Hi everyone!
Many of you have asked me about my white paint selections so often I’ve decided to round up my 4 helpful tips for selecting white paint to share how I approached this crazy process.
When I first began to look at paint choices for my new home I knew that white would always be my first choice. Then came the hard part… which white would I choose and why? As I began this fun and challenging process I was surprised at how varied whites can be.. while some are warm, others are cool. There are more whites than I had ever imagined. What would help me narrow the process?
My infatuation with white paint began years ago… From shabby chic homes to the more modern clean spaces, I’ve always loved the effect that white can have on it’s environment. White acts like a canvas allowing other colors to shine and it’s the perfect backdrop for featuring different textures. I’m currently in the mode of less is more in life… white balances this approach beautifully.
At first glance choosing the right white seems an impossible task. After all… there are hundreds of different shades of whites. It wasn’t until a few designer friends asked me.. What is the overall feeling you want to convey when people enter your home that I knew with confidence my direction. I wanted something that was classic and crisp yet not cold nor too warm. Did the right white exist for me? I decided to do some research which leads me to tip #1.
Tip number 1 ~
Research what other experts have discovered through their own paint selection process. I was amazed once I began my search to find that many interior designers favored the same white paints. I’m always asking my designer friends what they think so why not turn to a larger resource… the internet? Below I’m sharing many of the articles that helped me narrow my direction.
While researching I also looked into the many different paint brands as well as the types of paint they offered. Quite a few of my friends favored Benjamin Moore so I decided to look into all their paints and color choices. Benjamin Moore has one of the largest selections of white paints out there. I knew with Benjamin Moore’s new line of Aura paint, known for it’s ‘color locking technology’ and it’s ‘durability’ that I would have that ‘washability’ factor that is so important when using white paints. In my last home I was constantly washing fingerprints and scuffs off my walls. While I love white walls they definitely show more dirt so having this cleaning ability was really important to me. The cherry on top? Benjamin Moore said they would love to partner with me on this project. It was a win win for everyone… Just to be up front with all of you this is a sponsored post but I only post what I believe in so you can be rest assured that I love Benjamin Moore products regardless.
Tip number 2 ~
Know your flooring ahead of time. Floors cover an entire home and once laid… are more permanent than paint so it’s crucial to know the type of floor and the color you are dealing with before beginning your paint search. Walls and floors sit closely to one another and react differently with other factors playing a part.. the time of day and natural lighting. Comparing the two is so important.. I’ll often check and recheck when making my decision, several times a day in fact to make sure that what I’m leaning toward looks as good from morning, noon and night.
Tip number 3 ~
Know your home’s natural lighting. In our new home we have a ton of windows. It’s because of this I felt safe going in any direction (cool or warm) when selecting my white paint. I knew my determining factor would mostly come down to how my white played against my floors but many don’t have that luxury. For example, in my last home we didn’t have as much natural afternoon light so I had to make sure that my white paint choice didn’t appear cold with the lack of warm sun in the main areas of my home. Natural lighting and the direction your windows face can have a huge impact on which white paint may look best.
My family room & kitchen with bright natural lighting all day long…
After painting several whites on different walls within my new home I placed my favorite floor samples under each paint swatch to see how the two would react. You’d be surprised how many paints change their overall appearance with the reflection from the floor sample and the lighting in each room. North facing rooms usually appear cooler, south and westerly facing rooms have the opposite effect. Because of lighting it’s not uncommon for several different whites to be used within one home. Luckily for me all my wood samples meshed beautifully with most of my choices but one paint color stood out against the pack in ALL rooms… Benjamin Moore’s, Chantilly Lace OC-65.
Chantilly Lace is a clean and classic white. Benjamin Moore describes it as ‘refined’ and it looked so elegant and pure on my walls I knew it was the one. That’s when I made the bold decision to go with Chantilly Lace everywhere in my home except the Master bedroom. Chantilly Lace in a matte finish was the perfect choice for my walls, ultra flat for all ceilings, the semi-gloss finish lent an elegant touch to all trim and doors and finally the satin was placed on all the kitchen cabinets.
The only space painted with a different white is my master bedroom. Knowing that wallpaper would anchor the one wall behind my bed it was important to find a white that complimented the wallpaper and my floors. Simply White OC-17 appeared warmer like the wallpaper yet still maintained that light, fresh feel. Simply White OC-17 was the perfect cozy atmospheric solution.
