Your GO-TO White Paint Colours for Walls, Trims, Cabinets, & More

Looking for your PERFECT white paint colour? I bet I’ve got it.

And while there is no fool-proof white, there are some whites that have a WAY better chance of working than others; whites that I refer to ALL THE TIME in my Online Paint Colour Consulting because they DO THE JOB.

WHY IS THERE NO FOOL-PROOF WHITE?

There are MANY reasons, including:

• YOU. What I think is a fool-proof white, you might find too warm (I prefer my white slightly chilled, if you know what I’m sayin’). Now the question is, which one of us is the fool? BTW, it’s probably me – usually is.

• EXPOSURE. White paint colours will change how they look based on the EXPOSURE of a room. This means that a white that looks warm in your south-facing room could look too cold in your north-facing room.

• REFLECTION. Because white paint colours have high LRVs, they reflect colours from their surroundings. This means that a white that looks PERFECT on your kitchen cabinets, might pick up a green hue from the grass outside your living room window or pink from your bright red sofa.

• INTERIOR FINISHES WITH OPPOSITE NEEDS. It’s not about which white YOU love, it’s about the white that suits your interior finishes. And with there being such a WIDE range of finishes,  warm to cool, bright to neutral, there isn’t ONE WHITE PAINT COLOUR that will make every surface happy.

This is especially the case when remodelling, as we often want to update SOME, but not ALL of the finishes in our home and often pick finishes with different needs. Different needs mean different whites.

Just remember…

You need to pick paint colours for the home you HAVE, not the one you wish you had. 

The Ultimate Guide to Picking Paint Colours USING LRV

But as mentioned, I’ve got some WICKED gorgeous whites that will definitely give you the best shot possible at satisfying you AND your home…

1.  SHERWIN WILLIAMS HIGH REFLECTIVE WHITE SW 7757

While High Reflective White isn’t MY favourite white (I lean a bit warmer), nor is it the fave of Sherwin Williams paint store employees (long story), it works SO WELL in today’s modern home!

WHY IS HIGH REFLECTIVE WHITE SO POPULAR?

• It’s one of the WHITEST WHITES on the market with its HIGH LRV (read more HERE if you’re curious…once you’re done reading all of this).

• It’s nice for a home with multiple exposures, AS LONG AS you’re okay with it looking cool in north-facing light.

HIGH REFLECTIVE WHITE IS OFTEN BEST FOR…

• More modern homes with cooler preferences (suits many marble finishes).

• Any home that caters to the slightly cooler end of things.

• Balancing south-facing light or warm afternoon western sunshine.

BTW, a lot of people go for Sherwin Williams Extra White. This is a nice white, but it’s a damn cold one with a cool blue undertone. This is why I prefer High Reflective White.

FULL Paint Colour Review of Sherwin Williams High Reflective White

MY YOUTUBE Video Review of High Reflective White

2.  SHERWIN WILLIAMS PURE WHITE SW 7005

If you ask me (which you kind of are), this is it – the white paint colour that has the BEST CHANCE of humouring your home and many OTHER HOMES on a large scale. Why?

See this WHOLE HOME in Pure White

Pure White is a soft-white. Whether it’s a newer home or a renovation, soft whites often have the best chance of suiting a MULTITUDE of interior finishes with slightly different needs – this white is more flexible than a ten-year-old gymnast. HOWEVER, I’ve found that many of my clients are wanting a brighter, whiter approach, even when Pure White could do SUCH A GOOD JOB. Remember, it’s not about you, it’s about your home (in the ideal world, both of your wants/needs collide, but that’s often wishful thinking).

If you’re not sure which white your home loves, you may want to read up on The 5 Types of White Paint Colours.

Follow me on INSTAGRAM! 

WHY IS PURE WHITE SO POPULAR?

• While it’s a soft-white, Pure White isn’t OVERLY warm or creamy.

• Pure White is a nice choice for a home with multiple exposures. It will lean warmer in southern light and afternoon western sun, but so will ANY white. If you have northern light, it will lean cooler without going LEGIT icy cold. And of course, there are east/west facing rooms, but they change so much throughout the day, it’s usually about adjusting your interior lighting and expectations.

PURE WHITE IS OFTEN BEST FOR…

• New construction or homes built in the last 5-10 years.

• MUTED warm interior finishes (it’s a hard-no with the Tuscan finishes of the early 2000s)

• Cooler interior finishes, as long as they aren’t TOO icy cold/light. Keep in mind, any cool finish will make Pure White look that bit warmer in comparison.

• Many of the popular quartz countertops. On the small scale, it can look too warm for many of these countertops but often turns out PERFECT on the large scale (undertones in whites are tricky this way).

If your home’s features aren’t listed above, this doesn’t mean Pure White WON’T work (although it might not), it’s just that I can only cover so many situations and try to hit the main ones.

