Read all about Sherwin Williams Natural Choice, plus see 19 real homes that use it!
Natural Choice by Sherwin Williams (#7011) is a timeless warm off-white that has taken the interior decor world by storm. Given its natural warmth, it’s a terrific fit for homes in cold, northern regions or to warm up north-facing rooms.
If you’re someone who wants a warm, soft off-white that looks white without feeling too bright or stark, you’re in luck. Natural Choice may be the perfect white paint shade for you!
Have you heard the phrase “the many shades of gray?” Well, substitute “white” in place of “gray,” and it works well too. Like grays, white paint colors are deceptively complex and can fool you into thinking they look one way when they really appear differently.
I originally started writing this paint color series to help answer readers’ questions about particular colors. At some point, I realized that many readers have the same (or similar) questions about the spectrum of paint colors.
So I wanted to create a helpful tool that offers clear information about the small details of each shade you might be considering for your home so that you can feel confident in your color choices as you narrow them down.
And today, we’re taking a look at Sherwin Williams Natural Choice.
I’m going to all the ins and outs of this lovely off-white and give you all the information (and more!) that you need in order to determine whether Natural Choice is a great choice for your home. Let’s dive in!
FAQs about Natural Choice
What color is Natural Choice by Sherwin Williams?
Sherwin Williams Natural Choice SW 7011 is a creamy warm off-white that will read as cozy and won’t look dingy or too yellow on your walls. 
Is Sherwin Williams Natural Choice warm or cool?
Blue, green, and purple lean toward the cool side of the spectrum, while yellow, orange, and red lean toward the warm side. Since Natural Choice has beige (brown and yellow) undertones, it leans warm.
However, it’s not SO warm or creamy that it will look too yellow. Instead, it’s just warm enough that it won’t ever feel cold – even in cool northern lighting.
If you decide you would prefer to take a look at a less creamy white, check out Eider White.
Where should I use SW Natural Choice?
You can safely put this popular shade to the test in ANY room of your home! It’s a lovely and popular go-to because it can make any space stand out in a variety of lighting situations. Try it in the:
• Bedroom
• Kitchen
• Bathroom
• Living room
• Basement
• Laundry room
• Hallway
And if the fact that you can use this shade anywhere wasn’t enough to convince you to give this shade a fair chance, maybe it’ll be helpful to know that Natural Choice is a great shade for any home and decor style too!
If undertones make your head hurt, you’re not alone! Grab your free copy of 5 Biggest Paint Choice Mistakes Click here or enter your email below. I’ll send the tips right away!⤵️
Sherwin Williams Natural Choice Undertones
Often, homeowners consider undertones a problem that needs to be solved rather than a natural part of any color. Undertones result from the paint-mixing process – there’s no way to avoid them. So, that’s why I recommend learning about them and working WITH them.
If you can do that, you’ll find the “chore” of choosing paint colors is more manageable, and you won’t have to deal with any hidden surprises that you hate after you’ve committed to a color.
Let’s take a look at the undertones of Natural Choice. This shade lives in the white color family, and it has beige undertones.
It’s not as creamy as Linen White, and it’s not as beige as White Duck. Instead, it falls in that ideal space that’s warm and cozy but still reads as a white, neutral paint color.
NOTE: NO paint colors will look the same in different locations and lighting situations, which means that most colors shift their appearance a little through the day.
Grab paint swatches, or my favorite recommendation is inexpensive, re-usable and re-positionable peel and stick paint samples, to help you determine the impact your lighting and nearby decor will have on the appearance of any color you like before you slap it on your walls (and later hate it).
How Different Types of Lighting Affect SW Natural Choice
Different lighting situations play with undertones in varying ways. Here’s a basic idea of how you can expect Natural Choice to read based on natural lighting.
- North-facing light – cool, blue-tinted northern light will balance out the warmth in Natural Choice so that it reads closer to neutral. This color is great for warming up a cool room because in low lighting it will appear to be a light beige.
- South-facing light – warm yellow light from the south will help draw out Natural Choice’s warm side and make it read soft and pastel.
- East-facing light – east-facing rooms have very warm yellow light in the morning and cool, shadowy light in the afternoon. As a result, Natural Choice appear warm and white in the morning before showing off its beige “face” in the afternoon.
- West-facing light – west-facing rooms have the opposite lighting situation of east-facing rooms because the morning light is cool and shadowy but the late afternoon light is ultra warm and orange/red-tinted. Natural Choice will appear darker and greige in the morning and shift to warm, creamy white later in the day.
