Chantilly Lace vs Simply White - Which Benjamin Moore White Does Your Room Actually Need?
- Beril Yilmaz
- 7 hours ago
- 10 min read
Chantilly Lace OC-65 and Simply White OC-117 are two of Benjamin Moore's most popular whites and two of the most frequently compared. Both are bright. Both are widely loved. Both appear on shortlists for the same brief: a clean, versatile white that works in any room. The difference between them is not subtle on a wall. Chantilly Lace is near-neutral, sitting just on the cool side of white - crisp, architectural, precise. Simply White has a barely-there warm yellow undertone that reads as a clean, warm white without the creaminess of White Dove. In the wrong room each one creates a result that surprises the person who chose it.
I specify both in residential projects across the UK - Chantilly Lace appears in my contemporary and transitional work, Simply White in warmer residential schemes where the brief calls for a white that feels inviting rather than crisp. The choice is never arbitrary and the difference matters enough on a full wall to get right. This guide covers everything you need to make the correct call for your specific room.
Side by Side
| Chantilly Lace OC-65 | Simply White OC-117 |
LRV | ~92 | ~89.5 |
Undertone | Near-neutral - faint cool quality, reads as pure white | Barely-there warm yellow - reads as clean warm white |
Character | Crisp, architectural, bright, precise | Warm, fresh, bright, broadly versatile |
North-facing | Riskier - faint cool quality reads cold without warm anchors | Better - warm undertone counteracts cool light |
South-facing | Spectacular - maximum brightness and crispness | Warm and luminous - yellow glows gently in warm light |
Best for | Trim with dark/cool walls, contemporary schemes, bright rooms | Walls, whole-house, north-facing rooms, warm schemes |
Trim pairing | Universal - works alongside any wall colour direction | Suits warm and neutral wall colours best |
Main risk | Faint cool quality in cool light or cool material contexts | Yellow undertone more visible in very bright south-facing rooms |
Chantilly Lace OC-65 - What It Actually Is
Chantilly Lace OC-65 is Benjamin Moore's crispest, most architectural white - the one I reach for when precision is the brief. At LRV ~92 it sits at the very bright end of the white spectrum, reflecting an enormous amount of light and reading as a clean, almost pure white in virtually every condition.
WHICH IS WARMER?
Simply White is warmer. Chantilly Lace sits just on the cool side of neutral - its undertone is near-neutral with a very faint cool quality that gives it its crispness. It does not read as blue or grey in normal conditions, but in rooms with cool materials or cool north-facing light, that faint quality becomes more noticeable. Simply White's warm yellow means it always reads as a white with warmth behind it.
WHICH HAS THE HIGHER LRV?
Chantilly Lace at LRV ~92 is brighter than Simply White at ~89.5. The 2.5-point gap is small but visible at sample scale in side-by-side comparison - a slightly crisper, more dazzling quality in Chantilly Lace. In most rooms the difference in felt brightness is subtle. In rooms with limited natural light those extra 2.5 points of reflectance are a meaningful asset.
WHICH IS BETTER FOR NORTH-FACING ROOMS?
Simply White handles north-facing conditions more reliably. Its warm yellow undertone counteracts cool light and prevents the white from reading cold or clinical. When I have a north-facing room and the client wants a bright white, Simply White is almost always the specification over Chantilly Lace. The full Chantilly Lace coordinating logic is in the Chantilly Lace coordinating colors guide.
WHICH IS BETTER FOR CABINETS AND TRIM?
Both are excellent, but for different schemes. Chantilly Lace on trim creates a clean, precise boundary alongside virtually any wall colour - warm greige, cool grey, deep navy, sage - without undertone conflict. It is the more universally reliable trim white. Simply White on trim is warmer and suits traditional and warm-palette schemes. On cabinets, Chantilly Lace suits contemporary kitchens; Simply White suits warmer, more traditional briefs.
MY VERDICT ON CHANTILLY LACE
Chantilly Lace is the white I specify when walls, trim, or cabinets need to read as deliberately, purely white - no warmth, no cream. It is correct for contemporary minimalist schemes, for dark accent walls needing a clean boundary, and for south-facing rooms where maximum brightness is the brief.
The full picture of what it pairs with is in the Chantilly Lace coordinating colors guide.
Simply White OC-117 - What It Actually Is
Simply White OC-117 was Benjamin Moore's Color of the Year and its popularity is fully justified. At LRV ~89.5 it is one of BM's brightest whites while retaining just enough warmth to prevent the clinical quality that pure whites can produce. It fills a genuinely useful position: brighter than White Dove, warmer than Chantilly Lace.
WHICH IS WARMER?
