We’re sharing the best white paint colors for walls, trim and furniture.
Choosing to paint a room (or a piece of furniture) white may seem like a simple task, but choosing the perfect white paint color can be overwhelming and intimidating. There are so many different shades and hues available and from so many different brands that just thinking about it can make my head spin. Am I right?
How do you know which white paint color is the best?
Well, guess what…there isn’t one universal perfect white paint color.
Of course, there are shades out there that are used time and time again by designers, shades that they’ve used faithfully over the years and would recommend in a heartbeat. But I think if you were to ask anyone of those designers, they would all tell you what I am about to tell you…there is no one white paint color that trumps all others.
It all depends on the space (or piece) you are painting. Just like choosing any shade of paint, there are so many different factors that play into choosing the perfect shade for your space, like how much natural light the room gets or the time of day, these are the things that are going to make a paint color look different from room to room.
All that being said, we’ve had a lot of experience with white paint…just look around our home, it’s no secret I love the color white! We recently completed a large-scale makeover of our home’s lower level, creating a family room, playroom and home office, which is all very white. So I thought today I would take some time to chat with you about our tried and true favorite white paint colors, and give you a little bit of feedback on why we love the shades of white we do.
The Best White Paint Colors
Simply White | Benjamin Moore
Let’s start with Simply White by Benjamin Moore, it is by far my favorite white paint color. It’s so versatile, it looks beautiful on walls, trim and furniture. It’s a soft crisp white that still feels warm and inviting. We’ve used it in pretty much every room in our home. All of our trim and millwork is painted Simply White, including the board and batten in the dining room and our daughter’s bedroom and the wainscotting in our hall and our bedroom. As I mentioned, it’s also the color we used for our basement renovation, we painted the walls and all of the built-ins (family room and playroom) as well as my office desk Simply White. Can you tell it’s my favorite?
Mountain Peak White | Benjamin Moore
Mountain Peak White is the color we choose to paint our kitchen cabinets and built-ins (see our kitchen cabinets painted Mountain Peak White here) over four years ago and I still love it! It is part of Benjamin Moore’s “Off-White” collection, but it still feels bright and crisp. I honestly love walking into our kitchen every morning, it feels so bright and welcoming, and we often are asked what color we used for our kitchen cabinets.
Cloud White | Benjamin Moore
We typically use Cloud White when we are painting furniture, like the kitchen stools at our island. It’s a subtle white that feels bright without being too stark (see our barstools painted Cloud White here).
Lily White | Benjamin Moore
Lily White definitely has a blue undertone to it, I actually chose it because I wanted to paint our daughter’s nightstands a very pale blue, but it turned out white as white can be (see Zoe’s nightstands painted Lily White here)! So if you are looking for a white with cool undertones, this would be a good one to try. If you’re wondering, we eventually did repaint the nightstands an actual shade of blue, you can see how they turned out here.
Swiss Coffee | Benjamin Moore
We haven’t used Swiss Coffee in this home (yet!), but we have used it in other homes, and it’s another favorite of mine. It’s soft and creamy and perfect for walls, it is a great shade of white if you are looking for a color that has warm undertones without looking too yellow.
Chantilly Lace | Benjamin Moore
Chantilly Lace is another classic. Again, we haven’t used it in our current home, but we have painted previous homes in this color. It is a classic white, it’s crisp and clean without being too bright.
Well, I hope you enjoyed today’s post and found it helpful. The best piece of advice I can give is to remember it is only paint. If you choose a color that you aren’t happy with, in the end, all it takes is another can and a little bit of time to give it another go. Always remember to test a few different shades on your walls before committing to a particular color (even if you’ve used it before), paint will always look different room to room and house to house.
Well, we’re on the topic, another common question we often receive is how to keep a neutral home from feeling too bland or stark, and my answer is to always add lots and lots of texture and natural wood tones. I love layering in pillows, throws, shades or curtains, anything that can help give your space dimension and keep it from falling flat. And of course, natural wood tones always help to add warmth and keep a space feeling inviting.
Let me know if you have any questions, I am always happy to hear from you!
Bethany Sytsema says
I absolutely love Simply White too. What kind of finish paint do you prefer to use on your trim and built ins?
Alicia says
Hi Bethany, it’s such a beautiful shade of white, isn’t it! We usually use a pearl finish on our trim and built-ins and eggshell on our walls. 🙂
Arlene says
I am planning repainting basement bathroom, no window., not much natural light, but very bright light bulbs. Thinking white wainscotting, then a different soft colour for the walls. Cabinet is white with pale grey counter . Floor is tan coloured linoleum. The rest of the finished basement walls are white with medium brown laminate floors.
