that blends with the stone facade and provides a nice contrast to the dark metal awnings, wood front door and cedar posts.
“We did not want to distract the eye from the exciting roof line, gables and windows, so we needed a toned-down body color for this home,” Nicola Oliver of Coventry Homes says.
5. Cloud White by Benjamin Moore
Architect Juana Gomez of Lawrence and Gomez Architects used a color-matched stucco with subtle yellow undertones for the exterior of this Denver home, which also features cedar vertical siding finished with a semitransparent stain.
“True white can be harsh on an exterior wall in Colorado — think bright sunshine on snow,” Gomez says. “We searched for an off-white that would be right for this application.”
Trim paint: Gray, Benjamin Moore
Architect Juana Gomez of Lawrence and Gomez Architects used a color-matched stucco with subtle yellow undertones for the exterior of this Denver home, which also features cedar vertical siding finished with a semitransparent stain.
“True white can be harsh on an exterior wall in Colorado — think bright sunshine on snow,” Gomez says. “We searched for an off-white that would be right for this application.”
Trim paint: Gray, Benjamin Moore
6. Bone China by Dunn-Edwards
This Mediterranean-style house in Santa Barbara, California, is covered in an off-white shade that highlights the exterior details and plays up the green trim and colorful tiles on the stair risers.
“Choosing an off-white shade like this, rather than a brighter white, helps draw your eye toward the ornate details of the project, such as the ironwork and staircase,” Natalie Ochsner of Tom Ochsner says.
Trim paint: Mission Jewel, Dunn-Edwards
This Mediterranean-style house in Santa Barbara, California, is covered in an off-white shade that highlights the exterior details and plays up the green trim and colorful tiles on the stair risers.
“Choosing an off-white shade like this, rather than a brighter white, helps draw your eye toward the ornate details of the project, such as the ironwork and staircase,” Natalie Ochsner of Tom Ochsner says.
Trim paint: Mission Jewel, Dunn-Edwards
7. Spring in Aspen by Benjamin Moore
This new-build home in New Orleans by Van Alan Homes features a creamy off-white shade that complements the taupe window shutters and front door. The warm undertones also pick up the brickwork used for the stairs and base of the portico.
Window shutters and door paint: Galveston Gray, Benjamin Moore
This new-build home in New Orleans by Van Alan Homes features a creamy off-white shade that complements the taupe window shutters and front door. The warm undertones also pick up the brickwork used for the stairs and base of the portico.
Window shutters and door paint: Galveston Gray, Benjamin Moore
8. Shoji White by Sherwin-Williams
Designer Kelly Caruso of Regarding Design used a versatile off-white for the exterior of this contemporary Minneapolis house. The warm white is paired with a dark trim to create dramatic contrast.
Caruso likes this classic off-white color because of its adaptability. “It provides a warm brightness in the depths of a Northern winter and a sense of cool calmness in the blazing heat of a Southern summer,” she says.
Trim paint: Studio Green, Farrow & Ball
Designer Kelly Caruso of Regarding Design used a versatile off-white for the exterior of this contemporary Minneapolis house. The warm white is paired with a dark trim to create dramatic contrast.
Caruso likes this classic off-white color because of its adaptability. “It provides a warm brightness in the depths of a Northern winter and a sense of cool calmness in the blazing heat of a Southern summer,” she says.
Trim paint: Studio Green, Farrow & Ball
9. Navajo White by Benjamin Moore
Desiree Harper of Struttura selected a warm off-white for the siding, pillars and trim of this Atlanta home to blend with the traditional lime wash on the brick facade. The off-white is a “nearly identical” match, Harper says.
Lime wash: Classico Limewash in Cristallo White, Romabio
Desiree Harper of Struttura selected a warm off-white for the siding, pillars and trim of this Atlanta home to blend with the traditional lime wash on the brick facade. The off-white is a “nearly identical” match, Harper says.
Lime wash: Classico Limewash in Cristallo White, Romabio
10. Cobble Stone by James Hardie
The exterior of this new-build home near the New Jersey shore is covered in durable fiber cement siding and shingles in a premade off-white. “The color offers a great contrast with the black windows,” Erin Collier of CMM Custom Homes says.
If you love this color but don’t need new siding or shingles, don’t worry. Most paint companies should be able to perfectly color-match this shade or any other one you like.
More for Pros on Houzz
Read more stories for pros
Learn about Houzz Pro software
Talk with your peers in pro-to-pro discussions
Join the Houzz Trade Program
The exterior of this new-build home near the New Jersey shore is covered in durable fiber cement siding and shingles in a premade off-white. “The color offers a great contrast with the black windows,” Erin Collier of CMM Custom Homes says.
If you love this color but don’t need new siding or shingles, don’t worry. Most paint companies should be able to perfectly color-match this shade or any other one you like.
More for Pros on Houzz
Read more stories for pros
Learn about Houzz Pro software
Talk with your peers in pro-to-pro discussions
Join the Houzz Trade Program
Architectural designer Richard Bubnowski used a color-matched stain in a creamy off-white shade to cover the western red cedar shingles on this New Jersey home near the shore.
“We wanted a soft off-white tone with enough pigment to contrast the stark white trim work,” Bubnowski says. “Many houses along the shore have natural red cedar shingles that weather to a dark reddish brown, but my client wanted something a bit more unique.”
Trim paint: White, Benjamin Moore