Simply White is clearly warmer. The barely-there yellow undertone reads as a warm bright white rather than cream or ivory. In warm south-facing light the yellow glows gently and the white looks luminous and inviting. In north-facing rooms it holds warmth and prevents any cold reading. The full Simply White review is at Benjamin Moore Simply White review.
WHICH HAS THE HIGHER LRV?
Chantilly Lace has the higher LRV. Simply White at LRV ~89.5 is fractionally softer, visible at sample scale but not dramatically different in practice. The 2.5-point gap is meaningful in side-by-side comparison but not the primary reason to choose one over the other. The undertone direction matters far more than this small LRV difference.
WHICH IS MORE VERSATILE?
Simply White is more broadly versatile across room orientations and design styles - the warm yellow prevents cool-light problems that Chantilly Lace can develop in north-facing or cool-material rooms. Chantilly Lace is more versatile as a trim white alongside different wall colour directions, since its near-neutral character never creates undertone conflict.
MY VERDICT ON SIMPLY WHITE
Simply White is the white I specify when the brief is bright, warm, broadly reliable. It suits walls, trim, and cabinets across a wide range of styles and handles north-facing conditions better than Chantilly Lace. If a client asks for a single white that works everywhere in the house, Simply White is usually my recommendation.
The full comparison with White Dove is in the Simply White vs White Dove guide.
The LRV Gap - Small But Real
The 2.5-point gap between Chantilly Lace (~92) and Simply White (~89.5) is one of the smaller differences in the BM white family. Both are very bright - both make rooms feel open and light in any normal condition. The LRV is not the primary reason to choose one over the other; the undertone direction is. A 2.5-point difference is visible in side-by-side sampling but will not meaningfully change a room's felt brightness on its own.
Where the small gap becomes more consequential is in rooms with limited natural light. In those conditions every reflectance point counts and Chantilly Lace's marginally higher LRV is a genuine asset. In a well-lit room the practical difference between LRV 92 and LRV 89.5 is minimal.
How Each Colour Behaves in Different Light
North-Facing Rooms
Simply White is the safer north-facing specification. The warm yellow undertone prevents a cold reading in indirect north-facing light. I have specified Chantilly Lace in north-facing rooms where the material palette was warm throughout - warm oak floors, warm brass, warm linen - and it held well. But with cool materials or cool artificial lighting, Chantilly Lace's near-neutral quality can read as fractionally cooler than a homeowner expects.
South-Facing Rooms
South-facing rooms are where Simply White shows its one real risk. The yellow undertone amplified by strong warm natural light can read as more noticeably warm than expected - in very bright south-facing conditions some clients describe it as slightly creamy. Chantilly Lace in the same conditions reads as dazzlingly white - crisp, clean, and maximally bright. For south-facing rooms where the brief is maximum crispness, Chantilly Lace is the stronger choice.
Artificial Lighting
Both perform well under warm-spectrum 2700K bulbs. Under cool daylight bulbs at 4000K, Chantilly Lace reads slightly cooler than expected. Simply White holds its warmth more consistently under cool artificial lighting because the yellow undertone provides a baseline warmth that the near-neutral Chantilly Lace cannot replicate. For rooms with predominantly cool artificial lighting that cannot be changed, Simply White is the safer choice.
Not sure which white is right for your room? Book a colour consultation here - bydesignandviz.com/book-online |
Chantilly Lace vs Simply White Room by Room
Trim and Woodwork
Both are excellent trim whites but Chantilly Lace is the more universally compatible. Its near-neutral quality on trim works alongside warm greige walls, cool grey walls, deep navy, and sage without undertone conflict. I use Chantilly Lace on trim in the majority of my residential projects regardless of wall colour direction. Simply White on trim is a warmer, more traditional trim choice that suits schemes with warm wall colours where a slightly warm boundary is appropriate.
Walls
On walls, Simply White is the more comfortable whole-room choice for most rooms. LRV ~89.5 on four walls creates a bright, warm, inviting space across most orientations. Chantilly Lace on four walls at LRV ~92 is spectacular in rooms with good natural light but can read as overwhelming in south-facing rooms with large windows - some clients describe it as slightly stark as an all-over wall colour. I always test Chantilly Lace at large scale before committing it to walls.
Kitchen Cabinets
Chantilly Lace on cabinets creates a crisp, precise cabinet result for contemporary and transitional kitchens - cool stone, stainless, bold contrast. Simply White on cabinets is the warmer alternative for shaker kitchens with warm stone, brass hardware, and a traditional brief where slight warmth on the cabinets is part of the character.
Ceilings
For ceilings, Simply White is often the better choice even when Chantilly Lace is on the walls. A ceiling 2.5 points softer reads as a natural recession - it sits back rather than jumping forward. In rooms with Chantilly Lace walls I often specify Simply White on the ceiling for exactly this reason. The slight LRV step creates a more resolved wall-to-ceiling relationship.
