How to Choose the Best White Paint Color for Your Living Room and Home

One of the easiest ways to update your home is with a fresh coat of paint.  And while I think just about all paint colors are beautiful, there’s nothing quite like white paint to instantly make a room feel brand new.  White walls create a crisp backdrop for your spaces, allowing your rugs, artwork, and accent pieces to really pop. 

A little over five years ago, I decided to paint all the walls and ceilings in our home in shades of white, and while I’ve never regretted that decision, little did I know how many different white paint options I’d have to wade through — and how tricky it can be to choose the best white paint for your home! 

However, throughout the process I learned a lot about choosing paint–and today I’m sharing everything I discovered, along with my best tips for choosing the perfect shade of white paint for your walls.

“I believe in optimism and plenty of white paint!”  — Elsie De Wolfe

When we moved into our home a few years ago I wanted to keep things simple, so I had all the walls and ceilings painted with the same color: Kilim Beige by Sherwin Williams. 

And, for a few years, I was happy with that shade. It’s a nice, warm color that provides a good neutral backdrop for any space.

But after a few years, that beige paint started to bug me. (A lot!) And I have Instagram and Pinterest to blame for it!

Seeing all those beautiful light, bright spaces painted in shades of white and light gray made me crave a lighter color palette in our home.

So my search for the perfect white paint color began–and soon I learned just how challenging choosing white paint can be.  Each shade is so similar, yet so different–and they take on different qualities, depending on the time of day and how much sunlight the room receives.

If you’re considering adding a touch of white paint to your living room or other spaces in your home, below you’ll find some tips and ideas to help you choose the perfect white paint color for your home. 

Of course, the only “perfect” white paint color is one that’s perfect for your taste and your home, so take my recommendations with a grain of salt and keep your options open!

By the way, if you’re looking for all the paint colors we used throughout our home, see my post sharing All the Paint Colors in Our Home.

How to choose the best white paint color for your living room and home

1. Gather your favorite shades

Start by looking for rooms you like on Pinterest and Instagram.  This will help you determine whether you’re drawn to white paint in the cooler range, warmer range, or somewhere in between. 

You can also search Pinterest for specific paint colors to see what they look like in real rooms (remembering that most photos you’ll see have been edited). 

2. Pick up some swatches

Once you’ve narrowed your choices down a bit, go to the paint or hardware store and pick up some paint swatches.  Then tape them to the wall to see how they look next to each other. 

The tiny swatches won’t give you the perfect idea of what the paint will look like on the wall, but they will help you narrow down your choices. 

After deliberating, I landed on 6 white paint options for our walls: Benjamin Moore Simply White, Benjamin Moore White Dove, Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee, Sherwin Williams Creamy, Sherwin Williams Snowbound, and Sherwin Williams Alabaster.

3. Buy paint samples

Head to the paint store or home improvement center and ask them to mix samples of the paints you’re considering. Samples usually cost about $3.00 apiece.  Lowes and Home Depot can look up most paint colors in their computer system and mix them for you.  I went to Home Depot for my Benjamin Moore samples and Lowes for the Sherwin Williams samples.

 

4. Paint sample sheets and hang them on the wall

Paint your sample colors on large squares of poster board or foam core board and tape them to the wall.  Live with your test swatches for few days to see how they look throughout the day and in the evening in artificial light. 

5. Or, buy pre-painted sample boards

I recently discovered a company called Samplize that sells pre-painted 12 x 12 peel and stick sample boards.  The great thing is that you can remove and re-position them as often as you’d like, so you can try them out on different walls.  They run about $6.00 each. 

 

6. If necessary, test right on the wall

Still not sure?  Paint a coat or two of your final white paint options right on the wall in a 3′ x 3′ square.  If you decide you don’t like it, just paint over it!

7. Choose your finish and buy your paint

Once you’ve made your decision, head to the hardware store to buy your paint. 

While we’ve used Behr and Sherwin Williams in the past, lately we’re liking Lowes Valspar Reserve paint.  While most brands claim to cover in one coat, this one really does.  It’s a little fume-y, but you can use my essential oil tip, below, to help with the smell. 

