Strangely enough, one of the most difficult tasks in any home renovating project is often how to choose white paint! Sounds simple: choosing paint, however, there are literally hundreds of varying ‘whites’ available, from cooler to warmer whites to grey and yellow whites. Today, we break down the three simple steps you can take to make choosing the right white that much easier!
Looking for more painting hacks and inspiration? Checkout our blog post on Interior Painting Hacks!
How to Choose White Paint
Step 1: Warm or Cool White?
Warm Whites are those tinted with a touch of yellow or red. A heavier tint can often make a space appear smaller so if this is something you want to avoid but still want a warmer vibe in your home, stick to warm whites with a very, very small tint in them; in other words, as close to a pure white as possible with just a touch of warmth to achieve that depth of colour. Warm whites work great in spaces that don’t receive much natural light as they can help lift the mood of the room. These tones add a sense of warmth and intimacy to an otherwise cold or bland space and create an inviting atmosphere in your home.
Cool Whites are tinted with blue, green or black. Once again, if selecting a white with a fairly heavy cool tint, this may make your room appear smaller. Cool whites suit a sleek, modern space, creating an air of sophistication and cleanliness. You must be sure that your home receives enough natural light to be able to make a cool white work well as these tints tend to absorb light and make wall surfaces appear ‘flat’ and lacking in depth.
Consider the overall style or decorating scheme of your home; this will help narrow down your options in selecting a white paint colour as particular tints lend themselves extremely well to certain decorating styles. For example, warm whites look right at home in a cozy, country style or vintage/rustic decorating scheme whereas cooler whites look great in an industrial, French Provincial , Hamptons style or modern styled home.
Step 2: Narrow it Down
Once having decided on a warm or cool white, you’ve instantly halved your options! The next step, is to select your favourites (your shortlist!) from paint chip cards available at your local paint store. To make your job even easier, you can even order your paint chips and sample pots directly from the Dulux website. Lay your sample chips side by side to view the subtle differences of each and you’ll easily be able to cull the list down to the ones that will work best in your home.
White paints are often so similar in tint that the only way to see the subtle differences is to lay them side by side for comparison – suddenly those subtle differences become quite dramatic differences!
How to Choose White Paint Step 3: Check your Lighting
Finally, the moment of truth! Now that you’ve got your shortlist narrowed down to only your favourites, order sample pots of each colour and get to painting! If you are painting the whole house, test you selections on a few walls throughout the home (or on two walls of a room if you are only painting the one space) and make sure to label each colour. Check how your selected colours work throughout the day: how they react to morning, afternoon and evening light and of course, how they react to your home’s artificial lighting too.
You will be surprised at just how different each white can appear at different times of the day and even in different rooms!
Following these three simple steps will ensure you settle on a beautiful white wall paint you will be proud of for years to come!
