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How to Choose the Best White Paint Color for Interiors

Looking for the perfect white for your home? Follow these tips to choose the best white paint color for interiors.

Choosing the best white paint color for your home isn’t easy!

Who knew there were so many shades of white?!

Do you want a cool crisp look for your room?

Or do you want a cozy feel but still neutral white walls?

Let’s figure out how to choose the best white paint color for interiors.

What Brand Paint Do I Use?

benjamin moore paint cans lined up on shelves in hardware stores

I tend to use Benjamin Moore when painting the walls of my home because it’s easy to research and find out about each color.

A quick google or pinterest search will give you photos and articles about most colors you are looking into…I promise!

And believe me, I do lots and lots and lots of research before making a decision about paint colors! Remember I’m super indecisive so when trying to decide the best paint color for a room I analyze everything. LOL

The other reason I use Benjamin Moore paint is the quality! I honestly think it’s one of the best paints out there and I’ve used many other brands.

And nope…I’m not being paid to say that! It’s just my opinion. I love sharing what works best for me with you guys!

Plus the hardware store that is only about a mile from my house is a Benjamin Moore retailer.

So convenience wins!

Because somehow I always miscalculate how much paint I need and wind up having to run back to the store for more. Tell me I’m not the only one!

Can I Color Match a Benjamin Moore Paint for Another Brand?

side by side comparison of two rooms painted in same paint color that was color matched in family room and brand name in bathroom

I would not recommend color matching Benjamin Moore white or any other light-colored paint to any other brand.

I’ve read that darker colors work better when color matching but I’ve never tried to color match a dark color.

Although Benjamin Moore paints are a bit more expensive upfront you will most likely need fewer coats of high-quality paint.

A few years ago I painted our kids bathroom a light Benjamin Moore color and absolutely LOVED it!

So when choosing paint for our open-concept downstairs I decided to go with the same color. Little did I know our painter was color matching the Benjamin Moore color to a different brand.

Let’s just say I’m living with a color that I don’t absolutely love.

I mean it’s fine…I guess…it’s neutral enough that it doesn’t bother me too much…maybe..lol!

But it’s definitely not the same color! You can see the bathroom is more of a true greige and the family room has a yellow undertone.

Both rooms have lots of natural light and are on the same side of our house.

So please…if you choose one of my favorite Benjamin Moore white paint colors for your interior buy Benjamin Moore paint.

My Favorite White Benjamin Moore Paint Colors for Interiors

photo of six white paint color samples with the name of each paint underneath showing the best paint colors

After lots and lots and lots and then even more research I’ve come up with 6 of my favorite white Benjamin Moore paint colors.

I’ve personally used 3 of these white paint colors in my house.

And Anne has used 2 of them in her home.

Tips for Choosing the Best White Paint Color for Interiors

off white colors in display in hardware store counter

How do you want your room to feel?

Do you want a warm cozy space or a bright cool feel?

This will help you decide if you want a warm white…a cool white…or somewhere in between.

Many whites have undertones that will read warm or cool so you need to be careful when picking a white paint color.

hand holding 5 paint swatches showing different white colors

After doing all the research on the best white paint colors I stop in the hardware store and pick up a bunch of paint swatches of the colors I’m considering for a painting project.

Comparing the swatches to each other can help you narrow down your selections even further.

Be sure to consider the lighting of your room because both artificial and natural light will affect the undertone of your white paint color.

5 paint swatches on wood table choosing best white paint color

You can see above how much different each white color looks when I put all the paint swatches next to each other on my kitchen table.

Also I look at the darkest color on the swatch to try to determine the undertones.

ready mixed paint swatch slots in hardware store

Decorator’s White and Super White are sold as ready-mixed colors since they are so popular.

Unfortunately, when it comes to these ready-mixed colors you won’t be able to tell the undertones by looking at the other colors on the paint swatch.

paint swatch laying in middle of white paper on wood table

However, by laying a paint swatch against a sheet of white paper it will really help you see the differences in undertones.

You can see the contrast of the popular pre-mixed white paint colors against the sheet of white paper they are laying on.

What’s the Difference Between Cool, Warm, and Neutral Whites?

Okay so we’ve been talking a lot about undertones…but what does that mean exactly?

There are three traditional undertones cool, warm, or neutral.

Cool has a blue, green, purple or gray undertone.

Warm has a yellow, beige or pink undertone.

And neutral white has very little or no undertone color.

Favorite Cool Whites

decorators white paint sample photo

Decorator’s White – OC 149

Super White – OC 152

Both Decorators White and Super White would be considered cool whites and are often used by designers and home builders.

To be completely honest I haven’t used either of these popular white colors since they are cool and I have too many other warm colors in my home.

The carpets and hardwood floors throughout our house are warm so cool colors on the walls wouldn’t work as well in our home.

But I think either of these cool colors could work really well for the trim in our house.

Ya know when I actually get to that tedious painting project…lol.

I’ll be sure to share some photos when that happens!

Favorite Warm Whites

two paint swatches on white paper laying on wood table

The swatch on the left shows White Dove on the bottom of the paint card as the lightest sample.

And on the right you can see Cloud White as the second paint sample on the card.

When you look at the other colors going up the sample paint card you can see the warm undertones of these two white paint colors.

White Dove has more of a beige undertone and Cloud White has more of a yellow undertone.

white dove paint sample color

White Dove – OC 17

Anne chose White Dove for her wall color when she recently gave her laundry room a new makeover.

Laundry room with French doors and picture box moulding on the walls and painted green laminate cabinets

You can see that the wall color is a creamery white with beige undertones in comparison to the white appliances.

The warm white coordinates beautifully with the green cabinet color and gold accents.

cloud white paint sample color photo

Cloud White – OC 130

I painted my daughters room Cloud White when I gave her room an update a couple years ago.

girls room with benjamin moore cloud white walls

You can see the slight difference in the warmer wall color compared to the neutral ceiling white.

Since the decor and furniture in her room was gray and white I wanted a wall paint color with a bit of warmth.

Favorite Neutral Whites

two white paint swatches on white sheet of paper on wood table

Chantilly Lace on the bottom left above and Simply White on the bottom right are two of my favorite neutral white paint colors.

They are both bright white with little undertones which make them the perfect neutral paint color that works well in most rooms.

Chantilly Lace paint sample

Chantilly Lace – OC 65

When I gave my laundry room a transformation I painted the shiplap walls Chantilly Lace.

laundry room transformation with shiplap walls diy wood shelving and plumping pipe hanging rod industrial lighting from ceiling lockers and appliance on left side of room

Since I have no natural light in this room I wanted a bright white and Chantilly Lace was the perfect choice.

Because their are no undertones it creates a light bright space.

simply white paint sample photo by benjamin moore

Simply White – OC 117

The best neutral white paint color for our master bathroom makeover was Simply White.

master bathroom painted vanity iwth wood mirror above sink and garden tub next to wood vanity three tiered tray holding bathroom supplies on counter

I needed a neutral white paint to offset the brown tile color that I don’t really love.

A white with no undertones also allows the blue painted vanity color shine in the space.

garage drop zone with simply white benjamin moore paint on walls and decorated with spring plants and rain boots

Isn’t this garage drop zone amazing!?!

Anne painted the walls of her garage drop zone Simply White which works great to brighten up the space.

I hope you found some inspiration and help when choosing the best white paint color for your next project.

If you have any questions or suggestions, contact me or leave a comment!

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