Is Behr Blank Canvas Better Than Swiss Coffee? (Catching Up with a Former Color of the Year!)

At first glance, Blank Canvas is quite a nice white. At second glance, it seems almost unnecessary in a sea of Behr (and other) whites.

Swatch of Behr Blank Canvas over a photo of the color on a textured living room wall with rattan furniture.

Luckily I will take you for a third glance, and you will see what Blank Canvas brings to the table, and perhaps most importantly, how it compares to the Behr OG: Swiss Coffee.

What Color is Behr Blank Canvas? (DC-003)

Blank Canvas is a creamy white with a natural feel:

Blank Canvas color card on top of a blank Canvas

I don’t know how else to describe it. It’s a beige white that would fit right in with shoes, clothes, or home decor items that are the color “natural.”

This color was chosen as the Behr “Color of the Year” in 2023, and what has surprised me the most, is that it didn’t get very popular. A creamy white was very “of the moment” and I would say it still is now, but Blank Canvas is just not the white paint color that people reach for.

I think the lack of popularity for Blank Canvas is less about the color, and more about the fact that there are sooo many similar options, and ones that are a lot more time-tested.

Personally, I do really like the color, and I have recommended it a few times on my blog, so don’t knock it out of the running!

LRV of Behr Blank Canvas

The LRV (Light Reflectance Value) of a color indicates on a scale of 0 – 100 how much light a color reflects (or doesn’t reflect). True black has an LRV of 0 and pure white has an LRV of 100.

In the paint world, we are working in a range of about 3 – 93 because no paint color is purely black or completely white.

Blank Canvas has an LRV of 84.

Light Reflectance Value of Blank Canvas marked at 84 on a scale of 0 (black) to 100 (white)

What does that mean?

Blank Canvas is on the mid to dark end of white paint colors. It’s approaching off-white territory, but it’s not quite there. It’s right in the same LRV range as most uber popular white colors.

What Are the Undertones of Blank Canvas?

I would describe Blank Canvas as having beige undertones. You can see this particularly well when it is next to bright clean whites.

Occasionally the undertones can veer into peach country, but I wouldn’t say that the color ever looks peach.

Does Blank Canvas Look Yellow?

Blank Canvas is a creamy white, so it will not look like a clean bright white. I wouldn’t say that it looks particularly yellow, but in certain lights it may look that touch of peach.

I will point out the most yellow that it will look when we get to example photos.

Is Blank Canvas Warm or Cool?

Blank Canvas Color card with a paint style swipe of the color in the middle

Blank Canvas is definitely a warm white.

White paints are most easily chosen in comparison with one another. Blank Canvas will be more neutral than some reallly creamy options, and it is unmistakably creamy next to the whitest or coolest whites.

Blank Canvas swatched between a bright white of Ultra Pure White and Warm cream of Atlantis Pearl.

How Does Blank Canvas Compare to Swiss Coffee?

I’ll be totally honest and say that I kind of thought Behr was taking us for a ride with Blank Canvas at first. It is sooo close on paper to Swiss Coffee that I can’t even see the difference.

Blank Canvas vs Behr Swiss Coffee on a living room wall behind a light gray velvet sofa.

The RGB of Swiss Coffee is R: 241 G: 237 B: 224

For Blank Canvas it is R: 241 G: 237 B: 225

That’s right, it’s a one digit difference.

So do they just want to recreate their most popular white and promote it like it’s a new color? Not so fast, Behr!

Then I actually picked up the chips, and I can confirm that there is a slight but visible difference between these two colors, and a welcome difference it is!

Swiss Coffee and Blank Canvas swatches over a piece of marbled tile to show the difference

That extra bit of blue does make Blank Canvas slightly more neutral than Swiss Coffee.

That first pic is probably the best photo that I got of the difference, but I felt like doing the most today, so here are some others that I really fought for:

Swiss Coffee and Blank Canvas color cards together held up over a white background to show the difference

This next one is the Swiss Coffee color card with Blank Canvas swatched over it:

I hope that helps!

If you already have Swiss Coffee on your walls, do NOT paint them in Blank Canvas. I’m still not 100% convinced the difference is much at all once it’s painted, so that would be a waste of your money.

If you aren’t aware, there are actually several different Swiss Coffee paint colors on the market. So the Behr version may not be the one you’ve seen before.

