Settled, side by side

Swiss Coffee is the warm white by which other warm whites are measured. With an LRV near 84 it stays bright and open, but a slight yellow-beige undertone keeps it creamy rather than clinical — the look of fresh cream rather than fresh snow.

Le Cygne — the swan — is a warm, matte ivory from the French house Ressource. It has the chalky, light-absorbing quality of old lime plaster, which is why it looks so at home on Haussmann panelling and ceiling roses: it softens the light rather than bouncing it around. Cream is present, yellow is not.