Wind's Breath (BM 981) 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 69.6.
- Warmer
- Wind's Breath (Lab b* 7.4 vs 5.6). Wind's Breath reads greige; Swiss Coffee reads warm white.
- North rooms
- Swiss Coffee: keeps more brightness (L* 89.4 vs 83.5 in north light) and drifts less gray (chroma drop 3.0 vs 4.1).
- Trim that works
- Capitol White BM CW-10, #F5F2E5, LRV 86.9: the Benjamin Moore white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 4.0, noticeably different. At 4.0, test both: on a full wall the difference will show.
See each color
Wind's Breath
More comparisons with Wind's Breath
Wind's Breath (BM 981) is darker than Swiss Coffee (BM OC-45) and slightly warmer: LRV 69.6 vs 81.9, deltaE 4.0 (noticeably different).
Side by side
| Measure | Wind's Breath | Swiss Coffee | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Benjamin Moore | Benjamin Moore | |
| Color code | 981 | OC-45 | |
| Hex | #DFDBCD | #EEECE1 | |
| RGB | 223, 219, 205 | 238, 236, 225 | |
| HSL | 47°, 22%, 84% | 51°, 28%, 91% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 69.6 | 81.9 | −12.3 |
| Lab L* | 87.4 | 93.3 | −5.9 |
| Lab a* | -1.0 | -1.2 | +0.2 |
| Lab b* | 7.4 | 5.6 | +1.8 |
| Undertone | Neutral | Neutral | |
| Temperature | warm | warm | |
| Color family | Greige | White |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Wind's Breath (BM 981), published as #DFDBCD
#CED1CB
#F1E5CD
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 12.3 LRV points lighter (81.9 vs 69.6), 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 7.4, so it is the cooler of the two and offsets warm direct sun
- Pick Wind's Breath (BM 981) to warm a north-facing room, because it is the warmer of the two (Lab b* 7.4), which counters cool indirect light
Closest matches to Wind's Breath in other brands
Closest matches to Swiss Coffee in other brands
Common questions
- Is Wind's Breath the same color as Swiss Coffee?
- They are noticeably different: a CIEDE2000 difference of 4.0. Most people can see the difference between Wind's Breath and Swiss Coffee side by side.
- Which is lighter, Wind's Breath or Swiss Coffee?
- Swiss Coffee, with an LRV of 81.9 against 69.6.
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.