The Blank Canvas Color Strip by Behr

Behr doesn’t have Blank Canvas in a light to dark color strip, instead it is in a white collection:

Blank canvas color strip by Behr featuring Whipped Cream, Statement White, Blank Canvas, Winter White, Natural White, First Snow, and Crushed Limestone, over a background of a similar color on walls in a living room — Photo credit: @eatlovebuild

The other colors on this strip are:

Whipped Cream (DC-001)
Statement White (DC-002)
Winter White (DC-004)
Natural White (DC-005)
First Snow (DC-006)

Lighter Version of Blank Canvas

Besides Whipped Cream, which isn’t much like Blank Canvas at all, these whites are all in the same LRV range.

For a lighter alternative to Blank Canvas, try Behr Whisper White. It’s the same tone, just a little lighter.

Whisper white swatch laid over Blank Canvas swatch to illustrate how trim would look

Darker Version of Blank Canvas

For a darker alternative to Blank Canvas, try Behr Quarried Limestone. I put that one on the color strip, and you can see that it’s very similar to Blank Canvas, but it is an off-white.

Swatches of Blank Canvas and Quarried Limestone together

Behr’s Suggested Color Palette for Blank Canvas

When Behr announced Blank Canvas as their color of the year for 2023, here is the color palette that they recommended:

Behr's suggested Blank Canvas color palette featuring Blank Canvas with Gratifying Gray, Vintage Pewter, Vine Leaf, Midnight Blue, and Cracked Pepper, all swatched over a canvas painted in Blank Canvas.

These days their website suggests totally different colors, including a baby blue and baby pink, but I didn’t like any of them, so we will stick with the original choices!

Blank Canvas Coordinating Colors

Vintage Pewter

Vintage Pewter is a greige paint color that looks great with the warmth of Blank Canvas.

If you like this color, you will also like Valspar Warm Putty.

Gratifying Gray

Gratifying Gray is a warm gray, but not quite a greige (in my opinion). It will look like a silvery gray with Blank Canvas. I’m not too sure that I would pair these colors, to be totally honest.

I think that Behr Dolphin Fin would be a similar but better choice.

Vine Leaf

Vine Leaf is a bold dark green. It’s great if you are looking for a rich emerald tone to go with your luxurious warm white (Blank Canvas of course!).

For most people’s taste, Vine Leaf might be a bit too bold, so you may prefer Sherwin Williams Pewter Green or Rosemary better.

Blank Canvas swatch under swatch of Vine Leaf with a drop of Blank Canvas on the vine leaf card.

You can see a few pictures of Vine Leaf in my post Best Dark Green Paint Colors from Sherwin Williams, Benjamin Moore, and More!

Midnight Blue

Midnight Blue is what it sounds like, a deep navy. Navy blue with the creamy white of Blank Canvas is a pretty traditional combo. This would be perfect for a Victorian restoration.

Midnight Blue is similar to Benjamin Moore Hale Navy.

Cracked Pepper

Funny enough, Cracked Pepper ended up being Behr’s choice for “color of the year” in the following year (2024). This color is a deep charcoal rather than a true black.

Cracked Pepper has shifting undertones that are most often cool blue, but it can also look like a warmer olive verging on brown. This might be my favorite coordinating color from the list, because it feels the most modern.

(In real life this color is actually not too far off from the 2026 pick from Benjamin Moore: Silhouette. Although that color is definitely more brown than charcoal.)

Better Alternatives to Use with Blank Canvas

Now that we’ve seen Behr’s suggested colors, I would like to propose a slightly modified and toned down version, which is a little more current:

Behr Blank Canvas Color Palette features SW Oyster Bay, Behr Cracked Pepper, Behr Light French Gray, Blank Canvas, and vintage Pewter, all on a background of a canvas painted in the color Blank Canvas.

I left in Cracked Pepper and Vintage Pewter, but instead of a bold navy and green, I swapped in a couple of muted options.

Try Blank Canvas and Sherwin Williams Oyster Bay

Oyster Bay is a very calming sage color by Sherwin Williams. It’s fairly light and pairs well with any number of whites, including Blank Canvas!

Here it is pictured with Benjamin Moore Simply White, just for an example:

Sherwin Williams Oyster Bay on a front door with Benjamin Moore Simply White creamy white siding. — Photo Credit: @morgan.baswell

I replaced Vine Leaf with this shade because it’s a little more versatile, on trend, and decor friendly!

Pair Blank Canvas and Behr Light French Gray

Not to be confused with Light French Gray, Behr Light French Gray is a beautiful muted blue with a subtle green undertone. I happen to have seen it used alongside the creamy white of Valspar Du Jour, and I just fell in love with the combo!

