I get this question a lot, but today it was coming from a good girlfriend of mine. She's buying a new house in my neighborhood (yay!), selling the old one, and still managing a household and busy schedules of four children.
So the question is: Which white is right?
I could begin searching the fan decks, but off the top of my head, I can think of a few top choices. With a little research, I can recommend the most popular white paint colors – the ones that decorators and homeowners rave about time and time again.
Out of this sea of whites, I’ve narrowed it down to these proven winners:
1. Benjamin Moore’s White Dove (OC-17) – I used this color in our old house and loved it. Not only is it a great color for walls, but it’s also a favorite for moldings:
Houzz - James Thomas Interiors
2.Benjamin Moore’s China White (PM-20):
Tracery Interiors
3. Benjamin Moore’s Decorators White (CC-20):
Architectural Digest
4. Sherwin Williams’ Shoji White (SW7042)- I used this on my Houston home's interior trim work:
Tobi Fairley Design (TRIM: SW Shoji White; WALLS: SW Wool Skein)
5. Benjamin Moore’s Linen White (912):
Houzz - Tom Stringer Design Partners
6. Sherwin Williams’ Alabaster (SW7008), which is very similar to BM’s White Dove:
Iris Danker Design
7. Sherwin Williams’ Snowbound (SW7004), which I used on walls at the beach house:
House of Jade Interiors
The white paint color that’s best for your room will depend on factors such as lighting and other colors in the space, such as flooring. But instead of going to Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams and blankly staring at the mind-boggling number of white paint swatches, skip straight to these suggestions and I can guarantee that you’ll find one that will look fantastic in your space.
I’m a believer in narrowing it down to at least four choices then applying samples of them on your wall. You can even paint each sample on a large piece of foam board and see how it looks at different times of the day with different amounts of light. Also, move your board to various spots around your room – you may be surprised at how different a paint color can look depending upon where it is in the room.