Tip number 4 ~
Go with what YOU love. In the end it’s important to go with your gut and choose what you love when selecting your paint color. Everyone will have an opinion but what matters the most is how it makes you feel. You are the one living in your home after all… ;)
To wrap up, when looking at painting your home with white paint try breaking down the process with these 4 helpful tips ~
- Research popular designer favorite whites (why not use our best resource since they’ve tested and retested for you? This is their expertise after all… Below I’ve listed a few favorite articles that helped with my decision making process)
- Flooring – What kind of flooring are you going with? Wood, carpet, tile. Does your flooring have a sheen or a color that is cast from it when placed against your paint choices? Compare all paints against your floor choice. Paint is easy to change. Floors are not.
- Lighting – Look at the lighting in your home and ask yourself these questions…
Do you have lots of natural light? Does your home appear dark inside? How does your floor look with the lighting before even looking at paints? These factors play a huge difference in choosing a warmer or cooler white. - Listen to yourself. Go with what you truly love. What matches your comfort zone. It’s your house after all.
Benjamin Moore – Simply White OC-17
Benjamin Moore – Chantilly Lace OC-65
Popular White Paint Posts –
xx,
Kristy
Thank you so much for this post. Like you, I love white walls. I have been painting each room a shade of white. My house has different lighting in each room so I had to use different colors (of white). Actually, the only room in my house that is not white is my dining room. I had painted it French Toile a few years ago and my husband asked if I could leave it. And like you…..I love Benjamin Moore. I use their paint for everything. It’s great quality and I’ve been so happy with it.
You have a beautiful home and I love watching your insta stories. You are so sweet and I love how your husband does so much around your home. Can’t wait to see your backyard completed.
Have a wonderful week.
Nadia
Thanks so much Nadia… Jeff really is so helpful and always game for pitching in when needed. I’m very lucky.. :) I’m so excited to get things going with the backyard. If the rain can hold off just a bit we should be able to get quite a few plantings in this next few weeks. Hugs and Happy Monday! xx
Kristy, your renovation is absolutely stunning! It’s always a daunting job to pick out everything even though you have the experts helping you along the way…but each and every room has a feeling of calm and coziness…everything is perfect. So sit back and enjoy your beautiful new home and I look forward to seeing your backyard transformation…I guess you are all having a lot of rain, and we are in the midst of huge winter storm…can’t wait for spring! Have a great day
Donna
Thanks so much Donna! We still have so much to do but I’m thrilled with all our choices so far. The garden will definitely be challenging but I’m excited to see how everything turns out. Hugs and thanks so much! xx
Kristy hi. Beautiful home all around. Can you tell me where the sconces are from in your master bath?
Thank you.
Hi Amy, the beautiful Charlotte polished nickel double sconces are from Lamps Plus. I love the hexagonal base… :)
http://www.lampsplus.com/products/charlotte-14-inch-high-2-light-polished-nickel-wall-sconce__y6757.html
xx
Kristy~
Thank you!! Very informative and good to know that my struggles with choosing a color of paint are shared by others. I thought I wanted gray paint but after buy many samples ofbwhat I thought were good choices turned out to be wrong. So many had overtones of blue etc. I gave up and now have a patch work wall ? Parts of house are very dark – long hallway etc. so I think white is a good choice and will add color thru accents – pillows, rugs and so on.
Thank u again-
Cathy
Good Luck Cathy! You’ll have to email me pics so I can see how your home looks when you’re finished! :) Hugs!
Hi, sweet Kristy! So glad I read this post. We found our lot in Vancouver Washington, I love it, and now we are picking out colors and other design details before our next meeting with the builder. So many decisions! This was so helpful. Happy for you and I love how your darling home turned out! Xoxo ?
Aww thanks so much Summer. How exciting for you… I can’t wait to see what you do! xx
Thanks Kristy. A great post and I simply can’t get enough of your beautiful home. An amazing renovation and so beautifully styled. Love absolutely everything. ?
Thanks so much Wendy! We are loving our new home so much… :) Hugs!
