How to pick the perfect shade of white paint for your home
July 24, 2020
Love the idea of a fresh, modern white room? Here’s how to choose the right shade of wall paint for your space.
Image: Nest
We spoke to Kelly Wilkniss, host of My Soulful Home on Smart. Healthy. Green. Living all about how to tackle the challenge of picking the perfect white paint for your space.
Understanding undertones
Image: Brayer Design
Picking the right shade of white is all down to understanding the different undertones within it, which can either be warm or cool. A great way of making sure you’re on the right track is to compare your paint sample to a simple piece of white printer paper. Lay the sample of your paint on top of a piece of white printer paper and the undertone will become apparent straight away. Your paint will appear warm or cool in comparison to the pure white.
Consider your current space
Image: English Blinds
If your interior style steers towards warmer colours such as red, yellow and orange you’ll want to choose a warm white shade. The same is true of cooler colours such as blues or greys. Be sure not to mix warm and cool whites, stick to one undertone per room to avoid your scheme looking muddy.
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Read more: How to successfully decorate your home with white
Pay attention to light
Image: Carpetright
Pay attention to the light in the room to determine which kind of white you opt for. One place to avoid a cooler white paint is in a north facing room. The lack of natural light in such a room may make a cool white appear drab and a warm white dingy. If you’re painting a space that allows for natural light to shine in, choose a white with no undertone (pure white) or a white with a warmer undertone.
What about your style?
Image: Sweetpea & Willow
Painting can be the first thing you do to a room before you add any furniture or accessories but it’s important to envisage how your entire scheme is going to look so you can choose the right white accordingly. If you’re going for a Scandi minamlist vibe, a bright white might be the shade for you however if you’re planning a boho-inspired space, a warmer toned white would be the right choice.
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A message from the editor:
Let us help you create the home of your dreams! Get ideas & inspiration from Good Homes every month, delivered direct to your door. Visit goodhomesmagazine.com/newsletter to sign up for the weekly Good Homes newsletter.
~ Karen Walker, Editor, Good Homes