Natural Choice (SW 7011) vs Natural Linen (SW 9109)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Natural Choice, LRV 73 vs 66.
- Warmer
- Natural Linen (Lab b* 9.4 vs 7.5). Natural Choice reads warm white; Natural Linen reads greige.
- North rooms
- Natural Choice: keeps more brightness (L* 84.6 vs 81.2 in north light) and drifts less gray (chroma drop 4.2 vs 4.9).
- Trim that works
- Classic Light Buff SW 0050, #F0EADC, LRV 83: the Sherwin-Williams white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 3.9, noticeably different. At 3.9, test both: on a full wall the difference will show.
See each color
Natural Choice
More comparisons with Natural Choice
Natural Linen
More comparisons with Natural Linen
Natural Choice (SW 7011) is lighter than Natural Linen (SW 9109) and slightly cooler: LRV 73 vs 66, deltaE 3.9 (noticeably different).
Side by side
| Measure | Natural Choice | Natural Linen | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams | Sherwin-Williams | |
| Color code | SW 7011 | SW 9109 | |
| Hex | #E3DED0 | #DFD3C3 | |
| RGB | 227, 222, 208 | 223, 211, 195 | |
| HSL | 44°, 25%, 85% | 34°, 30%, 82% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 73 | 66 | +7 |
| Lab L* | 88.5 | 85.1 | +3.4 |
| Lab a* | -0.7 | 1.5 | −2.2 |
| Lab b* | 7.5 | 9.4 | −1.9 |
| Undertone | Neutral | Warm | |
| Temperature | warm | warm | |
| Color family | Off-white | Beige |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Natural Choice (SW 7011), published as #E3DED0
#D2D4CE
#F5E8D0
Natural Linen (SW 9109), published as #DFD3C3
#CEC9C1
#F1DDC3
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 Natural Choice (SW 7011) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 7 LRV points lighter (73 vs 66), so it bounces back more of the limited light
- Pick Natural Choice (SW 7011) for a south-facing room, because its Lab b* is 7.5 against 9.4, so it is the cooler of the two and offsets warm direct sun
- Pick Natural Linen (SW 9109) to warm a north-facing room, because it is the warmer of the two (Lab b* 9.4), which counters cool indirect light
Closest matches to Natural Choice in other brands
Closest matches to Natural Linen in other brands
Common questions
- Is Natural Choice the same color as Natural Linen?
- They are noticeably different: a CIEDE2000 difference of 3.9. Most people can see the difference between Natural Choice and Natural Linen side by side.
- Which is lighter, Natural Choice or Natural Linen?
- Natural Choice, with an LRV of 73 against 66.
Full pages
Related comparisons
Sources: LRV and hex as published by the manufacturer, via PaintDB (CC BY 4.0). 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.