Read about Benjamin Moore Soft Chamois, and see REAL real homes that use it!
Benjamin Moore Soft Chamois (OC-13) is a warm and delicate off-white paint that creates a welcoming and soothing ambiance.
I hear from readers again and again how hard it is to find the ideal off-white. It sounds easy enough, right? Off-white is simply a little darker than regular white.
But then you look at paint options from a company like Benjamin Moore and see just how many off-white paint colors there are in ONE brand’s color selection. And you realize how incredibly similar each shade is, with only slight nuances between them.
Did you just break out into a sweat thinking about it? You’re not alone!
A great warm off-white is like being wrapped up in a warm hug. But with dozens of off-white paint color options on the market, how do you know which one is THE one for your home?
That’s where I come in 😉
If you’re thinking about giving your home an update with a fresh coat of paint, I have an entire paint color review post series that can help. Each post in the series features one single shade where I explain all the pros and cons and details you need to know.
Choosing one off-white (or even white) shade from the large pool of possibilities is a challenge, no doubt, but I hope these color reviews give you the information you need to make an informed choice that transforms your home into a retreat from the world that you love!
Today, I’m highlighting possibly one of the ultimate off-whites on the market. It’s time to begin our deep dive into Benjamin Moore Soft Chamois as the newest addition to the paint color review series.

What color is Soft Chamois?
Soft Chamois (OC-13) is a light, creamy, and calming off-white with gray undertones that give it a soft (ha!), delicate appearance.
However, there’s more to this shade from Ben Moore’s off-white collection than meets the eye. It has some flex, so it can read differently with various lighting exposures and decor influences.
As a complex off-white that looks light and airy during the day, then warm and creamy (but not yellow) at night, it’s basically interior design gold. Let’s check out all that Soft Chamois has to offer!

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FAQs about Benjamin Moore Soft Chamois
What other colors are similar to Soft Chamois?
First of all, don’t try to match a color in the Benjamin Moore paint line to the Sherwin Williams paint line. Thanks to differences in each company’s color blending techniques, you won’t receive the shade you expect!
If you crave a similar hue to Soft Chamois in Sherwin Williams color options, I recommend Sherwin Williams Pearly White. Please note that it has stronger gray undertones and less yellow than what you’ll see in Soft Chamois. Behr’s Rock Salt is also close, but it’s a wink creamier.
Is Sherwin Williams’s Soft Chamois warm or cool?
Soft Chamois is a warm off-white that’s not overly warm. It has yellow undertones that give it its warmth, along with gray undertones that tone down the yellow and create a soft and inviting look.
Where should I use Benjamin Moore Soft Chamois?
Soft Chamois is a must-have for most areas (top to bottom, inside and out) of the home! Consider using it for:
Entryway
Mudroom
Cabinets and vanities
Playroom
Living room
Dining room
Kitchen
Bathrooms
Bedrooms
Nursery
Laundry room
Accents such as shiplap or built-ins
Soft Chamois fits well in traditional, modern farmhouse, transitional, and French country homes.
Benjamin Moore Soft Chamois Undertones
Soft Chamois is a creamy off-white with yellow and gray undertones. It won’t look yellow on your walls thanks to those gray undertones that keep the yellow toned down and create a soft, even delicate, appearance.
I’ll step out on a limb and even go as far as to say it’s the ideal blend of pale beige and gray to create a soothing pale greige.
It also has a touch of green that can surprise people who aren’t expecting it. It’s not strong (read that as Soft Chamois won’t look green on your walls), but it can show up.
Don’t like surprises on your walls? Use my secret for avoiding terrible-looking colors in your home by checking out these peel-and-stick paint samples! They’re a no-fail way to make sure any color you like will look incredible with your lighting and decor.
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How Different Types of Lighting Affect Sherwin Williams’s Soft Chamois
Paint colors look different throughout the day because the moving sun creates natural changes in lighting that greatly impact the paint’s appearance.
EVERY paint color will have some amount of variation, so don’t expect it to look the exact same from one room (or wall!) to another.
Soft Chamois’s appearance WILL shift throughout the day based on different influences such as lighting and surrounding decor.
Here’s what you can expect from Benjamin Moore Soft Chamois solely based on different types of natural lighting.
- North-facing light – this gray-tinted cool lighting will make Soft Chamois appear darker and more greige, but its yellow undertones will prevent it from taking on a cool vibe.
- South-facing light – southern lighting provides consistent warmth throughout the entire day, making hues appear light and bright. In this lighting, Soft Chamois will show its natural warmth and will often wash out to a soft off-white.
- West-facing light – these rooms have dim, passive lighting exposure in the morning before shifting to ultra-warm lighting in the late afternoon. Soft Chamois will read as light creamy greige in the morning, and you will likely notice more of its warmth later in the day.
- East-facing light – Eastern lighting is warm and yellow-tinted in the morning before shifting to passive gray-tinted lighting later in the day. Soft Chamois will appear light and creamy in the morning, then shift towards its greige side in the afternoon.
When to Avoid BM Soft Chamois
Soft Chamois has yellow undertones. If you hate yellow, steer clear of using this shade in rooms with east-facing light (unless you primarily use the room later in the day).
Pairing whites and off-whites can be tricky because the wrong combination can make both shades look dingy. I recommend not pairing it with shades that are similar off-whites because it’s tough to get a good match.
Instead, opt for contrast with either a bright white or a noticeably darker off-white or greige.