Open-Plan and Whole-House
Simply White is the stronger whole-house choice. Consistent warmth across orientations prevents cool-light problems that Chantilly Lace can develop in north-facing rooms or rooms with cool artificial lighting. Chantilly Lace whole-house works in contemporary homes with predominantly south-facing rooms and a consistently cool or neutral material palette.
Choose Chantilly Lace If
The application is trim alongside dark or cool wall colours - the near-neutral quality creates a clean, precise boundary without undertone conflict alongside navy, charcoal, sage, or cool grey.
The brief is contemporary or minimalist - the crisp, precise quality suits the restraint of these briefs naturally. For the full range of what Chantilly Lace works alongside, the Chantilly Lace coordinating colors guide covers every pairing.
The room is south-facing and the brief is maximum brightness - LRV ~92 in good natural light is genuinely spectacular.
You want white to read as unambiguously, purely white - no warmth, no yellow. For how it compares to the other BM whites, the Chantilly Lace vs White Dove guide and the Alabaster vs Chantilly Lace guide cover both comparisons.
Choose Simply White If
The room is north-facing or has mixed light - the warm yellow undertone counteracts cool light reliably.
The brief is whole-house or open-plan - consistent warmth adapts more reliably across different room orientations.
The interior style is traditional, transitional, or warm contemporary - the barely-there warmth relates naturally to these contexts.
You want a single white that works on everything - walls, trim, ceilings, and cabinets without demanding specific conditions. Simply White is the most broadly reliable BM white for whole-room applications.
Chantilly Lace and Simply White vs Other BM Whites
VS WHITE DOVE OC-17
White Dove at LRV ~83 is noticeably deeper and has a warm cream undertone that reads as clearly warmer than both. It suits traditional and warm-palette rooms where Simply White feels too bright. Full comparison in the Simply White vs White Dove guide.
VS ALABASTER SW 7008
Alabaster from Sherwin Williams at LRV ~82 is 10 points deeper than Chantilly Lace with a warm cream-greige quality and real body on a wall. It is a different family entirely from both BM whites. Full comparison in the Alabaster vs Chantilly Lace guide.
VS CHANTILLY LAVE AND WHITE HERON OC-17
White Heron sits close to Chantilly Lace in LRV with a slightly cooler, cleaner quality than Simply White. Less widely used than either but a strong choice when the brief is a clean crisp white with minimal warmth on walls rather than trim.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Chantilly Lace warm or cool?
Chantilly Lace sits just cool of neutral - its undertone is near-neutral with a very faint cool quality. It does not read as a blue or grey white in normal conditions but in rooms with cool materials or cool light the faint quality becomes more noticeable.
Can Chantilly Lace and Simply White be used together?
Yes - a natural and useful combination. Simply White on ceilings with Chantilly Lace on walls creates a subtle tonal separation that reads as considered. Chantilly Lace on walls with Simply White on trim works where the warmth of Simply White trim adds just enough counterbalance to the cooler wall.
Which is better for kitchen cabinets?
Chantilly Lace for contemporary kitchens, cool materials. Simply White for traditional or transitional kitchens with warm stone, brass, and wood. Both are excellent - the material palette and kitchen style determine which is correct.
Does Simply White look yellow?
In very bright south-facing conditions Simply White's yellow becomes more visible and can read as slightly creamy. In most conditions it reads as a clean bright warm white. Always test at large scale in the actual room in the specific light conditions before committing.
Which is better for a small north-facing room?
Simply White - the combination of LRV ~89.5 and warmth makes it the strongest specification for small north-facing rooms in the BM white family. The warmth prevents a cold reading and the high LRV maximises the sense of light and space.
The Verdict
Chantilly Lace and Simply White suit different rooms and different briefs. Chantilly Lace is the precision white - near-neutral, architecturally crisp, and unbeatable as a trim white alongside cool or saturated wall colours. It suits contemporary and minimalist spaces and south-facing rooms where maximum brightness is the brief. Simply White is the reliable warm white - slightly warmer, almost as bright, and more broadly versatile across different orientations, styles, and material palettes.
If forced to choose one for an unknown room, Simply White is the safer call. The warmth covers more conditions. If the room is south-facing, the style is contemporary, and the brief calls for maximum crispness, Chantilly Lace is the more impressive result. Sample both at large scale in the actual room under both natural and artificial light. The undertone difference will be clear in cool light. The room will tell you which direction is correct.
Need help choosing between Chantilly Lace and Simply White? See our design packages here - bydesignandviz.com/#interiordesignpackages |
About the Author
Beril Yilmaz is a qualified architect and interior designer based in the UK. She runs BY Design And Viz, a design platform covering paint colour reviews, interior design guidance, and residential design projects.
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