Why are there so many different colors of white paint? There must be 100’s. It can be completely overwhelming to choose which white to go with. We have good news! The following tips are going to make it much easier to help pick the perfect white paint for your space. Plus we are going to share our go to white paint choices. Let’s dive in.
Whites can look grey, cream, purple, pink, brownish… why?!
There are many things that impact how white looks in your home. Natural light, artificial light, sight lines and other paint colors in the home just to name a few.
First off most whites aren’t true white (and you usually do not want true white as it’s too white). Most have an undertone from a hint of pink, purple or cream added to the can when mixed. Imagine the white that you choose being the lightest shade of the color that is added to the can. When you look at a paint swatch look at the very bottom, the darkest shade, that will give you an idea of the undertone of the white. But not all paint swatches have more than one color! I know, that makes it even harder!
So hopefully you know the undertone now. The next question to ask yourself is do you want a warm white or a cool white in your home? Do you want stark white and bright or warm and cozy?
Look at the room you are painting and notice if it gets direct sunlight or not. Rooms with direct sunlight will have warm natural hues. Rooms with no to little sunlight will have a more blue hue which will enhance any blue, grey or purple undertones. Quick way to decipher: not a lot of light = cool, a lot of light = warm. But this is not always true because other things in the room can make colors look cool or warm, like furniture.
Next thing is to test! Once you have chosen a few colors, test them out. Get a few samples or try these peel and stick paint swatches and put them on a few different walls so you can see how the natural and artificial light hit the wall color and at different times of day.
Here are a few of our favorite go to white colors:
Warm White Colors – will bring in warm tones and are great for counteracting blue and cool spaces if you want to warm them up.
Swiss Coffee – Benjamin Moore
Simply White – Benjamin Moore
White Dove – Benjamin Moore
Cool White Colors – brightest and crisp and are great for counteracting warm colors and red.
Chantilly Lace – Benjamin Moore
Decorators White – Benjamin Moore
If you are overwhelmed ask for help. You can often get some free advice at a paint store or pay for a more in depth consultation. If you want someone to look at your space and help choose colors and other items, reach out to our team for a consultation.
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