Most paint companies offer 5 paint finishes: flat, eggshell, satin, semi-gloss, and high-gloss. Flat is typically used on ceilings, while eggshell and satin are great for walls. 

Satin has a slight sheen to it and is often used in kitchens and bathrooms and/or for trim. 

Semi-gloss is generally used for trim, while high gloss is sometimes used on doors–especially front doors.

The higher the gloss, the easier it is to spot imperfections.

8. Start painting! 

Sometimes getting started is the hardest part of all.  Once you get in the groove, though, painting can actually be kind of relaxing. Plus, you can’t beat the gratification of seeing your room transformed right before your eyes!

9. A handy tip for paint fumes

Diffusing essential oils is a great way to reduce or remove paint odors from your home.  I’ve found that peppermint oil works especially well!

After going through this process, I settled on two white paint colors for our home: Simply White and White Dove, both by Benjamin Moore.  Here’s a quick comparison of these popular white paints.

What is the difference between Simply White and White Dove?

Although these two white paint colors are very similar, Simply White is a bit warmer than White Dove.  Because of its gray undertones, White Dove has a very slight beige cast when placed next to Simply White.  

 

Benjamin Moore White Dove OC-17

 

Benjamin Moore Simply White  OC-117

Is White Dove a warm white or a cool white?

While Benjamin Moore White Dove is considered a soft, warm white, it’s warm without being overly yellow looking. With its gray undertones, White Dove could be considered a neutral off-white, suitable for kitchen cabinets as well as walls, trim work, and ceilings.  

Is Simply White a warm white or cool white paint?

Benjamin Moore Simply White has pale yellow undertones and is considered a warm white paint.  It works well for walls, trim, and baseboards in any room where you’d like a touch of warmth.

Simply White looks different at various times of the day and year, but it always remains a beautiful warm white.  I happen to love the extra warmth Simply White adds to a space–especially areas where natural light is limited, as in our guest bathroom, hallway, and living room. 

However, if you’re looking for a cool white or a pure white paint without any warm undertones, Simply White might not be for you.

Before and After Photos

Following are some before photos of our spaces. My decorating style has changed a lot since these photos were taken!

 

 

 

   

And here are some “after” photos taken at different times of the day.  Please know these photos have been edited, so the actual color on the wall is generally a bit warmer than shown here.

Because these spaces receive a bit less natural light than the rest of our home, we used Benjamin Moore Simply White to add a touch of warmth to our living room, dining room, hallway, guest bathroom, and entryway :

 

 

 

 

And we used Benjamin Moore White Dove everywhere else–shown below in our kitchen, hearth room, master bedroom, office, master bathroom, and guest bedroom.  We also used White Dove to paint our kitchen cabinets.  Our kitchen island paint color is “Distance” by Sherwin Williams.

I’ll be honest, I can’t detect a big difference between Simply White and White Dove–in our home they look very similar.  Both are a clean, pretty white paint with warm undertones that reflect light beautifully.

 

 

 

 

  

I hope you found this post helpful and encouraging.

My suggestion is to begin by painting one small space and see how you like it.  You might find, as we did, that you’ll want to keep going and add a backdrop of white paint to every space in your home. 

Painting our walls and ceilings white was the most transformative project we’ve done in our home (so far).  And, although the initial thought of painting every space was daunting, I’m so happy we did it! 

By the way, if you’re interested in adding molding to your walls, check out my posts on How to Install Picture Frame Panel Molding and How to Install Modern Decorative Wall Molding.

xo jane

P.S. Source information for these spaces can be found under the “Our Home” tab.

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Looking for more home trends and color inspiration?  Here are a few of my favorite related posts from the blog:

Colors of the Year + Top Home Color Trends for 2023

Popular Kitchen Cabinet Paint Colors for 2023

Modern Coastal Decorating Ideas for Your Home

How to Create a Botanical Gallery Wall

How to Install Decorative Wall Molding: An Easy Weekend DIY Project

How to Install Picture Frame Wall Molding

All About Blue:  How I’m Decorating our Home with the Color of the Year

All the Paint Colors in Our Home

Our Master Bathroom Renovation

Our Small Guest Bathroom Remodel on a Budget

Our Budget Kitchen Remodel, Before and After