“Which white paint is the best for my home?” We’ve all been there, and as Nashville interior painters it is the single most common question and concern we get when painting white on our projects. The truth is, painting white in your home is mostly all about “The Feel” of it. The simple fact is, there are 100’s if not 1000’s of options for white tones out there. It is far too easy to fall into a rabbit hole when choosing a white for your paint project. I have personally walked into clients homes who have 20+ different white samples up, this is how you know you have gone way off the deep end of picking the “Perfect White”. But don’t worry, we have a failsafe system to get you going when choosing the right shade of white.
PICKING YOUR SAMPLES
Our rule of thumb is to pick 3 and only 3 whites for samples. Make sure you actually apply the sample to each wall in your desired room to get the full scope of how the light will react with it throughout the day. White and light grey tones are ones that we call “Shapeshifters” in the business because they can look like completely different colors throughout the day, and even wall to wall. It is important to let the samples sit with you for a few days before making your decision. Furthermore, white when painted in totality will look absolutely white. It will just feel colder or warmer in tone. Only when you put another shade of white against it, will you be able to tell it’s true tone. For this reason, we suggest using the same white for your trim color, unless you are going for a bold trim color light black or dark grey.
TONES OF WHITE
Generally speaking, white comes in 4 tones. Creamy, blue, pink, and grey. There are vast variations of these tones out there, and they all have their appilications. What we like to determine with our clients is the light sources in the house, and the color of the flooring. This will determine whether a “Warm” or “Cool” tone of white should be used. The difference is quite astounding when the right shade of white is applied in the right setting. Rather than doing the dance with all the different white shades out there, we have hand selected the most failsafe and fantastic shades of white available. We use these 3 shades of white constantly on our projects, and they always win.
#1
WHITE DOVE ( Benjamin Moore OC-17)
White Dove in it’s essence is the perfect creamy white. It brings out all of the warm tones in your space, and can make a room with a dark floor seem more spacious and comfortable. It works wonderfully in any room, and is the furthest thing from a “Stark” white on our list.
Light Reflection Valvue- 85/100
This means that White Dove is a fairly bright white, and will immediately improve the size and feel of any room.
#2
Greek Villa (SW 7551)
This shade has grown in popularity over the last few years. It has an incredibly classic feel while also pairing well with modern colors around it. It is the most friendly white shade when paired with accent wall colors. No matter how bold or wild your accent color is Greek Villa will still keep it’s timeless feel. It is slightly yellowish in tone and also very inviting. If you have a ton of natural light in your home, this would be the perfect shade.
#3
Pure White ( SW 7005)
Pure white is the most versatile shade of the 3. It has the ability to act completely neutral to it’s surrounding colors and tones. It can read both warm and cool depending on your light source and decorations. For this reason, we do most of our investment properties and commercial jobs with Pure White. It is very crisp and overall inviting without giving you the hospital room feel to it. If you own a business or a property, this is the white of choice for sure.
We hope you have gained some insight on the perfect white paint colors to choose. Remember to get all 3 of these colors in samples and then apply them to your walls in 2×2 squares with a mini roller. Tight Lines and happy walls!
To learn more check out our other Nashville interior painting blogs here.
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