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Do Alabaster and Iron Ore Go Together? Pairing These Sherwin Williams Favorites

    Cult favorite colors Alabaster and Iron Ore are popular for a reason, but is it too much of a good thing to use them together?

    Iron Ore walls with Alabaster trim and wainscoting

    Here we will see inspiration from several rooms that show Alabaster and Iron Ore are a winning combination!

    Alabaster and Iron Ore Undertones

    Before we begin, I think it’s important to note that Iron Ore is not a black paint color, but rather a deep charcoal, and Alabaster is closer to an off white than a bright white.

    Alabaster and Iron Ore swatched on polaroid photos below swatches of coordinating colors aesthetic white, jogging path, ethereal white, and Retreat

    Iron Ore most often appears as a charcoal with a slightly blue undertone, but it can range in appearance from a true gray to a slightly olivey color.

    Alabaster most often appears as a neutral creamy white with a slight beige undertone, but it can range in appearance from true white to a slightly yellow off-white.

    Alabaster and Iron Ore Together in Real Homes

    If you are trying to choose a black and white color scheme, these two would not be the move. You could consider them as a softer alternative.

    Hutch painted in Iron Ore in a kitchen with all white cabinets and table.
    Photo Credit: @ashalaineeubanks

    First up we have an Alabaster kitchen with Iron Ore on the hutch. Ashlea (@ashalaineeubanks) used Alabaster for both the walls and the other cabinets.

    I just have this one photo and it’s not the crispest, so I ran it through an upgrading tool to improve the quality a little (that’s why it looks a little artificial):

    SW Alabaster on walls and upper cabinets in a bright kitchen with light colored floors and Iron Ore on a dark floor to ceiling hutch area in the kitchen.
    Photo Credit: @ashalaineeubanks

    Since Alabaster is the only white, you can see that it looks pretty white in this space! (More on that in my post about Alabaster’s undertones.)

    In this next room the desk and cabinets are Iron Ore, and the walls and ceiling are a soft white that is close to Alabaster.

    Iron Ore Office built ins with white walls and wood topped desks
    Photo Credit: @frommhouselove

    Stephanie (@frommhouselove) made this desk for a family member and the walls were already painted, so we can’t say for sure what the color is.

    Here is Iron Ore on a kitchen wall with creamy white cabinets that look like Alabaster to me:

    Iron Ore on a long wall in a kitchen with white cabinets
    Photo Credit: @built_frm_scratch

    Now let’s take a look at a couple more kitchens, but this time I have adjusted the colors a little:

    Alabaster on upper cabinets and Iron Ore on lower cabinets with a warm colored granite countertop and backsplash.
    Photo Credit: @love.where.you.live.interiors

    In this kitchen by @love.where.you.live.interiors the upper cabinets are Dover White, which is similar to Alabaster, but a little darker and creamier, so I have adjusted the top part of the photo to be a little lighter and more neutral.

    Swatch of Dover White above a swatch of Alabaster.

    (You can see a full comparison in my post Sherwin Williams Alabaster vs Dover White)

    Here is another look where you can see the original color on the left side. This is very much how Alabaster and Iron Ore will look together.

    Alabaster upper cabinets above Iron Ore kitchen cabinets. Upper cabinets have been color adjusted from Dover White.
    Photo Credit: @love.where.you.live.interiors

    And one more, where the lighting is very warm:

    Alabaster upper cabinets above Iron Ore lower cabinets in a warmly lit kitchen.
    Photo Credit: @love.where.you.live.interiors

    In this next kitchen the colors are actually Sherwin Williams Creamy and Cyberspace, which are pretty comparable to Alabaster and Iron Ore:

    Swatch of Alabaster beside a swatch of creamy, above a swatch of Iron Ore and Cyberspace.

    Because the lighting is so far from scientific, I actually think these photos look very close without being adjusted:

    White kitchen with Cyberspace lower cabinets and white countertops
    Photo Credit: @thefinishingroommke

    If you wanted to be picky, you might try imagining the contrast to be a tiny bit more from the upper cabinets to lower.

    Here you can see that the lower cabinets are a little more blue than Iron Ore, but the uppers look about how Alabaster would look in artificial light (in my opinion):

    Creamy upper cabinets and Cyberspace lowers, both colors are lookalikes for Alabaster and Iron Ore.
    Photo Credit: @thefinishingroommke

    Here is one more:

    Cyberspace Lower cabinets
    Photo Credit: @thefinishingroommke

    Finally let’s take a look at how Iron Ore and Alabaster will look on regular walls. Here we see the real deal Iron Ore with the creamy white of Benjamin Moore White Dove.

    Dueling Iron Ore feature walls on either side of a vaulted ceiling with two chandeliers
    Photo Credit: @tararowemckenna

    White Dove typically has a stronger peach undertone where Alabaster leans slightly more yellow, but you can see that for our purposes they are close enough:

    Alabaster on a wall on the left and White Dove on a wall on the right

    Especially here in Tara’s house, the color is quite undertone-less. (If you do want to see how they compare, check out my post: Alabaster vs White Dove)

    White Dove Walls and vaulted ceilings with an Iron Ore black accent wall in a huge modern farmhouse living room
    Photo Credit: @tararowemckenna

    You can see that the color combination of Iron Ore and the creamy white o faux Alabaster works very well together!

    A long wooden table with bench seat in a white dining room with a white bubble chandelier in front of an iron ore accent wall
    Photo Credit: @tararowemckenna

    Here we have a bathroom, where the white is actually White Dove as well (whomp whomp):

    Iron Ore shiplap on a bathroom wall above a dorian gray vanity with white walls and white light fixtures and hexagon mirrors over double sinks.
    Photo Credit: @bertrandresidence

    But again, it looks very close and is good enough in this context! The vanity is SW Dorian Gray.

    I hope that this helped you decide if this combination is the right one for you! Personally I do like the combination and I think it works anywhere from walls to cabinets, and even for exteriors!

    Not sure? You may also like these other posts:

    Variety of black paint colors as listed in article
    Alabaster on cabinets above a photo of Greek Villa on cabinets.
    Graphic reads "dark & moody Sherwin Williams Exterior colors" over a background of a home painted in Iron Ore.