Great Coordinating Colors for Soft Chamois
Soft Chamois is wildly versatile and can pair with almost any other color family you want to use and deliver beautiful results! Check out how amazing it is with darker grays and greiges, dark sage green, red and rust, browns, taupes, mauve, and even blues.
And it looks stunning with gold, matte black, and bronze (or brass) hardware!
If you need a few specific color ideas that work with Benjamin Moore Soft Chamois, try pairing it with:
- Beach Glass
- Tapestry Beige
- Saybrooke Sage
- White Dove
- Smokey Taupe
- Edgecomb Gray
- Pashmina
- Cedar Key
- Philipsburg Blue
- Stingray
- Senora Gray
- Agreeable Gray
- Victorian Garden
- Purple Haze
- Annapolis Gray
- Mink
- Clinton Brown
- Firenze
For trim and ceiling paint colors to pair with Soft Chamois, I recommend Chantilly Lace, White Dove, Simply White, and Alabaster to deliver contrast between the two shades.
OR use Soft Chamois for both your walls and trim, but use a different sheen so that your trim stands out. I recommend using an eggshell sheen for your walls and a satin one for your trim.

What paint sheen should I use?
Did you know you can get the same color of paint in several different sheens? Paint sheen indicates how shiny or flat your paint will look on the walls once it’s dry.
The luxurious matte finish you get from flat paint is perfect for lengths of walls that have less-than-perfect surfaces. It looks incredible, but there’s a downside: you have to be very careful when washing the walls because anything more than the most gentle scrubbing (or wiping down) will start taking paint off the walls.
On the other hand, the slight sheen of eggshell paint puts it in the middle of the sheen spectrum: not too flat, not too shiny. And a semi-gloss or satin paint is the perfect sheen to add a little sparkle to your coats of paint and create an easy-to-clean surface!
For the quick-and-dirty rules on keeping your walls neat, clean and beautiful through the wonders of picking the right sheen, check out this article.
LRV of Benjamin Moore Soft Chamois (OC-13)
What the heck is LRV, and why should I care about it? LRV stands for “light reflectance value.” To explain it in a way that non-interior design experts can relate to, it’s a scale that indicates how light or dark paint will look on your walls.
Light reflectance values sit on a scale of 0 – 100. A color with an LRV of 0 is absolute black, with higher numbers indicating lighter hues until you reach 100 (shockingly bright white).
The LRV of Benjamin Moore Soft Chamois = 77.4

