Shadow White (No.282)
A warm, creamy white with gentle depth. Less stark than Wimborne White.
About Farrow & Ball Shadow White
Shadow White (No.282) is a white from Farrow & Ball's collection with an LRV of 78 and warm cream undertones. A warm, creamy white with gentle depth. Less stark than Wimborne White.
With a light-to-medium LRV of 78, Shadow White sits in a versatile sweet spot. It has enough depth to read as more than a white or off-white, adding real color and character to a room, while still reflecting enough light to keep spaces feeling open and airy. This is the range where most popular whole-house colors live, because they offer warmth and personality without making rooms feel smaller.
Light Reflectance Value (LRV)
Shadow White has an LRV of 78, placing it in the light range on the 0-to-100 scale. LRV measures the percentage of visible light a color reflects. A pure black has an LRV of 0 and a pure white has an LRV of 100. Understanding a color's LRV helps you predict how it will feel in your space: higher LRV means brighter and more spacious, lower LRV means cozier and more intimate.
Undertone Analysis
Shadow White has warm cream undertones. Undertones are the subtle background colors that become visible in different lighting conditions. Even colors that look "neutral" in the store will reveal their undertones once they are on your walls and interacting with natural light, artificial light, and the colors around them.
A warm, creamy white with gentle depth. Less stark than Wimborne White. Warm undertones like these pair naturally with other warm elements: honey-toned wood floors, brass and gold hardware, cream-colored textiles, and warm-toned furnishings. They can clash with strongly cool elements like icy blue accents or chrome fixtures, though the effect depends on the strength of the undertone.
Lighting Behavior
Warm and subtle. Reads as a rich warm white.
Every paint color looks different depending on the light source in your room. South-facing rooms get warm, direct sunlight that brings out yellow and warm undertones. North-facing rooms get cool, indirect light that emphasizes blue and gray undertones. East-facing rooms are bright and warm in the morning, cooler in the afternoon. West-facing rooms are the opposite: cool morning, warm afternoon. Incandescent and warm LED bulbs push colors warmer, while cool-white LEDs and fluorescent tubes push colors cooler. To avoid surprises, always test Shadow White with a physical sample on your actual wall, and observe it at different times of day before committing.
Best Rooms for Shadow White
Farrow & Ball recommends Shadow White for: whole house, living room, bedroom, kitchen.
Shadow White is versatile enough to use as a whole-house color, providing a consistent, cohesive look as you move from room to room. Whole-house colors need to work in multiple lighting conditions and alongside various furnishings, which is why a balanced LRV (78) and manageable undertones are essential. Shadow White handles this well.
Closest Matches in Other Brands
Find the closest equivalent to Farrow & Ball Shadow White from other paint brands. Matches are calculated using Delta E (CIE2000), the industry standard for measuring perceptual color difference.
Benjamin Moore Matches
Sherwin Williams Matches
Coordinating Colors
These colors pair beautifully with Shadow White for a cohesive palette. Use them for trim, accents, adjacent rooms, or furniture to create a well-designed space.
Frequently Asked Questions
The closest Sherwin Williams match for Farrow & Ball Shadow White is Creamy (SW 7012) with a Delta E of 3.8, which rates as a "good match" match. Creamy is similar. A Delta E under 2 means most people cannot tell the colors apart, while 2 to 4 means the difference is subtle.
Shadow White has warm cream undertones. A warm, creamy white with gentle depth. Less stark than Wimborne White. Undertones become most visible when the color is on a large surface like a wall, and they shift depending on the light source in your room. Always test with a physical sample in your specific space to see how the undertones interact with your lighting, flooring, and furnishings.
Shadow White (No.282) has a Light Reflectance Value (LRV) of 78, which puts it in the light range. LRV measures the percentage of light a color reflects on a scale from 0 (pure black) to 100 (pure white). At 78, this is a light color that will keep rooms feeling bright and open.
Shadow White leans warm. The warm cream undertones give it a cozy, inviting quality. It pairs naturally with other warm elements like wood tones, brass hardware, and cream textiles. In north-facing rooms, the warmth is especially welcoming.
Color data sourced from manufacturer specifications. Match calculations use Delta E (CIE2000) computed from Lab color space conversion. Last reviewed: March 22, 2026.