Sherwin Williams Greek Villa Review (and Dupes!) – Mod & Mood (2023)

Today I’m bringing you another complete color review, comparison, and dupe deep dive! Sherwin Williams Greek Villa is our next defendant!

This soft shade has exploded in popularity in the last year, so let’s take a look at why, and where else you can find a color like Greek Villa.

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What Color is Greek Villa

Sherwin Williams Greek Villa is a creamy off-white paint color that toes the line of white and off-white. It’s a great example of what people would call “farmhouse white.”

Greek Villa LRV

The LRV of Greek Villa is 84, so it’s right on the line of white and off-white.

For reference, the whitest white that Sherwin Williams makes is High Reflective White, and that has an LRV of 93. (Which might be the whitest on the market!)

Most people consider an LRV of 82+ to be white and not off-white, but in real life Greek Villa doesn’t always read “white.” On exteriors in particular, it appears creamy more often than not.

Greek Villa would not be my first, or even second or third, choice for trim. (Unless it’s also your wall color!) It just isn’t white enough. That’s why I don’t consider it to be a true white, but more of a creamy white.

If you want a clean pure white, I wouldn’t choose Greek Villa. If you want a soft white, it’s definitely a contender!

What Are the Undertones of Greek Villa

Greek Villa is a yellow-orange white, so it has creamy amber undertones.

For the most part Greek Villa doesn’t look too yellow, but in straight natural lighting – especially on exteriors – it can look a touch yellow/cream.

Is Greek Villa Warm or Cool

Greek Villa is a warm white, but it generally comes off pretty neutral.

Is Greek Villa Too White?

Greek Villa would never be considered “too white” unless you are looking for a beige/tan color. It’s nowhere near being a bright white, and is not stark at all.

Is Greek Villa a Greige?

Greek Villa isn’t greige because it really isn’t gray at all. It’s closer to being a very light shade of beige/tan.

What White Paint Goes With Greek Villa?

Everybody has their opinion on what color is best for trim and doors, but I always favor a bright white. I don’t like my trim to be a “color.” For that reason, I always choose a color like High Reflective White.

Greek Villa is a little tricky, because a bright white will create more contrast and you will really notice that it’s an off-white.

If you are using Greek Villa and you want it to look white, your first choice should probably be…Greek Villa! If you want a subtle contrast, choose it in a different sheen.

In this living room, the fellas from Very Good Painting used exclusively Greek Villa in different finishes. The wallls are eggshell, ceiling is flat, and the trim is satin.

you could also try Pure White. Pure White is actually far from a “pure white” and has the same LRV as Greek Villa, just in a different tone.

Because anything worth doing is worth overdoing, I tried out a few colors to see what works well.

Sherwin Williams White Snow could be the perfect white to contrast with Greek Villa while still allowing it to be white.

(Sorry for the potato quality photos! It’s a sacrifice we have to make to have a fast site, and I know you don’t have all day!)

For myself, I love the Benjamin Moore color Chantilly Lace. It has an LRV way up there at 92.2 and is a very neutral white. However, it will make Greek Villa look cream.

Greek Villa Exterior

Allow me to take you on a journey to Zebu Hill Farmhouse, the place that will really sell you on Greek Villa.

First let’s take a look at Greek Villa on the exterior where it looks quite white:

Beautiful!

Now to show how the color can shift, let’s look at a couple more of the same house and barn:

You can see how on an overcast day, the color looks significantly less “white.”

Greek Villa does the same thing in the winter when a house is surrounded by snow.

I still think it looks quite nice, but it’s by no means a bright white. If you want to trick the eye, consider using black trim.

Greek Villa Living Room

You already saw that gorgeous all-white, all-Greek-Villa, living room earlier, but the Zebu Hill Farmhouse did the same!

Here is their living room:

Greek Villa Whole Home

Greek Villa is a great white choice for your whole home, and they really went for it! Exterior and interior.

Here is a gorgeous Greek Villa foyer:

I mean…DROOL!

Greek Villa Kitchen

Still up on Zebu Hill, here is their kitchen:

Greek Villa Bathroom

Moving away from Zebu Hill now, to the home of Emily from @sage_therapeutic_designs.

She used Greek Villa in her bathroom:

I love it with the green!

Greek Villa Color Palette

I had fun making a Greece inspired color palette for this shade!

Greek Villa Coordinating Colors

Here are the colors that I chose:

Benjamin Moore Venetian Portico AF 185

Benjamin Moore Pale Smoke 1584

Sherwin Williams Salty Dog SW 9177

Sherwin Williams Sea Salt SW 6204

I resisted the urge to choose a vivid blue to complete the Greece theme, because that has somewhat limited appeal! Instead I chose Salty Dog which is a dark blue with lots of versatility.

Greek Villa vs Alabaster

Sherwin Williams Greek Villa and Sherwin Williams Alabaster are very similar colors.

The RGB of Alabaster is R: 237 G: 234 B: 224 to Greek Villa’s 240, 236, 226, and the LRV of Alabaster is 82.

This means that they are almost the same color, but Alabaster is a touch more gray.

How helpful is that comparison photo??