Light French Gray in a corner of a dining room with a framed painting on the wall and the white living room in view through a doorway — Photo Credit: @littlelattihouse

I replaced Midnight Blue with this shade, because Cracked Pepper already has a somewhat blue undertone, so I though a lighter option would be great.

Complementary Color for Blank Canvas

The “official” complementary color for Blank Canvas (the color directly across the wheel) is a powdery violet-blue.

Behr Vaguely Violet is a very close match:

Paint dot of Blank Canvas with smaller paint dots of vaguely violet and upward.

Sherwin Williams Upward would also be a great choice with a more subdued periwinkle undertone.

What Trim Colors Go With Behr Blank Canvas?

On Instagram, Behr offered a customer the following trim suggestions:

Palais White
Ultra Pure White
Spring Valley

None of these would be my first choice, but let’s take a look:

Palais White Trim with Blank Canvas

Palais White is very similar to Blank Canvas. A little too similar, in my opinion, to be used for trim. You could achieve the same amount of contrast by using Blank Canvas in a different sheen. (Which would be my first choice!)

Palais white swatch laid over Blank Canvas swatch to illustrate how trim would look

Try instead:

Blank Canvas with Whisper White Trim

Whisper White is also very similar in tone to Blank Canvas, but it’s light enough to provide a bit more contrast.

Ultra Pure White with Blank Canvas

Ultra Pure White is a nice crisp white, but it will accentuate the creaminess of Blank Canvas. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I think Ultra Pure White is a touch too cool, and might emphasize any peach tones.

Ultra Pure white swatch laid over Blank Canvas swatch to illustrate how trim would look

Try instead:

Night Blooming Jasmine Trim on Blank Canvas Walls

Night Blooming Jasmine is a bright white, but it’s a little warmer than Ultra Pure White. That extra warmth keeps Blank Canvas looking more neutral.

Night Blooming Jasmine swatch laid over Blank Canvas swatch to illustrate how trim would look

If you are laboring over a color scheme like this, you will love my post White Walls with White Trim? (Alabaster with Pure White & More!)

Spring Valley Trim with Blank Canvas

Spring Valley is a bit out of left field for me! I am intrigued by the idea of using a sage green for trim, but I think Spring Valley is quite bright. (Greens almost always looks more green on the wall!)

Spring Valley swatch laid over Blank Canvas swatch to illustrate how trim would look

Try instead:

Sherwin Williams Svelte Sage with Blank Canvas

Svelte Sage is a toned down sage green that is perfect for trim with creamy white. Here it is with Shoji White.

Shoji White with Svelte Sage on bedroom wall — Photo credit: @highlohome

A recap of your choices:

Behr Blank Canvas Trim recomendations. Behr recs on left featuring Ultra Pure White, Spring Valley, and Palais White. Right side is mod and mood trim recommendations: Whisper White, and Night Blooming Jasmine.

Bonus Trim Idea: Sherwin Williams Oyster White

I spent way too much time fooling around with swatches for this post, so I also had to add Sherwin Williams Oyster White as an unexpected trim choice:

Oyster White swatch on Blank Canvas swatch to illustrate how trim would look.

Don’t these colors look amazing together? The soft off-white of Oyster White would be a sophisticated look. (Accessible Beige is another popular choice for contrasting trim.) From Behr, try Behr Light Granite to get the same look.

Blank Canvas with Oak or Dark Wood Trim

Natural creamy whites always look good with wood tones!

Here is an example photo using Benjamin Moore’s Cloud White:

Cloud White is more yellow than Blank Canvas, but in that photo it looks more like Blank Canvas than itself!

Regardless, you can see how nice the warm white looks with dark wood.

Dupes for Blank Canvas from Other Brands

Not ready to dive into Behr paint? Here are some colors from other brands that will help you get the look:

Blank Canvas and dupes Cold Foam, Polar White, Greek Villa, and Swiss Coffee over a background of blank canvas on a textures wall in a dining room.

Normally I would get to these at the end, but I wanted to cover these Blank Canvas equivalents before we get to real homes, because I will have to use some of these as examples.

Benjamin Moore Blank Canvas Equivalent

Behr’s own Swiss Coffee isn’t the only Swiss Coffee that matches Blank Canvas pretty closely! Swiss Coffee happens to be the name of Benjamin Moore’s closest alternative to Blank Canvas.

Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee (OC-45)

If Blank Canvas has an orangey-beige base, Benjamin Moore’s Swiss Coffee has a yellowy base.

This Swiss Coffee is a less saturated color, so it looks closer to Blank Canvas than you might think.

I’m going to use this color in a few of my interior examples to help you picture Blank Canvas where pictures were hard to come by.

Valspar (Lowe’s) Equivalent to Blank Canvas

Valspar has a lot of really amazing creamy white options that tend to be pretty neutral. Definitely check out their color selection if you are stuck!

The closest dupe for Blank Canvas that Valspar offers, is their shade Polar White.

Valspar Polar White (7003-16)

Polar White is just a little bit cooler than Blank Canvas.

Valspar alternative to Blank Canvas: Polar White, on half of a wall in a living room with Blank Canvas on the other half

Blank Canvas Sherwin Williams Equivalent

There are two alternatives to Blank Canvas that Sherwin Williams offers, and I wasn’t able to separate them! The first one is Greek Villa:

Sherwin Williams Greek Villa (7551)

Greek Villa is a near perfect match for Blank Canvas:

Blank canvas on half of a wall and Greek Villa on the other half

On paper, Greek Villa is a hair darker, warmer, and more gray than Blank Canvas. The incremental difference in warmth and saturation basically cancels out, so we are left with a color that is less than a single LRV value different…and that’s about it!

Sherwin Williams Cold Foam (9504)

Cold Foam is just a little lighter than Blank Canvas and maybe a touch more gray. It is also my Sherwin Williams dupe for Benjamin Moore White Dove, which was almost my dupe for Blank Canvas… It’s a dupe loop!

Sherwin Williams alternative to Blank Canvas: Cold Foam, on half of a wall in a living room with Blank Canvas on the other half

Blank Canvas background and dupes Cold Foam, Polar White, Greek Villa, and Swiss Coffee swatched down the right hand side.

Honorable Mention: Sherwin Williams Alabaster

Alabaster is probably Sherwin Williams most popular whites of all time, and it is very similar to Blank Canvas.

Behr color of the year blank canvas vs Sherwin Williams Alabaster on a wall behind a floating desk and a round mirror

Alabaster is a bit darker and more gray than Blank Canvas, but it’s still a very solid alternative.

Alabaster Swatch beside Blank Canvas swatch

Behr Blank Canvas for Your Home’s Interior

Blank Canvas is still a bit hard to find real life photos of. Here is a combination of rooms featuring Blank Canvas dupes, and some that I put together myself with a real photo of Blank Canvas for the background.

Behr Blank Canvas on Living Room Walls

First up we have an example of Blank Canvas in an all-white living room. This is a background that I painted myself, so it is genuine Blank Canvas:

Blank Canvas on textured walls in a white living room with white sofa and white flooring

You can see that it may occasionally flash a peachy undertone, but we are generally getting neutral vibes.

Blank Canvas walls faded into the background behind a living room sofa in mustard

Here is Blank Canvas on a cool gallery wall:

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Blank Canvas in a Dining Room

In lower light, like in this dining room, Blank Canvas will look more off-white.

Dining Room with textured Blank Canvas walls behind mid century oak furniture

Behr Blank Canvas in the Bedroom

This bedroom is actually Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee, but in softer light this is very much how Blank Canvas would look:

Behr Blank Canvas inspired bedroom in Benjamin moore Swiss Coffee with a retro single iron bed — Photo Credit: @la_chaffin

Blank Canvas would probably look a touch more beige than this.

For another great example, let’s look at Sherwin Williams Greek Villa. Here we see it in a bedroom alongside Gray’s Harbor:

Grays Harbor on an accent wall in a large bedroom with greek villa walls and big windows and white linens on the bed — Photo Credit: @interiorscoutco

I wouldn’t say that the color looks yellow here exactly, but it is probably the closest that Blank Canvas will get.