Great Coordinating Colors for Natural Choice
Many colors shine when paired with Natural Choice, which helps boost its popularity even more (as if it needed any extra help!) Here are some colors that work very well with Sherwin Williams Natural Choice:
- Aegean Teal
- Mountain Road
- Light French Gray
- Requisite Gray
- Lazy Gray
- Creamy
- Origami White
- Sea Salt
- Mountain Air
- Velvet White
- On The Rocks
- Natural Tan
- Ethereal Mood
- Greek Villa
- Palladian Blue
- Fieldstone
- Urbane Bronze
LRV of Sherwin Williams Natural Choice (SW 7011)
If you haven’t heard of LRV before, it stands for Light Reflective Value. Basically, this is a fancy-schmancy scale that designers use to help determine how light or dark a shade will appear, based on how much light it reflects rather than absorbs.
On a scale of 0 to 100, think of 0 on the scale as pitch black and 100 as a blinding white.
The LRV of SW Natural Choice = 73
That value puts Natural Choice in the light range as far as light reflectance values go. It’s not quite light enough that it would be considered a true white, but instead it sits on the border of white and off-white.
Natural Choice has enough saturation that with low lighting, it will appear off-white or beige/greige rather than white.
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!⤵️
Natural Choice Compared to Other Colors
When you’re deciding between Natural Choice and another warm shade of white (there are so many!), it can be hard to choose which one meets your needs and wants.
So, here are some of the most popular off-whites and how they compare against Natural Choice.
Sherwin Williams Natural Choice vs. Alabaster
Sherwin Williams Alabaster is a very popular shade. With an LRV of 82, it’s firmly in the white category and appears noticeably brighter than Natural Choice does.
Although these two colors are similar, when you look closely, you’ll notice that Natural Choice has deeper beige undertones, which give this color more depth and saturation. Alabaster certainly does contain a touch of warmth though as well, despite being brighter.
Sherwin Williams Natural Choice vs. Shoji White
Shoji White is a very similar hue to Natural Choice. With an LRV of 74, it’s just a wink lighter. Both of these warm-whites have beige undertones to warm them up, but Shoji White’s undertones are a little deeper with an added pinch of green.
Sherwin Williams Natural Choice vs. Natural Linen
Sherwin Williams Natural Linen has an LRV of 66, causing it to read as darker than Natural Choice.
As a mid-tone beige, Natural Linen is very warm, thanks to some brown and pink undertones. However, Natural Choice will be a little more versatile than Natural Linen because it lacks the pink undertones.
More Colors to Consider
“Okay, Natural Choice looks beautiful, but I’m just not sure,” you say. We got you! Make sure to check out some of these other off-white and greige shades in our paint exploration series!
- White Duck (Sherwin Williams) – a creamy off-white that leans greige
- City Loft (Sherwin Williams) – a creamy off-white with light gray undertones
- White Dove (Benjamin Moore) – a light white with creamy undertones
- Calm (Benjamin Moore) – a soft and airy off-white
- Creamy (Sherwin Williams) – a very warm, creamy off-white
- Paper White (Benjamin Moore) – a cool-leaning off-white with slight green undertones
- Eider White (Sherwin Williams) – a warm off-white with greige undertones
- Ballet White (Benjamin Moore) – a light, neutral off-white paint color
- Oyster White (Sherwin Williams) – a pretty light greige paint
Feeling lost? I gotcha, boo! 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!⤵️
19 Real Life Homes Using Sherwin Williams Natural Choice
All this shade information is helpful, sure, but what I find REALLY helps determine whether I like a color is to see how it looks on a real wall. Anyone else? Thankfully, I was able to find 19 examples of real homes that use Natural Choice for you to check out.
NOTE: These images are not a substitute for color swatches on your OWN walls, but they should at least give you a rough idea about whether you even want to buy the paint sample for this shade. 😉
Remember it’s always better to sample than be sorry!
Living Rooms Painted Natural Choice
1. Cozy and Rustic
Natural Choice was a…natural choice for this room from Alicia Zupan Designs (also on Instagram)! The shade warms up the room in spite of the cool natural light from the window. The warm artificial light and wood tones also help create this cozy vibe that makes you want to hang out all evening.
2. Creamy Off-White Paint
This living room from In My Own Style is amazing! There’s a ton of bright warm natural light coming in through the doors, which washes out the wall color, leaving its soft, creamy vibe. There’s just enough saturation to still read white while also contrasting against the brighter white furniture.
3. Brings Warmth to Any Space
As this room from The Lettered Cottage shows, Natural Choice pairs perfectly with cozy colors in this space – dark beiges, browns, and wood tones. This warm shade is a natural…fit and keeps the room feeling light and airy as well as warm and welcoming!