I was majorly geeking out when Seth and Carlyne from @figandelmhome posted it, and they very graciously allowed me to use it. Ultimately, they went with Alabaster for their home.

(“Natural” is SW Natural White)

It is actually easier to see the difference from further away, so shrink the photo or back up to get the best idea.

Is Greek Villa or Alabaster More White?

I would say that Greek Villa and Alabaster are the same “white” as each other.

Technically the LRV of Greek Villa is 2 points higher, so it should be lighter, but because Alabaster has less color to it, they read about the same.

In fact, people often choose Alabaster for trim, and I haven’t seen anybody using Greek Villa for that – except where they have also used it on the walls.

I was curious and tried Greek Villa with Alabaster for trim, and there was really no contrast between the two. Especially when trim is on a different plane than the walls, the color difference would be lost.

For anyone trying to choose between the two, pick Alabaster for less “color” and Greek Villa for a touch more creaminess. For a whiter white, pick something else completely.

Greek Villa vs White Dove

Benjamin Moore’s White Dove is a popular warm white with an LRV of 85.5. It’s a little lighter than Greek Villa’s 82.

White Dove is also slightly more yellow (where Greek Villa is in the orange family) and it is a little more muted.

Although the colors are similar, White Dove looks like a true white, where Greek Villa looks like an off-white.

Greek Villa vs Snowbound

Sherwin Williams Snowbound is one of my favorite white paint colors, and you can read my whole review and comparisons here.

The contrast between Greek Villa and Snowbound is not enough to choose Snowbound as a trim color, but it’s enough for me to choose a fave!

Snowbound has more red in it, but it comes off as more neutral than Greek Villa. The LRV of Snowbound is an 83, so it’s barely lighter than Greek Villa, but it is more gray.

Snowbound has a “je ne sais quois,” an ambiguous something special where it is most definitely white, but somehow soft.

Greek Villa vs Cloud White

Benjamin Moore’s Cloud White is a very popular color for trim. It has an LRV of 87.3, so it is lighter than Greek Villa. It is also a straight yellow white, and not really orange or gray at all.

Cloud White has a lot of fans, but I’m not one of them.

While it is light and bright, Cloud White looks like a buttery white to me, and yellows are not my favorite. If you want something that is creamy with a pale yellow tone, then you will like Cloud White.

Don’t let me sway your opinion, Cloud White has a whole fan club! I just have different taste.

Greek Villa vs Pure White

I mentioned Sherwin Williams Pure White briefly under trim choices. It has the same LRV as Greek Villa, but looks more white because it is actually more gray. Meaning, it has less “color” in it.

If Greek Villa is just about perfect, but you’re worried about it looking yellow, give Pure White a shot!

Greek Villa vs Shoji White

Sherwin Williams Shoji White has an LRV of 74, compared to Greek Villa’s 82, so it is a fair bit darker. It is also more red-toned. Shoji White is a pale tan beige, and not really a white.

(I have also written a complete review of Shoji White)

Greek Villa vs Dover White

Sherwin Williams Dover White is slightly more orange and slightly darker than Greek Villa. It is also a little more saturated.

Side-by-side I’m surprised they contrast as much as they do. Dover White still has an LRV of 83.

I feel Dover White looks a LOT more yellow than Greek Villa, but it is still an orange white.

Greek Villa Benjamin Moore

Settled on Greek Villa but want to know what the Benjamin Moore equivalent is?

Well, Cloud White is actually quite similar, but the closest match is probably Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee.

Swiss Coffee is a creamy white, and one of Benjamin Moore’s best sellers.

Greek Villa vs Swiss Coffee

Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee has an LRV of 83.93 compared to Greek Villa’s 84, so the lightness difference is negligible. The only real difference between these two is that Swiss Coffee is a teeny tiny bit more yellow.

Greek Villa Valspar Equivalent – Creme Fraiche

I am super proud of this Valspar find because I have never heard of it!

Valspar Creme Fraiche is the perfect equivalent for Greek Villa.

Greek Villa vs Creme Fraiche

The only discernible difference between Greek Villa and Creme Fraiche is that Creme Fresh only has an LRV of 83.4 to Greek Villa’s 84. Other than that the colors are very much the same.

See what I mean? Dupe!

Greek Villa Behr Equivalent – Arcade White

Behr Arcade White is another great dupe for Greek Villa.

So what’s the difference?

Greek Villa vs Arcade White

Arcade White has an LRV of 83, so one level lower than Greek Villa. It is also more yellow, and less saturated. As a result, it looks a touch more gray than Greek Villa.

I was surprised with how yellow Arcade White technically is. It’s more in the mustard family and not really orange, but these two look pretty darn close!

Greek Villa Final Mood

I think we should boycott colors with fun trip names just for now, because every time I hear “Greek Villa” I want to go on vacation!

To recap: You can use Greek Villa as a soft white for your exterior, interior, cabinets, and more.

Just remember:

• Check out what it does in your lighting (because whites are sneaky)
• It will probably look creamy outside

That’s all for my deep dive on Sherwin Williams Greek Villa!

Not the white for you? Try Valspar Cream in my Coffee, or one of these other whites: