If you want to know the best designer hacks right now, read today’s post. This new product has become something I completely depend on (and collect), and I haven’t painted a single room in the last 3 years without buying some. Sample There is a company that sells large sticker paint samples that are made from real paint from almost every paint brand (Sherwin-Williams, Benjamin Moore, Farrow & Ball, etc.), and they arrive the next day. It’s almost too easy (and at $7 a pop, it’s affordable enough to make sure you’re making the right decision – and don’t be afraid to keep these for next time, like me). This is a complete game-changer compared to fan decks or paint pots. So today we used Sampleize to order 12 of our favorite white or neutral paint colors And show you how they look in two rooms – one with a lot of natural light and the other with very little natural light.
White or light neutrals are hard for me (and anyone really) because it’s very hard to see the undertones on a small paint swatch. Additionally, the wrong white color can look too gloomy and dead in a low-light room, while the right color can bring warmth and dimension. All the samples we tried actually look very light and white after painting the entire room, but as you can see above, some are very dark!
These swatch stickers are big enough to actually see the colors, repositionable so you can try them on different walls or in different rooms, and you can keep them up for a few days to see the room at different times. My two biggest rules for choosing blondes are:
- Don’t paint a dark room white. Without natural light white can look really flat and dead. But in a room with lots of natural light, you have a lot more options (it’s easier not to go wrong). I get it, you’re really afraid of dark rooms – just do more medium tones with lots of undertones.
- Stay away from colors that are too blue or too yellow. Most of our favorites are pretty subtle—they have lots of undertones that work well together. Gray and beige both have tones that can be very beautiful, but if they are too simple/basic, they look cold or dated.
Bright natural light vs dim, natural light
Sherwin-Williams – Extra White
Sample: Sherwin-Williams – Extra White
this white Really bright is best for natural light and it definitely has the best tones, but I wanted to show you what a cool white would do in a room (and why mixing it with wood is a great idea). But this white color doesn’t look that good in our living room, which has a lot of indirect but not direct light.
Farrow & Ball – Strong White
photo by Tessa Newstad For EHD From: Our modern English country kitchen revealed
photo by Ryan Liebe For EHD From: My Living Room Design, Updated
Sample: Farrow & Ball – Strong White
It’s a gorgeous taupe-y grey-white That’s how I painted my cabinets (the perimeter, obviously not the island) green. I liked it so much that I went ahead and painted my living room the same color – I miss that living room! The online sample reads very beige, but it’s a beautiful creamy brown tone that can still read white enough in a larger setting.
Benjamin Moore – White Dove
photo by Zeke Ruelas For EHD From: Silver Lake Hill’s living room revealed
Sample: Benjamin Moore – White Dove
This is how Arlene painted her living room the same whiteAnd she said this: “It’s a creamy and warm white the way vanilla soft serve looks creamy without being beige-y. It’s the kind of color you weirdly want to see, except it’s white, so you feel weird being obsessed with it. Apparently, it was Benjamin Moore’s “color of the year” a few years ago, if that says anything for you. But yes, it works well for homes with more character (i.e., anything Not too trendy), and warm without being the slightest bit yellow.”
Benjamin Moore – Soft Chamois
Sample: Benjamin Moore – Soft Chamois
We recently shot our furniture line katherine shepardKa’s house for room service (his house is absolutely gorgeous). he painted his walls BM Soft Chamoisand trim BM Simply White. It was so beautiful and yes, light and airy, but still warm.
Farrow and Ball – Pointing
photo by sarah ligoria-trump | From: Jess’s small-space living room reveal
Sample: Farrow & Ball – Pointing
Arlin wrote this, which I think is completely accurate and well written: Sample of Online pointing towards Looks very warm and earthy, but in person, it’s such a lovely warm but neutral white. Jess used it in her living room and kitchen and was very happy with it. It’s so warm that the crisp white curtain looks like a contrast, but it looks very “white” against most other colors. Farrow & Ball paints tend to be more expensive than traditional hardware store brands, but the paints are very thick and super high quality with a wide range of finishes.
