Oat Straw (VR086A)
A warm golden cream with natural, organic undertones. Like dried oat straw in late summer. More golden than Swiss Coffee, lighter than Rattan. A warm, earthy off-white.
About Valspar Oat Straw
Oat Straw (VR086A) is a cream from Valspar's collection with an LRV of 69 and warm golden cream undertones. A warm golden cream with natural, organic undertones. Like dried oat straw in late summer. More golden than Swiss Coffee, lighter than Rattan. A warm, earthy off-white.
With a light-to-medium LRV of 69, Oat Straw 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)
Oat Straw has an LRV of 69, 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
Oat Straw has warm golden 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 golden cream with natural, organic undertones. Like dried oat straw in late summer. More golden than Swiss Coffee, lighter than Rattan. A warm, earthy off-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
The golden warmth is gentle but present. In south-facing rooms, it glows with a golden quality. In north-facing rooms, it reads as a warm, pleasant neutral.
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 Oat Straw with a physical sample on your actual wall, and observe it at different times of day before committing.
Best Rooms for Oat Straw
Valspar recommends Oat Straw for: living room, bedroom, dining room, hallway, whole house.
Oat Straw 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 (69) and manageable undertones are essential. Oat Straw handles this well.
Closest Matches in Other Brands
Find the closest equivalent to Valspar Oat Straw from other paint brands. Matches are calculated using Delta E (CIE2000), the industry standard for measuring perceptual color difference.
Benjamin Moore Matches
Muslin is close. Both are warm, golden off-whites.
View all Benjamin Moore matches →Sherwin Williams Matches
Neutral Ground is less golden but similar in lightness and warmth.
View all Sherwin Williams matches →Frequently Asked Questions
The closest Sherwin Williams match for Valspar Oat Straw is Neutral Ground (SW 7568) with a Delta E of 4, which rates as a "good match" match. Neutral Ground is less golden but similar in lightness and warmth. A Delta E under 2 means most people cannot tell the colors apart, while 2 to 4 means the difference is subtle.
Oat Straw has warm golden cream undertones. A warm golden cream with natural, organic undertones. Like dried oat straw in late summer. More golden than Swiss Coffee, lighter than Rattan. A warm, earthy off-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.
Oat Straw (VR086A) has a Light Reflectance Value (LRV) of 69, 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 69, this is a medium-depth color that adds warmth and character while still reflecting a reasonable amount of light.
Oat Straw leans warm. The warm golden 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.