When we moved to our current home, the interior was painted a really pretty shade of gray. I loved it and was thrilled that I did not have to do any major painting projects. Well, two years later I’m ready for a change. I was reading My Hygge Home: How to Make Your Home a Happy Place by Meik Wiking and this line made me pause – “If you have seen pictures of Scandinavian minimalism, this shouldn’t surprise you: Walls are usually painted white. In part this is because shades of white make a space brighter, as it reflects rather than absorbs the natural light entering the room.” A lightbulb went off – I do not like living in a gray house. Even though it is a pretty gray, it does not make me happy. So we began the major project of painting the whole house white, one weekend at a time. Selecting the right white paint color for the space was the trickiest part. There are too many options and each shade is unique. Here are five lessons I learned from our search for the perfect white paint color.
1. Test Colors in the Space
I narrowed down our choices to six white paint colors (listed at the end of the post). Then, I bought a sample size of each color. This was much easier than holding up the paper swatches you can pick up for free at the store. It was an added expense (about $7 per sample), but it was worth it.
Rather than painting your final paint color choices directly on the wall, test the color on white paper. I started out by painting directly on the wall, but the gray underneath altered the colors. Whoops!
You can use a white poster board or pick up a pack of peel and stick paint samples like these. When painting the sample, paint it from edge to edge to limit reflections and distortions that can change the color.
After realizing I couldn’t test the samples directly on, I used peel and stick paint samples to test the top choices. I thought this was a great way to check how the paint and the lighting interacted. By moving the choices around the house and holding them up next to one another, it was easier to see which paint colors had the creamy undertone we were looking for.
2. Consider White Paint Undertones
There are cool whites and warm whites. Cool whites will have a slight blue undertone. Warm whites will have a yellowish undertone. Think about which feeling you would like in your home. Consider the flooring, window treatments, textiles, backsplash, and art and try to stay consistent with cool colors or warm colors. Mixing these undertones in a space doesn’t always create a cohesive look.
This is something I am working on right now. We chose a paint sample with warm undertones, but there is a lot of blue in the space. Over time I am hoping to swap out the blue for warmer neutrals.
3. Think About Lighting
Lighting in a space can transform the paint color. You may love a certain white paint color, but the light fixtures or windows bring out different undertones.
You can control the light fixtures or lamps to a certain extent by looking at Kelvins. Some lightbulbs have a lower number of Kelvins, which makes the light warmer. A higher number of Kelvins makes the light cooler. Once you pick your undertone, consider swapping the lightbulbs in the space to match your choice. This was new to me, but it was actually very helpful to keep the lightbulbs consistent.
I really struggled with the lighting when choosing a white paint color. Some colors looked completely different on each wall or in other rooms around the house. I finally found a color I liked in all lighting situations, but you can still see in the photos how the light changes the paint color in different areas of the room.
4. Choose a White Paint Finish
When choosing a white paint finish, consider both the look and your lifestyle. Semi-gloss finishes are said to be easier to clean, which may be appealing if you have kids and pets. Or for a room that gets messier, like the kitchen. But you may prefer the look of a matte or eggshell finish.
We have a baby and two dogs, but we chose to take a risk and go with a matte finish. This may have been a mistake, but the matte finish looked more sophisticated in our space. And how often do I really need to clean the walls, anyway?
You will also want to think about the finish for the ceiling and trim. I chose to use the same white paint color on the walls, trim, and ceiling. But in three different finishes. I went with a matte finish on the walls, a flat finish on the ceiling, and a a satin finish on the trim, baseboards, and doors.
5. Create a Vision Board
Pinterest is my favorite for vision boards. It’s so easy to gather furniture, paint colors, accessories, and details for a room in one place. But, when choosing paint colors, I found a simple tactile vision board to be even more helpful. I happened to have fabric samples for our couch and chairs. We put these samples on the coffee table with the paint samples and it was much easier to make our decision.
If you have fabric samples, wood stains, tile samples, or paint colors, use these to create a tactile vision board. This will allow you to compare paint colors based on the other colors and textures you will layer in, rather than in isolation.
Also think about the accessories you will layer into the space – ceramics, pillows, textiles, rugs, plants, art. Sometimes the accessories will help you choose an undertone and a white paint color that best fits your space and possessions.
My Favorite White Paint Color
After testing out six white paint colors, we ended up choosing Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee at 75% power. I first heard of the color in this blog post. I was surprised that the lighting in our home made all of the other colors look too yellow, white, blue, or gray. Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee at 75% power was the only paint color I found that looked slightly creamy, but had no other undertones. It is a beautiful, sophisticated, warm white. While I would absolutely recommend this color, I would encourage you to test the color and check the lighting in your space before committing.
Here are the six white paint colors I compared:
- Chantilly Lace (Benjamin Moore) – A crisp, very bright white.
- Simply White (Benjamin Moore) – A bright white with soft (yellow-green) undertones.
- Alabaster (Sherwin-Williams) – A soft, warm white with beige undertones.
- Swiss Coffee at 75% power (Benjamin Moore) – Our winner. A creamy, warm white.
- Swiss Coffee (Behr) – A creamy, warm white with beige undertones.
- White Dove (Benjamin Moore) – Has both warm (yellow) and cool (gray) undertones.
Here are some other popular white paint colors I looked at, but didn’t fit what I was looking for in a color.
- Slate (Paint & Paper Library)
- Pure White (Sherwin-Williams)
- Oxford White (Benjamin Moore)
- Extra White (Sherwin-Williams)
- Whisper White (Behr)
- Cloud White (Benjamin Moore)
Note that if you know the paint name and brand you want, you can usually color match at Home Depot or Lowes. We tested the Swiss Coffee from the Benjamin Moore store and from Home Depot and could not see a difference.
So far, we are thrilled with the white paint color we chose. It was worth the weeks of research to find the perfect color. Painting the house and swapping out furniture and accessories is an ongoing project, so stay tuned!
What is your favorite white paint color? Share in comments!
P.S. Check out my post about our new fixer upper!
Note: If you buy something through the links on this page, I may earn an affiliate commission (at no cost to you). I only share products I genuinely like and use in my own life. I try to keep the details on this page updated, but please check all information before making your plans as the information may have changed. Thank you so much for your support.