That means BM Soft Chamois is in the off-white range. Depending on the lighting, some people may say it’s a pale greige.
Off-white, greige…tomato, tomahto – the point isn’t about what name to use but rather that it’s too dark to be a true white and too light to be a true greige. However, it WILL wash out in bright lighting.
LRV…what? Don’t worry, I’ve got you! Grab a FREE copy of my new guide to avoid the paint color picking mistakes people make! Click here or enter your email below. I’ll send the tips right away!⤵️
Soft Chamois Compared to Other Colors
It’s now time to compare this shade with similar hues to see how Soft Chamois stands apart from other popular off-whites.
Benjamin Moore Soft Chamois vs. Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee
To kick things off, we’ll compare Soft Chamois to Benjamin Moore’s very popular Swiss Coffee (OC-45).
Swiss Coffee is light enough (LRV of 83.93) to be a true white. On the other hand, Soft Chamois has more saturation, so even though it will wash out in bright light, it will still have more body to it than Swiss Coffee.
Although both of these shades are warm and have similar undertones, Swiss Coffee has a tad less green.

Benjamin Moore Soft Chamois vs. Benjamin Moore Ballet White
Benjamin Moore Ballet White (OC-9) is one of the richer hues that is similar but noticeably darker (LRV of 71.97) than Soft Chamois. Plus, it leans more yellow with a hint of red to give it a slightly browner (read that as beige or khaki) tint compared to BM Soft Chamois.
Ballet White is a popular shade from Ben Moore, but it lacks the versatility that Shoft Chamois has.

Benjamin Moore Soft Chamois vs. Benjamin Moore White Dove
Benjamin Moore White Dove (OC-17) is another very popular BM white and a personal favorite. Its LRV of 83.16 puts it firmly in the light (white) range, but White Dove has milder yellow undertones and lacks the body that Soft Chamois has.
Both of these shades are gorgeous, soft off-whites or whites that add a warm and inviting ambiance to any space in your home. The question is: how light do you want your paint color to be?

