3 Easy Steps To Find The Right White Paint & 16 Best White Paints

All white interiors are trendy right now.  However, not all white paints are created equal. This is because, among other reasons, the white paint chart you see in the hardware store may turn out completely different once you apply it on the walls. Factors such as paint undertones, natural and artificial lighting influence profoundly the final color on your walls.

A white bedroom by Veere Greeney

As simple as it may sound, picking the right white paint can be frustrating if not disappointing.  One more straightforward way to find the right white color is by following these three no-brainer steps I have seen to help me more often than not.

Three Easy Steps To Find The Perfect White Paint

1st, Classify the white paint by tones, warm tones include anything with a hint of grey or beige, cool tones tend to have yellow and bright white tones are sometimes too white and reflect a lot of light.  Some people categorize greyish paint as cool; I, however, find them warm and cozier than merely beige.

2nd, Choose the paint color from one of the groups based on the ambiance you are looking to create.

3rd, With this step, comes the fun part: buy a few samples from the group you like, paint a section on every wall of the room and live with it for a couple of days.  The brighter the rooms, the lighter the white paint will appear and vice-versa.

For traditional homes with moldings, wood floors and classic furniture, usually white paints with warm undertones look better.  For modern architecture, the more cooling whites blend-in seamlessly.

From right to left.  Calm from BM, White Diamond by BM, Lily of the Vally by Farrow and Ball and Slipper Satin by FB.

As we can perceive each of these top white paints has an undertone that once put on the walls can result in a completely different shade.  Calm from Benjamin Moore (bright tone) has a slightly bluish undertone, great for bathrooms and modern interiors.  White Diamond, however, has a warmer grey undertone, a fantastic choice for living rooms or bedrooms.  I also prefer to use white paint with a warm tone for kitchen cabinetry as opposed to a bright white.  I find that very bright white kitchen cabinetry can be too loud and harsh.

Lilly of the Bally by BM (cool) has a yellowish undertone, great for kitchens and bathroom walls while Slipper Satin by Farrow and Ball has a pinkish undertone which puts it in the warm group.  Who can ever imagine white paint is so diverse?… haha.  Never the less it is and to make things more confusing the lighting inside your home as well as the natural light coming from outside can also influence and affect the final color of your white paint.  Hence, it is critical to paint in a few small areas of the room and observe how it changes at different times of the day.

From right, White Dove, by BM, Great White, FB, White Wisp by BM and Origami White by Sherwin-Williams.

For one of my clients, I used Origami White by Sherwin-Williams, far right on the walls and White Dove, corner left on the door moldings and baseboard.  The shiplap was spray painted for a smooth finish.

The Brightest of White Paints

Chantilly Lace by BM, All White by FB, Super Shite by BM and Decorato’s White by BM.

Ralph Lauren paint for Home Depot has a beautiful selection of white paints that range from bright whites to light grey.  See below.

Ralph Laurent White paints

High Reflective White by SW, Snow Fall by Behr, Precious Pearls by Dunn Edwards and White Cliffs by Partola Paints and Glazes..

Super White by Benjamin Moore

Moonlight by Benjamin Moore by Derryl Carter

Decorator’s White by Benjamin Moore by Michael S. Smith