Hi Kristy, Your home is absolutely beautiful and I’m so inspired looking at your lovely photos. I was wondering if you could tell me where you got the stunning pendant lights over your kitchen island. They are so pretty and exactly what I’ve been searching for! Congratulations on your beautiful new home! I can’t wait to see more!
Thank you and have a great day.
Simply White is a favorite of mine! Now I’ll have to try Chantilly Lace. Love your beautiful new home. Congrats Kristy and Jeff!!
Cheers
Loi
You will love it Loi. A very happy color that rides the middle of whites beautifully.. I know it’s also a favorite of Shea McGee and Becki Owens. They are the reason I looked into this color so much. ;) Hugs and Happy Weekend cutie! xx
Picking white is so difficult. I’ve had three white homes, all different whites. This house we went with bm mayonnaise. I usually love crisp clean whites, so that was a surprise! But the house had dark cabinets and cork floors with east facing windows, and we live in northern Canada with snow for 5-6 months a year. Every other white felt dead. Really happy with our warm white choice, has the freshness of white, but feels warm and inviting still.
Thanks for the tip that one can choose a good white paint from recommendations from interior designers. Reading your article will definitely help me and my cousin design on a color palette for her new home. However, if she wanted to paint her walls purple with white highlights, would recommendations from an interior painter help?
Great post, and thanks for the shout-out Kristy!
Kristy – love, love, love YOUR BEAUTIFUL HOME. cAN YOU TELL ME WHAT FLOORING YOU HAVE IN YOUR HOME? i AM IN SEARCH OF ONE AND REALLY LIKE YOURS.
I love the carpet in your bedrooms where did you get them from n names of them.
Thanks Kathy! All the rugs I’m using right now are from Shoplohome.com right now.. You can use code KRISTY15 to receive 15% off. :)
Your home is beautiful! Where did you get your upholstered bench/coffeetable? I’ve looked everywhere for one that size. I can find them with the correct length but never wide enough like yours to look right in a couch and chairs set up like you have. I really appreciate it!
I need a perfect white to go with my semi-gloss black doors (gold hardware) and red brick. I’m using White Dove 50% inside and love it.. not sure that will transfer to the exterior. The home is in Carmel by the Sea and I’m stuck. Would Chantilly Lace be a more subtle choice, warmer than say the White Dove or Simply White? Help!
I need a perfect white to go with my semi-gloss black doors (gold hardware) and red brick. I’m using White Dove 50% inside and love it.. not sure that will transfer to the exterior. The home is in Carmel by the Sea and I’m stuck. Would Chantilly Lace be a more subtle choice, warmer than say the White Dove or Simply White?
I believe OC-17 is White Dove, not Simply White.
Hi- great post! I’m going crazy with whites. Made the decision to paint the whole house Simply White and now it reads too yellow later in the day and especially at night, during the day it’s not bad bc we have a lot of natural light. We live in the NY and most of the yr it’s darker so I’m worried it’ll be too yellow most of the year. Our floors are light like yours.
2 questions- if we paint Chantilly Lace over it will the yellow come through? Worried it’s going to be too $$ w the painters to basically paint the whole hose over again..? Would we need the 2/3 coats again?
And what trim color did you use in the master bedroom? Funnily enough that’s the only room I love Simply White for.
Thank you thank you, like I said can’t stop thinking about it and on a budget.
Hi Christina!
I think the only way to find out it to try it out. I would paint a few small test spots with 1, 2 and 3 layers of paint in a hidden are a check it out at different points in the day. Hope this helps :)
Your home is stunning! I stumbled upon here while searching for paint colors for our Beachhouse. Would you mind sharing the hardwood flooring? Thank you.
Beautiful home! We are remodeling and faced with similar decisions. We want to paint most of our space Simply White, except the Kid’s Bath a Chantilly White. In your scenario, did you paint your master bedroom trim, baseboards, and doors Simply White to match the wall? Or did you stick with Chantilly lace? I’m most confused about the door — should I split the paint colors and paint the door Chantilly lace on one side and Simply White on the other? Thanks for your guidance!
I’m having the same dilemma did you get an update from her?
What color are your floors? I am using chantilly lace for renovations and love this floor stain color!
I love the floors as well did you get a response
My mom is getting ready to paint her home and loves the whites you chose. She would like to know the color you chose for the baseboards? Is it Chantilly lace but in a different finish?
Thank you!