Gray peaked as the most popular interior paint color in recent years, and a new favorite is trending. White has become the new gray! This a good sign because grays suggest a desire to be cocooned in the colors’ warmth, as though affected by the cold, cold world. White is an upbeat, positive color and the perfect background palette for any home as long as the correct shade of white is chosen. There are definitely a few things you should know about painting your walls white. Let us help teach you how to choose the perfect white paint color.
Which White??
The idea that there are “shades of white” is mindboggling to many people who confess that, to them, white is just white! But, just like all of the other colors in the world, white has a wide range of hues. The abundant shades of white interior paint that you can choose from have different undertones. Whether or not a particular shade of white complements a room depends on the undertone. If the white paint has the wrong undertone, the space won’t have a pleasing effect.
How to Choose the Perfect White Paint Color
The following information about undertones can help you choose the perfect white paint for your home.
Warm Whites
When white paint has a yellow or red base, it will create a warm and welcoming ambiance. The décor and furnishings should also be in warm shades that have an organic feel. Natural materials such as wood are ideal with warm whites. Calm and inviting Benjamin Moore White Dove is a warm white paint color that’s ideal in a room for entertaining.
Pure Whites
The bright whites that are chosen for many eclectic and modern spaces, as well as traditional and rustic styles of décor, have the least amount of undertones. Pure whites are bright supporting shades of paint that will cause your favorite bold colors to stand out beautifully. An example of a pairing is Sherwin-Williams Extra White (SW 7006) together with Crabby Apple (SW 7592).
Cool Whites 
Benjamin Moore’s Snow Day is an ideal cool white that has just the right touch of warmth to prevent it from creating a sterile feel. Cool white paint shades have cool undertones, such as blue. Cool whites work well in sunlit rooms. A good match is Sherwin-Williams Pure White (SW 7005) with Lakeshore (SW 6495).
More Tips for Choosing the Best Shade of White Paint
It is arguably more important to be careful about choosing the right white shade of interior paint than perhaps any other color. With that in mind, the following are some helpful tips from interior designer and assistant college professor of interior design Laura McGarity on choosing white paint:
- Bring home 8 to 15 small paint swatches.
- Look at how the colors appear on each wall in daylight. Paint colors look different on every wall based on the amount of sunlight in that part of the room.
- At night, look how each white paint swatch looks on the walls in rooms lit with artificial light.
- Narrow your choices down to two or three white paint colors and bring home large swatches of those shades. If you can spare the expense of buying a pint of your final color options, paint some of each finalist on your walls so that you can pick the winner.
For best results on your paint project, contact SNL Painting Inc. for professional interior painting. Still trying to decide on the paint shades for your home? With the many hues of white alone that are available today, indecisiveness is understandable. Our trained paint professionals are dedicated to providing unsurpassed customer service. We can help! Call SNL Painting at (636) 724-6829 today for a free estimate and to find out how fresh paint alone can give your home a stunning makeover.