Benjamin Moore – Edgecomb Gray
Sample: Benjamin Moore – Edgecomb Gray
our retreat was outside carly In Oregon Wine Country (it’s incredible) and couldn’t believe that the warm neutral on the walls, which seemed white to us all, is actually so dark!!
This is a great example of how you need to rethink white to include mid-toned neutrals. What you think is going to be dark actually is, because in a larger space with a lot of soft indirect light, it will be lighter. we loved this light is neutral So much personally.
Sherwin-Williams – Alabaster
Sample: Sherwin-Williams – Alabaster
We shot the “low natural light” portion of it in my brother’s upstairs hallway. It gets really nice natural light, but we closed the shades so they just let some light in so you can get an idea of what it would look like without the beautiful light all around.
I absolutely love this method alabaster Looks in every room of their house – in fact, I would go so far as to say that if someone asked me on the street what a good white paint was, without even seeing their house, I would tell them Alabaster. We tried it with wood floors and moved the sample stickers around in several rooms of their house, but it worked in every one of them. It’s very solid and beautiful, with a slightly creamy dark brown color that makes the room feel really balanced and inviting.
Benjamin Moore – Simply White
Sample: Benjamin Moore – Simply White
Caitlin painted her whole house pure whiteWhich is very similar to Alabaster, if not a little more saturated. Creamy colors that still look very white, yet with a touch of warmth.
Farrow & Ball – Ammonite
photo by Tessa Newstad | From: My Master Bedroom Revealed
Sample: Farrow & Ball – Ammonite
I loved this color in our old primary bedroom in LA. If you are looking for softest, lightest brown It’s warm but not hot, so this is for you. I love how subtle the color is, plus it brings some different colors besides white into the home. The color felt really clean, even though there’s a lot of nuance to it.
As you can see, the #9 swatch looks, albeit a little muddy, but the amount of natural light the bedroom got made it feel bright and happy, but definitely toned down.
Benjamin Moore – Super White
photo by Tessa Newstad | From: How We Styled a Living Room to Sell
Sample: Benjamin Moore – Super White
this was Our go-to white For a while (I used it in our old Glendale house, and Brady used it in his kitchen). We still like it, FYI, but for recent projects we’ve turned to Pure White by Sherwin-Williams. This color is great if you’re looking for a modern, clean color. It reflects light in such a beautiful way and has no cool tones that would make it blue or warm tones that would make it yellow. It’s really white.
Again, my advice is that this kind of clean, bright white is best for rooms with extremely airy environments that require lots of natural daylight. So don’t keep it in your dark bedroom – it will only look cold.
Sherwin-Williams – Oyster White
photo by sarah ligoria-trump | From: Portland Project Family Room Revealed
Sample: Sherwin-Williams – Oyster White
For many of the public living areas of the Portland project, we used Oyster White from Sherwin-Williams. It’s almost a touch grayish compared to the crisp white of the molding (Pure White from Sherwin-Williams), so it works really well in that sense. During the big open house event, the most asked question about anything in the house was “What color is this paint?” It’s cozy and comfortable but still white enough not to go too deep into gray territory.
Benjamin Moore – Decorators White
photo by sarah ligoria-trump | From: Michael’s vintage-filled living room revealed
Sample: Benjamin Moore – Decorators White
it is called “Decorator’s White” for a reason. A lot of decorators and designers use it (honestly). Michael chose it for his current home because it blends really well with other neutrals as well as a pop of color. It’s cool yet bright and an “upscale” sophisticated white. Not too clinical, just a great background for many styles.
If you’re about to paint a room, I can’t stress enough how important it is to order these samples. SampleThat is, unless you walk around with the confidence of magically inheriting a paint color. Sometimes I’ll order the last two just to make sure (I know that can cost a lot when ordering a ton). I’m really grateful this product was invented and it comes out so fast (even faster than going to the paint store and taking those little chips home). It has been a complete game-changer. And for your convenience, Here are all my white and neutral paint color swatches An easy place to choose from! Let us know which paint color roundup you would like next 🙂
*By photo unless otherwise noted Caitlin Green