I am undecided about the second colour.
A photo from Benjamin Moore shows wainscotting Distant Gray,, and the walls Antique Pearl. I wondered if this colour would suit this bathroom, that has only artificial lighting ?
Alicia says
Hi Arlene, what a fun project! It’s always nice freshening up a room with a new paint colour. 🙂 I’ve never personally used Distant Gray or Antique Pearl, but they look beautiful online. I always recommend picking up samples to test on your walls before committing to a colour. It will give you a true representation of what it will look like in your space. I’d love to hear what you end up choosing
Marni Angelo says
You have clearly done your research. Thank you for sharing. I love Benjamin Moore paints and am learning towards Simply White for my office desk. What sheen would you suggest? I like Satin on the walls, but haven’t tried it on furniture. Thank you!
Alicia says
Hi Marni, we typically use either a satin or pearl finish when painting furniture! 🙂
Kristine says
I love your home! We are redoing our kitchen, family room and powder room. I am so confused, our kitchen cabinets are already painted a pretty bright white so that is making it more tricky. I want to use the same paint on walls in all 3 rooms and I don’t want it to appear cold or like primer, but I am so afraid of yellow and/or color looking dingy compared to cabinets. We are using Silestone Calacatta Gold on counters. Rooms all face Southeast. I am trying to decide between BM Simply White, Chantilly Lace, White Cloud, Swiss Coffee at 75 or 50% or Sherwin Williams Alabaster. They are on samples on my walls, but it is so hard because the paint around them is all gold/yellow. I would love your thoughts as you really know your whites.
Alicia says
Hi Kristine, your renovation sounds like fun! Choosing the right white paint colour can be tricky because there are so many factors that come into play and without being in your home it’s hard to know for sure. Testing the paint colours on the wall before you commit is the best solution. If the original paint colour is throwing you off, try priming a section of the wall first and then applying your paint samples as that will give you the truest colour. But I really don’t think you can go wrong with Simply White. If it helps at all, we just painted our kitchen cabinets Chantilly Lace and our walls throughout our main floor Simply White. 🙂
Jaime says
Hi Alicia and Nick. I am painting two second floor bedrooms in my home. One bedroom has one north facing window. The other bedroom has a north and east facing window. The floors are wood stained English chestnut. The room with a North and East facing window has white wicker furniture. The other has a wood dresser and desk with a medium color stain. I was thinking of dove white for the wicker room. The other her bedroom either Swiss coffee or white dove. Any suggestions?
Alicia says
Hi Jamie, First and foremost, I always think it’s important to try out a few samples on your walls for the truest results. That being said, I think Swiss Coffee or White Dove would be a good choice, I’ve also heard that Navajo White by Benjamin Moore is a great choice for north-facing windows. I hope that helps a bit, and like I said, test out a few samples before committing! It will save you a lot of time!
Brooke says
This is so hard. We have a south and north facing home. I’d like to do it all one color white. I may do the south facing bedrooms something else like nabelous white or something like that.
Are there two whites that I can play with together?
Would simply white be safe to do all over, hallways, kitchen, living. All of it? Or maybe dove white?
My bedroom is cotton balls
Alicia says
Hi Brooke, it’s so hard to say without seeing your home. The majority of our house is painted Simply White, it’s one of my favourites because it’s a warmer white and seems to work well in a lot of spaces! 🙂
Sheri says
Hi! I am wanting to paint a bed white. I typically use Sherwin Williams paint. Have you used a white from SW? If so, what white would you recommend for a bed?
When painting furniture, what process do you use?
Thanks!
Sheri
Nick says
Hi Sheri,
We don’t have a Sherwin Williams in our town. We always use Benjamin Moore Advance paint. We prime first with B.I.N. primer, sand and then usually spray, but you can roll as well with a good quality small roller. The Advance paint self-levels really well and hardens over a couple of weeks to a very durable finish. The Advance paint goes on thin but that’s why you get such a great finish. I usually do 3-4 light coats.
katherine says
Hi there,
I am painting my bedroom Lilly white. I don’t know what trim to put with it. I was thinking simply white. Do you have any suggestions?
Thanks,
Katherine
Alicia says
Hi Katherine, I think Simply White would pair beautifully with Lily White, Chantilly Lace would be another great option!
Mandy says
what white would pair best with natural pine? We are building a small cabinet. I want to paint the bottom and stain the top( clear )
Alicia says
Hi Mandy, that’s a great question and I’m honestly not too sure. I always love Benjamin Moore’s Simply White and Chantilly Lace, but you may be best to ask at your local paint store for their opinions too! 🙂