Grays Harbor on an accent wall in a large bedroom with creamy white walls and big windows and white linens on the bed — Photo Credit: @interiorscoutco

Blank Canvas in a Bathroom

This bathroom is Sherwin Williams Alabaster, but if you recall, Alabaster is darker, so I thought this was a great way to show how white Blank Canvas can look:

Here is Greek Villa again, looking pretty much how Blank Canvas will:

Sherwin Williams Greek Villa on bathroom walls above SW Jasper wainscoting, with a watercolor print hung on the wall. — Photo Credit: @livingthatlakelife

Behr Blank Canvas on Kitchen Cabinets

Here is how Blank Canvas would look in an all-white kitchen:

Two toned Alabaster and Natural Wood Cabinets in a spectacular white kitchen with waterfall marble over the island. — Alabaster – Photo Credit: @spacedesignokc

When it looks creamier, you can expect something like this:

Greek Villa on kitchen cabinets below a tricorn black wall above a bank of windows. — Photo Credit: @houseof.shaw

Blank Canvas for Your Home’s Exterior

Outdoors you can expect that Blank Canvas will look lighter than it does in other areas. White is a little bit tricky, because it could look like a totally true white outside:

Blank Canvas similar shade Alabaster on front porch siding — Alabaster – Photo Credit:@farmhouseintheboro

Or it could look even warmer than it does inside:

Greek Villa looking warm and creamy. — Greek Villa – Photo Credit: @zebuhill

It depends a lot on the weather especially.

Zebu Hill Farmhouse in Greek Villa — Greek Villa – Photo: @zebuhill

This next photo is a dead ringer for Blank Canvas. It is Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee, but it looks more beige than usual (therefore more like Blank Canvas!).

Benjamin Moore Blank Canvas Dupe Swiss Coffee Exterior trim — Ben Moore Swiss Coffee Trim – Photo Credit: @Word_of_mouth_painting

Blank Canvas Compared to Other White Paint Colors

We’ve seen the dupes, but how does Blank Canvas stack up against other popular whites?

Behr Blank Canvas vs Cameo White

The undertone of Cameo White is a little more pink than Blank Canvas:

Behr Blank Canvas on half of a wall and Cameo White on the other half behind a soft green sofa.

You can see that it is also more gray. Cameo White is darker than Blank Canvas, with an LRV of 81.

Cameo White is a little more similar to Sherwin Williams Snowbound.

Behr Blank Canvas vs Behr Polar Bear (75)

Polar Bear is one of Behr’s more popular whites. It looks like a lighter version of Blank Canvas, but it is actually a bit cooler too.

Blank canvas vs Polar Bear on a wall behind a white sofa with a wood frame.

Polar Bear Swatch over Blank Canvas swatch with a swipe of Blank Canvas on the Polar Bear swatch

Still very much a soft white.

Behr Blank Canvas vs Natural White

Natural White is quite similar in tone to Blank Canvas, but it is lighter and brighter.

Behr Natural White vs Blank Canvas each on half of a wall behind a chair and console table.

Natural White does still have a strong creamy undertone. It’s quite similar to Benjamin Moore Simply White.

Behr Blank Canvas vs Silky White

Silky White is almost the same color as Blank Canvas, but it’s a little more muted. It is less likely to have any undertones at all, but it is still delightfully soft with a hint of warmth.

Behr Silky White on half of a wall and Blank Canvas on the other half behind a light gray sofa

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Behr Blank Canvas vs Benjamin Moore White Dove (OC-17 )

While White Dove is another warm creamy white, it is a tiny bit cooler and more gray than Blank Canvas, which makes it a touch more neutral.

Did I take 1001 photos to try and capture the contrast? Absolutely I did.

Here is the best one:

Blank Canvas swatch with a swipe of White Dove over top

The difference was a bit more obvious in real life, but I did my best.

Blank canvas on half of a wall and Benjamin Moore White Dove on the other half.

I do think that these two are similar enough that you wouldn’t be able to tell from one house or room to another.

Behr Blank Canvas vs Sherwin Williams Pure White (7005)

Pure White is a soft white, but it reads very much like a true white, where Blank Canvas does not.

Alabaster and Pure White Swatches with Blank Canvas swatch

You can see that Pure White looks more gray in comparison.

Blank Canvas Pros & Cons

Allow me to make a quick summary:

Pros

A soft white that goes with a wide variety of other colors
Both light enough and colorful enough to use in your whole home
Great choice for a white exterior
A pretty good alternative to the infinitely popular Sherwin Williams Alabaster

Behr Blank Canvas Swatch over a background of a white art room

Cons

Not a white white
You will either love or hate the subtle peachy undertone
So classic that it’s potentially a bit boring

Not sold? I have sooo much more:

Greek Villa vs Alabaster compiled into one exterior photo for comparison

Sherwin WIlliams white flour on a paint lid on a floured butcher block surface.

Sherwin Williams Natural Choice color palette features Shiitake, Iron Ore, Pure White, Rainwashed, and natural choice, all on paint lids over a background of a dried flower arrangement.