What do you mean? White is white....right? If only it were that simple. There are literally HUNDREDS of shades of white, and they are not all created equal. Let us help with the daunting task of picking the right one for your home.
White paint can be so hard to pick, however can be a crucial choice in your home, as it creates the perfect canvas to allow your style to shine. White can make a home feel spacious and inviting, but small variations in white can make a very large difference in the feel of your home. We love white paint & over time have learnt a lot about all of the ways white paint can vary, including undertones, LRV (light reflective value), and how different white paint looks different room to room based on natural light sources, ceiling heights, amount of windows and aspects from said windows.
We love testing new paint colours so we thought we would share some tips we use every time we go to pick out white paint, and a couple of our favourite depending on the look you're after; because the right white can bring a sense of cohesive purity and serenity to any space, without feeling clinical.
In my own home, I have chosen Taubmans Akimbo. Our space does not have a huge abundance of natural light, so I really needed something to brighten the space, and a neutral white that did not throw any undertones - Akimbo is perfect for this.
HOW TO PICK THE PERFECT WHITE IN 6 SIMPLE STEPS:
Know the room aspect: Understanding how your room receives natural light and the tone of it will be very helpful in this process. For example, a southern facing room that doesn't receive a lot of natural light may benefit from a warm tone of white (tones explained next) to help it feel less cold, and more cosy.
Understanding light: Knowing the natural light source and it's tone is important, but so is artificial sources. Are the light bulbs in the room warm or cool? A room with cool tones walls, and cool temperature lights can easily feel cold and unwelcoming.
Study the undertones: Hold a white sheet of paper to your swatch to determine if it’s warm or cool toned. Warm toned will look slightly yellow in comparison, cool toned will look slightly blue.
Decide if you prefer a warm or cool white: As mentioned, cooler whites will have more blue undertones while warmer whites will have more of a yellow undertone. What goes with your existing decor? Consider the tones in your current furniture (and flooring!). Picking a cooler white wall colour with warm floors will always look a little off. Keeping the undertones the same will help bring your room together.
Check the LRV: This tells you how much light the color reflects. The higher the LRV the brighter the white. The closer the LRV is to 100, the brighter the white will be. Dulux + Porters Paints include the LRV on the listing of each colour on their website which is handy.
Test the paint: Put LARGE swatches on every wall of the room you are painting & live with the swatches for a while so you can study it in different lights. If you are wanting to paint an entire house one colour, make sure you do a swatch in each room. What looks great in some rooms, may be completely different in others due to natural light source, exterior aspect which can reflect etc
OUR FAVOURITE WHITES:
Warm whites: Dulux Whisper White Half, Dulux Natural White, Taubman Cotton Sheets, Porters Paint Irish Linen
Cool whites: Dulux Lexicon Quarter, Porters Paints Talc
Neutral whites: Taubmans Akimbo, Haymes Modesty White, Dulux Snowy Mountains Half, Dulux Casper White Quarter, Porters Paint Popcorn