4. Smooth Contrast with Bright White
Mid County Journal goes with a white and off-white palette in this formal room. Natural Choice is just creamy enough to contrast with the white trim and tie in all the decor elements, too.
SW Natural Choice in Bedrooms
Sheen note: Picking the right color is only winning the battle, not the war. Remember to pick the right paint finish, or sheen, also! Read up on what you need to know about picking the perfect paint sheen.
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. Light and Airy Interior
I love this bedroom from Geoff Chick! Having a dark cave is just not my style, so I gravitate toward colors like Natural Choice that can make the room feel spacious AND inviting. Notice again the nice bit of contrast between this shade and the bright white moldings.
6. Sophistocated Yet Casual
Modern farmhouse, traditional, transitional, or contemporary…Sherwin Williams Natural Choice is an effortless fit and creates the perfect casually sophisticated ambiance. I love this bedroom from Houzz!
Kitchens Using Natural Choice by Sherwin Williams
Sheen note: For high-traffic areas where messes are expected, do not make the mistake of using a flat paint! Opt for eggshell at minimum.
7. French Country Vibes
A little paint goes a LONG way, as this kitchen from @babbfarmlife demonstrates. Now that’s a room where I want to do some cooking!
8. Great Mix with Classic Brick
A stark white won’t pair well with brick (or wood) because it lacks the warmth necessary to pair well with warm earth tones. Although this kitchen from Sierra Ann Photography has a lot of bright natural sunlight, this shade’s natural warm tones make it a good fit to pair with the brick wall and wood cabinetry.
9. Perfect Neutral Base
This space from @anaisabelcasa shows how Natural Choice will wash out in bright light. It doesn’t appear beige here, but it does retain its pastel quality and reads soft and neutral.
Entryways in SW Natural Choice
10. A Welcoming Entry
Low natural light + warm artificial light = off-white with beige undertones in this entryway from Houzz. The shade helps this small area feel spacious while also making it warm and welcoming.
11. A Traditional Off-White
This lighting area from @sweettnotes is ideal for allowing SW Natural Choice to fade into the background as an unassuming off-white.
SW Natural Choice Bathrooms
12. Opens Up Small Spaces
What’s not to love about this bathroom from Salvaged Inspirations? It’s chic, airy, bright, and inviting!
13. A Fun Farmhouse Neutral
This bathroom from @hollycollinsplusfive is both beautiful and somehow playful. It’s everything we love about modern farmhouse…and Natural Choice!
Natural Choice Paint on Home Exteriors
Personally, I think that it is on exteriors where this warm color truly shines. But don’t take my word for it. Check out these stunning examples.
14. Creamy Against Black Accents
This home exterior from Home Bunch highlights all the best qualities of this shade as an exterior color. Its creamy nature prevents it from looking stark or brilliant white.
15. Complements Wood Tones
In contrast to the home above, this one from Wyrick Residential Design really shows off the beige undertones that this shade has, thanks to all the adjacent wood elements.
16. A Modern Twist on a Classic Color Palette
Natural Choice looks good with lots of gray paint colors. Instead of a more traditional black and white palette, this lovely home has Natural Choice for the body and trim color, and the shutters are painted a charcoal gray…specifically Benjamin Moore Chelsea Gray.
17. Garden Goals & Looks Great with Gray
The exterior cream Natural Choice paint color looks beautiful with the dark gray window trim here…and it also flows so effortlessly out to this incredible garden area which has the same charcoal gray accent color (Posted by Twin Construction; Plan Designer @crystalwtucker; Interior Design @lauriefulkerson; Photography @jallsopp)
SW Natural Choice in Other Spaces
18. Brightening Color Choice
As @athomewithjenni shows, this shade is a terrific pick for hallways because it keeps the space airy and provides just enough color to make it feel homey.
19. Perfect Backdrop for Bold Spaces
Do you have a playroom that needs an update? If so, use this example from Curls and Cashmere as inspiration!
Sherwin Williams Natural Choice brings its A-game as a cozy backdrop while allowing the fun decor to catch the observer’s eye.
There you have it – everything you need to know about this cozy neutral, warm white paint color. It’s certainly a beautiful color, and is one of the popular Sherwin Williams neutral paint colors that you do not want to ignore!
And if this is a color you’re seriously considering, remember paint-sampling is better than ending up paint-sorry! I highly recommend these peel and stick samples because they are inexpensive, re-usable and re-positionable…
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!
Ready to show those boring, beige walls who’s the boss at home? Grab my free guide to help you sidestep the mistakes that almost everyone makes when it comes to picking paint! You’ll be on your way to perfect paint promptly…pinky swear.
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