My Favorite White
If you’ve ever needed to paint a room or a house white you know first hand that choosing the perfect shade is not easy. So many choices! White paint can look completely different depending on the room and can be effected by the lighting, flooring and other colors in the space. Some white paints are warm while others are cool or neutral due to their undertones. Picking the perfect shade can feel like an overwhelming choice. Pure white? Off white? Simply white? Choosing the right white makes more of a difference than you may think. By going with a paint that feels right in your home you can create a lovely, light, spacious, serene and clean feeling space. To save you the work of trying to decide between hues that seem nearly indistinguishable I’ve chosen a few of my favorites and given you the scoop from top designers and how they describe the various white paint options.
1. Linen White Benjamin Moore
“My go-to white is Benjamin Moore Linen White. SummerHouse is painted Linen White, and our customers always ask what the wall color is. It is an ivory with not too much yellow in it. It is fresh and light and simply beautiful." –Lisa Palmer
2. White Dove Benjamin Moore
“Our go-to for a crisp and balanced white is White Dove by Benjamin Moore. It can be a nice, clean backdrop to traditional settings without that ‘sheet of paper’ glare. And it can also add warmth to a serene, modern space.” –Fran Keenan
"My go-to white paint color is Benjamin Moore White Dove. It is a beautiful, soft white with the perfect amount of depth and warmth without reading gray or yellow. I find it to be incredibly versatile and have yet to find a space where it did not work." –Paloma Contreras
3. Chattily Lace Benjamin Moore
“The most universal paint color I've used is Chantilly Lace by Benjamin Moore. I find myself going back to it again and again in order to create a bright white space that is warm and welcoming rather than sterile and cold. In a sea of whites, this is my tried and true.” –Nicole Davis
4. Decorators White Benjamin Moore
“My go-to white for all of our projects no matter what locale is Benjamin Moore, Decorator's White. It reads like a true white be it wall or accent and plays well with other colors, but in reality is quite a bit softer. I find many other whites to be sterile and cold." –Joe Berkowitz
5. All White Farrow & Ball
“Farrow & Ball’s All White is pure, fresh, and versatile enough to work in any space. It's a perfectly balanced white with just the right amount of softness and depth. It's my tried and true!" –Meridith Baer
6. Simply White Benjamin Moore
“My favorite white is Benjamin Moore's Simply White. It is the whitest of whites and just as fresh and happy as they make them. I love to dunk a whole room in glossy head to toe." –Miles Redd
7. Strong White Farrow & Ball
“My current favorite white is Strong White from Farrow & Ball. I love the way it creates definition against clean white woodwork and is just a quiet wash of soft wet clay on your walls. It's a non color that is perfectly fine to carry right throughout your house. I'm a fan of quiet room perimeter, it allows you to add the layers of color and pattern without the walls dominating the look of the space. Strong White is also a perfect foil for your paintings, prints, or plates." -Mally Skok
8. Cloud White Benjamin Moore
“Cloud White CC-40 by Benjamin Moore is my favorite go-to white. I use it for both contemporary and traditional spaces because it has a nice clean crispness, but also adds a hint of warmth.” –Philip Mitchell
“One of my favorite white paint colors is Benjamin Moore Cloud White. I’ve used it again and again, including in my own home. It makes the perfect calming foundation that allows warmer tones and textures to take center stage.” –Marie Flanigan
I hope these descriptions of my favorite tried and true whites that I have loved using in my design projects helps to narrow things down. Don’t be afraid to simply bring some sample paint cans home and just try it out. Even as a professional I paint swatches on large card stock that I can hold up to different walls in different light. I like to tape them up to see how they look at different times of the day. It takes a little playing around with different hues but with a little help from this list and getting to see the various shades in your home I’m sure you will find the perfect white for your space. Enjoy the process!