How to Choose the Right White Paint for Your Home
When my husband and I bought our first house, we hired a contractor to paint it white. He wasn’t just any contractor (he looked like a human Ken doll). He suggested to paint our house a random white paint, and that’s what we did. Because, well, stunning blue eyes. But also, I assumed the reason was our house looked dark and dingy having trees block the natural light.
For our next house, we hired a different painter for our interior walls. I was juggling a new baby (not literally) and a move across the city and operating in a fog. So, I painted the house the same random white colour that beautiful Ken recommended for my previous home. And, I found my new home just as dark and dingy. I went to design school for three years with top marks – I know better than that!
Top 5 Designer Approved White Paint Favourites
There are hundreds of white paint options for your home. Finding the best one for your interior walls can be a daunting task. However, relying on your hunky house painter to choose your white paint is not the wisest idea. Now, having done my research, I’m sharing the best choices for your home. Because, there is no one size fits all when it comes to white paint.
1. Simply White, OC-117, Benjamin Moore
Simply White is a warm, but true white paint that looks both crisp and cozy in every space. It has just the right amount of softness with barely a whisper of a yellow undertone. It’s hard to go wrong with Simply White. In fact, it was selected as the “right white” by Benjamin Moore and named their colour of the year for 2016.
[Image via Squarespace]
Pro Tip: Simply White is perfect for darker spaces with little to no natural light because the paint colour itself almost glows.
2. White Dove, OC-17, Benjamin Moore
White Dove is one of the most popular white paints. It’s crisp without being too cold or modern. At the same time, it’s a perfect balance of warm and cool undertones – soft with absolutely no coldness. The negligible whisper of grey mutes the white ever so slightly, so that it isn’t as sterile or stark as some of the brighter whites.
[Image via Squarespace]
Pro Tip: White Dove is a go-to colour for more traditional and transitional spaces.
3. Cloud White, OC-130, Benjamin Moore
Cloud White is a tone that has withstood the test of time in changing paint trends. It’s bright, elegant and timeless. It is a versatile warm white paint with a soft undertone that compliments any style or palette. And, it is the most mentioned paint colour in design magazines and one of the most commonly spec’d paints in the business.
[Image via Suzanne Dimma]
Pro Tip: Cloud White is our go-to white when we paint a condo for staging.
4. Super white, OC-152, Benjamin Moore
Super White is white – a crisp, bright white with no undertones. No cool tones that will make it read blue and no warm tones that will make it read yellow. It’s just white – like art gallery white. This is great if you are looking for a modern, clean white. And perfect for brightening up your space.
[Image via Squarespace]
Pro Tip: Super White might be too bright, too white and too modern for some spaces and tastes.
5. Chantilly Lace, OC-65, Benjamin Moore
Chantilly Lace is Benjamin Moore’s truest white with very subtle cool undertones and just a teeny tiny hint of blue. It’s cool, clean, and crisp. It’s simple and it’s versatile. And, it’s a perennial favourite for designers seeking a clear and beautiful shade of white paint, especially in rooms without a lot of natural light.
[Image via Squarespace]
Pro Tip: Chantilly Lace can be a bit chilly for a north facing room.
Feeling Inspired? Ready to Start Painting?
Try before you buy. You might think you’ve figured out which white is right for you. However, you might be surprised. The same white paint will look different in different houses, in different rooms and sometimes even on different walls within the same room.
Grab some samples. Paint some test areas on different walls, in the dark edges and the bright corners. And then, observe them at different times of the day. The right white should present itself within a few days. And if it doesn’t? The FM Design team can help you find the right white.
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This article is written by Kathy Mighton, Project Manager and Lead Designer here at Fox Marin Associates. She is FM Design’s creator of well-crafted spaces that inspire and impress! A true design enthusiast, there are not enough walls or surfaces in Kathy’s life to display all the art that she loves.