More Colors to Consider
Are you in love with Soft Chamois (I am!)? If you aren’t there YET, check out these popular paint color options!
- Big Chill (Sherwin Williams) – a lovely gray with subtle beige undertones.
- Calm (Benjamin Moore) – a calming, light off-white with subtle purple undertones.
- Paper White (Benjamin Moore) – an off-white with gray undertones and a wink of green.
- Passive (Sherwin Williams) – a mid-to-light-toned silvery light gray.
- Oyster White (Sherwin Williams) – a beige-leaning off-white with greige undertones.
- Eider White (Sherwin Williams) – a cool-leaning off-white with gray undertones.
- White Duck (Sherwin Williams) – an off-white with greige undertones.
- Classic Gray (Benjamin Moore) – a light-toned, greige-leaning off-white.
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Real Life Homes Using Benjamin Moore Soft Chamois
Ok, let’s have some fun and see how this color REALLY behaves in real-life homes! Check out these examples that show a range of settings, lighting exposures, and possibilities!
A quick note here: don’t forget to consider picking the right paint finish…it’s not only about getting the color right! We have an in-depth explanation of choosing sheens here.
Soft Chamois Living Rooms
1. Creamy with a Hint of Gray
I love the use of Soft Chamois in this living room from Stylish Patina! Notice the barest hint of gray that makes this color look soft. Stylish? Cozy? Chic? Yes, yes, and yes!
2. Creamy Beige in Artificial Light
The thing about Soft Chamois is that it’ll never look weighed down or dark.
The walls in this image from @homespunfarmhouse are the darkest you’ll ever see it appear, and it really just looks like a light creamy beige thanks to the influence of the brown-toned stone fireplace.
3. Soft White in Bright Light
In contrast to the image above, this room from Manhattan Nest gets good natural light, so Soft Chamois washes out.
You can still see the gray undertones that keep this hue from looking harsh or too bright.
4. Classic Off-White
Now THIS room from @anthologyhomewi shows Soft Chamois at its very best (although it doesn’t have a bad side)!
The warm natural light draws out color’s the muted creamy nature and allow it to contrast the bright white trim.
Bedrooms using BM Soft Chamois
In general for bedrooms, and low-traffic areas, flat paint is fine. If you like something with a bit of shine (and more ease of cleaning) opt for eggshell or satin.
5. Soft and Subtle
Most people want their bedroom to be a cozy, comfortable retreat from the stresses of the world.
Bright white is usually too glaring and bright to achieve that goal, so take a page from Kristen Scharer‘s book and turn to Soft Chamois for that perfect relaxed and calm vibe (Photo credit: Tammy Dean Photography).
6. Hint of Gray
Passive northern light and shadowy areas are where you tend to notice Benjamin Moore Soft Chamois’s gray undertones.
This example from Loverly Grey highlights two things: first, the gray undertones in the shadows. And second, how gorgeous black accents look with this shade!
7. Gold Influences
Unless you love creamy yellow (which is stunning), your first reaction to this image from Meghan Yost may be “yikes, I thought Soft Chamois didn’t look yellow!”
Now look closer. The gold hearts on the wall are playing with – and drawing out – this shade’s yellow undertones. This softly polished glow is such a cute nursery idea!
8. Hint of Taupe?
No, your eyes are not playing tricks on you! Soft Chamois is light enough that surrounding decor heavily influences it.
The blue accents and colored stripes in the curtain make the wall paint here from Farmhouse on Boone appear to have subtle taupe undertones.
Ben Moore Soft Chamois in Kitchen & Dining Spaces
For kitchens, eggshell or satin are popular finish choices for walls. For cabinets consider semi-gloss or high gloss for the most durable finish (and a gorgeous glow).
9. Clean and Simple
One of the things that many homeowners do is try too hard to achieve a certain look. In the end, it usually looks contrived and misplaced.
Here, @mrs_hart_home, stuck with simple and it WORKS. Soft Chamois walls are paired with Alabaster trim to make the perfect clean and unobtrusive backdrop for the decor.
10. Still Warm in Cool Lighting
Only warm-toned off-whites can maintain their warmth when the lighting is cool, dim, or shadowy.
2 Cabinet Girls made a smart choice using Soft Chamois on these cabinets because they look welcoming and inviting – exactly what you want in your kitchen!
11. Bright but Not Too Bright
Thanks to that sliding glass door, this room from Lisa Clark Design (photo credit: Lynsey Corbett Photography) is awash in natural light! It brightens Soft Chamois enough that it reads as soft off-white and the clever use of gold and black accents creates an effortlessly chic space.
Bathrooms Painted Soft Chamois
Don’t forget the finish! For bathrooms the perfect sheen is either an eggshell or satin. Why? We’ll tell you in this post about paint sheen.
12. Gorgeous with Wood Tones
Check out this bathroom from Home of Malones!
I love how the warmth of Soft Chamois matches the warm weathered wood tones of the mirror.
13. Not Too Yellow
Now that you know about Soft Chamois’ yellow undertones, you might take a look at this image from With Love, Mercedes and be surprised that the Soft Chamois vanity reads perfectly creamy and not a bit yellow next to the Simply White walls. I love this shade!
Benjamin Moore Soft Chamois in Other Areas
14. Welcoming Entry
You want your entryway to feel welcoming and inviting, right? Entryways, hallways, and stairways are perfect spots to use Soft Chamois.
This example from Lisa Clark Design with its classic black and white color palette is right on the money (photo credit: Lynsey Corbett Photography).
15. Stairwell Stunner
Kristen Stuertz masterfully chose a paint shade that brightened up her stairwell. And this off-white color gives a fresh look to the brown carpet and blonde flooring
16. Muted Off-White
The shadows draw out the gray undertones in Benjamin Moore Soft Chamois.
The Joyful House used it as the wall color at the top of the stairs. See those gray undertones?
I hope Benjamin Moore Soft Chamois wins you over as much as it does me! Don’t forget to grab some peel and stick paint samples to vet it for your home before spending your hard-earned money on it!
Pin this paint color for later! And if you use this paint shade, leave a comment on the pin! That helps others decide if they want to try this color, too!

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