FULL Paint Colour Review of Sherwin Williams Pure White

MY YOUTUBE Video Review of Pure White

3. BENJAMIN MOORE CHANTILLY LACE OC-65

Coming in a HOT third place is Chantilly Lace. For all of you ‘bright white’ lovers out there, along with High Reflective White, this will be more up your alley.

And yes, I WISH I had more ‘after’ photos of Chantilly Lace. I rely 100% on my E-Design clients for these and not everyone is comfortable sending them in., Also, some of the photos that show up just aren’t clear/bright enough for me to use, so I make do with what I’ve got!

WHY IS CHANTILLY LACE POPULAR?

Chantilly Lace is a great way to get a white look without it looking sharp or harsh. HOWEVER, if you partner it with products that are warmer-toned, it WILL look harsh ‘in comparison’.

CHANTILLY LACE IS OFTEN BEST FOR…

• New construction or homes built in the last 5-10 years.

• MUTED warm interior finishes (it’s a hard-no with the Tuscan finishes of the early 2000s).

• Cooler interior finishes.

• Suits many of the popular quartz countertops.

If your home isn’t listed, this doesn’t mean it WON’T work (although it might not), I can only cover so many situations and try to hit the main ones.

FULL Paint Colour Review of Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace

MY YOUTUBE Paint Colour Review of Chantilly Lace

4. BENJAMIN MOORE WHITE DOVE OC-17

While this might not be AS popular with today’s modern homeowner (who tends to lean brighter), White Dove is a hit with many homes as its softness appeals to a lot of interior finishes.

WHY IS WHITE DOVE SO POPULAR?

Like Pure White, it’s a SOFT white, but it has a bit more creamy warmth to it WITHOUT being overly yellow. Of course, this can be open to perception, but that doesn’t change what it is at heart.

If you’re more of a Sherwin Williams fan, Alabaster has a SIMILAR approach.

BENJAMIN MOORE WHITE DOVE

SHERWIN WILLIAMS ALABASTER

WHITE DOVE IS OFTEN BEST FOR…

• Homes that were built in and around the early 2000s (warmer interior finishes).

• Warm interior finishes* in general (but not OVERLY creamy/yellow ones).

• Some cooler, stormier looking gray finishes, as long as they aren’t ICY cold. Keep in mind, cool finishes will make White Dove look that bit warmer in comparison.

*The more yellow/cream a surface is, the less happy it might be with the more POPULAR, GO-TO whites. You may need to hit the warm off-white/cream range if these whites don’t work. 

Again, if your home’s features aren’t listed above, this doesn’t mean White Dove WON’T work (although it might not), it’s just that I can only cover so many situations and try to hit the main ones.

FULL Paint Colour Review of Benjamin Moore White Dove

MY YOUTUBE Paint Colour Review of White Dove

5. BENJAMIN MOORE CLOUD WHITE OC-130

We’re kickin’ it OLD SCHOOL with this one (sans Will Ferrell). Cloud White has been popular almost as long as Swiss Coffee (although Swiss Coffee makes me a bit twitchy and I WAY prefer Cloud White). Why has it been around for so long?

Cloud White is a great choice when you need a white that’s just a bit warmer…

Why might you need a warm white like this? It might not be because YOU love the warmth of it (fewer people do), but there sure are a lot of homes that love it…

WHY IS CLOUD WHITE SO POPULAR?

• It has a soft warmth without being OVERLY yellow. That being said, it can be too warm/yellow for many cool finishes.

• It’s got some serious street cred with the older population. That’s a generalization, but I see it ALL the time in my work.

• It’s a nice transition out of cream tones without going too stark/harsh.

CLOUD WHITE IS OFTEN BEST FOR…

• Homes that were built in and around the early 2000s (warmer interior finishes).

• Warm interior finishes in general, even ones that lean a bit more cream than not.

• Cooler interior finishes, as long as they aren’t ICY cold. Keep in mind, cool finishes will make Cloud White look considerably warmer in comparison.

FULL Paint Colour Review of Benjamin Moore Cloud White

MY YOUTUBE Review of Cloud White

And while there is a whole WHACK (whack being a technical term) of white paint colours out there, these five should get you WELL on your way to finding the best white for you and your home. I’ve also got links to MANY more blog posts below under ‘READ MORE‘.

THE WHITE PAINT COLOURS THAT ALMOST MADE THE MOST POPULAR LIST…

• Benjamin Moore Simply White (sometimes it’s just a WINK too yellow)
• Benjamin Moore Super White (Chantilly Lace is just more versatile)
• Sherwin Williams Extra White (the blue undertone is limiting)

NEED HELP?

CHECK OUT MY ONLINE PAINT COLOUR CONSULTING

Chat soon,

READ MORE…

Should You Really Paint Your Kitchen Cabinets White? And White White is Best?

The WHITEST White Paint Colours

The 9 Best White Paint Colours: SHERWIN WILLIAMS DESIGNER EDITION

The 4 Best White Paint Colours for Cabinets

The 5 TYPES of White Paint Colours

Benjamin Moore’s 8 Best White Paint Colours

Sherwin William’s 4 Best White Paint Colours