Muslin (BM 1037) vs Swiss Coffee (BM OC-45)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Swiss Coffee, LRV 81.9 vs 66.5.
- Warmer
- Muslin (Lab b* 11.7 vs 5.6). Muslin reads greige; Swiss Coffee reads warm white.
- North rooms
- Swiss Coffee: keeps more brightness (L* 89.4 vs 82.0 in north light) and drifts less gray (chroma drop 3.0 vs 4.7).
- Trim that works
- Arbor White BM ES-01, #F2EDDF, LRV 85: the Benjamin Moore white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 6.8, clearly different. At 6.8, treat them as different colors.
See each color
Muslin (BM 1037) is much darker than Swiss Coffee (BM OC-45) and warmer: LRV 66.5 vs 81.9, deltaE 6.8 (clearly different).
Side by side
| Measure | Muslin | Swiss Coffee | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Benjamin Moore | Benjamin Moore | |
| Color code | 1037 | OC-45 | |
| Hex | #E1D6C1 | #EEECE1 | |
| RGB | 225, 214, 193 | 238, 236, 225 | |
| HSL | 39°, 35%, 82% | 51°, 28%, 91% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 66.5 | 81.9 | −15.4 |
| Lab L* | 86.0 | 93.3 | −7.3 |
| Lab a* | 0.3 | -1.2 | +1.5 |
| Lab b* | 11.7 | 5.6 | +6.2 |
| Undertone | Warm Yellow | Neutral | |
| Temperature | warm | warm | |
| Color family | Beige | White |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Muslin (BM 1037), published as #E1D6C1
#D0CCBF
#F3E0C1
Swiss Coffee (BM OC-45), published as #EEECE1
#DCE2DF
#FFF6E1
These swatches and the rooms above are a simulation, not a measurement. How the visualizer works
Which should you pick
Rules of thumb computed from the LRV and Lab values in the table above; no room test was done.
- Pick Swiss Coffee (BM OC-45) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 15.4 LRV points lighter (81.9 vs 66.5), so it bounces back more of the limited light
- Pick Swiss Coffee (BM OC-45) for a south-facing room, because its Lab b* is 5.6 against 11.7, so it is the cooler of the two and offsets warm direct sun
- Pick Muslin (BM 1037) to warm a north-facing room, because it is the warmer of the two (Lab b* 11.7), which counters cool indirect light
Closest matches to Muslin in other brands
Closest matches to Swiss Coffee in other brands
Common questions
- Is Muslin the same color as Swiss Coffee?
- They are clearly different: a CIEDE2000 difference of 6.8. Muslin and Swiss Coffee are different colors.
- Which is lighter, Muslin or Swiss Coffee?
- Swiss Coffee, with an LRV of 81.9 against 66.5.
Full pages
Related comparisons
Sources: LRV and hex from Benjamin Moore technical data (verified 2026-10-02). Color differences are CIEDE2000 values computed by this site from the hex values (data snapshot 2026-10-01). Color names and codes belong to their manufacturers.