Alabaster White
History, Fashion + Interior Design, Branding, Pantone® & More
Happy Tuesday everyone! I realize it’s been forever since I’ve covered a neutral, so today we’re talking about the creamy off-white that is Alabaster. And the perfect note to close out my summer series...
Psychology
Sitting between white and cream, Alabaster is sophisticated with calming properties. Because it carries warmth, it communicates approachability and clarity, unlike stark, cooler whites that can sometimes feel sterile.
Brief History
The name alabaster comes from a fine-grained stone prized for its translucence and luminosity since ancient times.
Ancient Egyptians carved alabaster into canopic jars, vessels, and statues, while in the Middle Ages it became a favorite material for altarpieces and religious reliefs in Europe.
Alabaster remained popular during the Renaissance for smaller sculptures and ornamental details like rendering folds of fabric or serene expressions.
Today, alabaster has shifted from its sole material association to a more of a symbol that evokes luminosity and elegance. Now let’s get into some design applications!
Fashion
Our neutral color of the week just so happens to be the perfect excuse for me to talk about one of my personal favorite Fall 2025 Couture collections :)
Christian Dior Fall 2025 Couture
I loveee this collection. With the three looks I pulled, Dior leans into alabaster tones with absolutely ethereal lace-layered gowns and sheer fabrics that practically glow. Nothing more needs to be said here, take a look for yourself.
Chanel Fall 2025 Couture
Chanel’s Fall 2025 Couture collection takes on the shade through its signature tweed that is clean and minimal, yet textured with fringe and woven details.
Interior Design
Like any good neutral color, versatile is an understatement. Alabaster slips beautifully into almost any interior style.
When I picture this shade in interior design, though, I can’t help but think of Rick Owens’ brutalist-minimalist homes. He calls the style “glunge” (a combination of glam and grunge). Check it out below:
If you didn’t know, Rick Owens also extends his creative vision beyond fashion and into spatial design, crafting monolithic and sculptural furniture pieces like this alabaster chair below. Carved from the stone material itself.
Here are a couple more examples of the white shade in sleek, minimal spaces that I found on Pinterest:
Branding
Alabaster isn’t commonly used as a primary identity color in branding because it’s so subtle. However, it plays a huge role in luxury packaging and editorial design, functioning as a more of a canvas than a logo color.
Take these Chloé campaigns, for example, both set against different, but nonetheless alabaster-colored backdrops. With a muted neutral palette, the brand reinforces its understated luxury, and timeless femininity.
Pantone® & More
If you’re interested in working with this neutral shade, I’d recommend using PANTONE Cloud Dancer 11-4201 TCX. As always, I also included the HEX, RGB and CMYK values below:
HEX: #F0EEE9
RGB: 240, 238, 233
CMYK: 0, 1, 3, 6
Thank you so much for reading, and hopefully you learned something new about alabaster today! If you enjoyed reading, please give this post a like so I know what you guys want to see more of :)
And tell me, which color should I feature next? See you next Tuesday!