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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.

Our living room - living room wall paint color is Simply White by Benjamin Moore - jane at home

“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. 

How to choose the perfect white paint color for your home - jane at home

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.

Our new work space & craft area

Sherwin Williams Alabaster — Source: Honey and Fitz

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. 

 

Let There Be White! How to choose the "Perfect" White Paint Color for your walls - jane at home

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

Benjamin Moore White Dove OC-17

 

Benjamin Moore Simply White

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.  

Let There Be White! How to choose the "Perfect" White Paint Color for your walls #decor #decorating #home #style #tips #ideas

Benjamin Moore White Dove — Photo Source: Décor Pad

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.

Let There Be White! How to choose the "Perfect" White Paint Color for Your Walls

Benjamin Moore Simply White — Photo Source: Suburban Bees

 

Before and After Photos

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

How to choose the perfect white paint for your living room and home - jane at home living room - botanical art gallery wall

 

 

 

How to Choose the Perfect White Paint

  Dining room - kilim beige by Sherwin Williams 

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 :

White walls (Benjamin Moore Simply White) added a touch of relaxed, modern style to our living room - jane at home #decor #design #ideas #style

Benjamin Moore Simply White

 

Loving how light and bright our living room feels since we painted all the walls and ceilings white, using Simply White by Benjamin Moore

Benjamin Moore Simply White

 

Loving how light and bright our entryway feels since we painted all the walls and ceilings white, using Simply White by Benjamin Moore - jane at home #blue #blueandwhite #bluedecor

Benjamin Moore Simply White

 

Loving how light and bright our dining room feels since we painted all the walls and ceilings white, using Simply White by Benjamin Moore

Benjamin Moore Simply White

 

Our budget guest bathroom remodel, with easy and budget friendly diy bathroom remodel tips - jane at home - van deusen blue by benjamin moore - bathroom makeover - before and after - blue bathroom - diy bathroom remodel

Benjamin Moore Simply White

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.

Loving how light and bright our kitchen feels since we painted all the cabinets, walls and ceilings white, using White Dove by Benjamin Moore - jane at home #kitchen #lighting #paint #palette #white #blue

Benjamin Moore White Dove

 

Our small living room next to the kitchen is our favorite place to hang out and watch tv - jane at home - hearth room - keeping room - transitional living room - modern coastal decor - beach house style

White Dove Benjamin Moore

 

Loving how light and bright our master bedroom feels since we painted the walls and ceilings white, using White Dove by Benjamin Moore - jane at home #bedroom #lighting #paint #palette #white #blue - jane at home

Benjamin Moore White Dove

 

Loving how light and bright our home office feels since we painted the walls and ceilings white, using White Dove by Benjamin Moore, and added wall molding - jane at home #lighting #paint #palette #white #blue - jane at home #moulding #accentwall #boardandbatten

Benjamin Moore White Dove

 

Our master bathroom remodel on a budget - jane at home - wall color is Benjamin Moore White Dove

White Dove by Benjamin Moore

  

Loving how light and bright our guest bedroom feels since we painted the walls and ceilings white, using White Dove by Benjamin Moore - jane at home #bedroom #decor #home #style #ideas #paint #palette #white #blue

Benjamin Moore White Dove

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.

shop the post

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

 

   

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16 Comments

  • Cindy Sundquist
    May 21, 2021 at 11:29 am

    Help! My cabinets in the new home are being painted in SW Pure White. I need to let them know what color to paint the trim, walls and ceilings. I like SW Extra White on the trim and ceiling, but no clue on the walls. Any advice would be helpful. Or, do I avoid white walls because the cabinets are white and they may not pop with white walls. I am so overwhelmed.

    Thank you,

    Reply
    • Jane
      May 23, 2021 at 12:01 pm

      Hi Cindy! When we painted our kitchen cabinets white, we used the same color on both the walls and cabinets (BM White Dove) and I’m glad we did, because I think it helps create a cohesive look. And I like your idea of using a different color on the trim. I know it feels overwhelming, but it sounds like you’ve made some great color choices! I wish you all the best with your kitchen updates! xo Jane

      Reply
  • Mary
    January 14, 2021 at 6:59 am

    Hello Jane,
    I just discovered your blog and it is amazing!
    I am looking to painting my living room and dining room white. We are in the process of adding moldings to the rooms first.
    I like the Simply white for the ceiling and have ordered 10 sample swatches of various whites from BM to help me choose. Chantilly lace is another BM paint I like.
    How do you suggest I paint the crown molding, door casings and doors plus the baseboards, should I select various white paints for those?

    Thanks Jane

    Reply
    • Jane
      January 14, 2021 at 10:14 am

      Hi Mary, Thank you so much for your lovely comment–I’m so happy your found your way to my blog! Regarding painting crown moldings, baseboards, door casings, etc., I recommend using the same shade of paint as the walls, but in a slightly glossier finish. So if you choose a flat finish for the walls, you might go with an eggshell or satin finish for all the trim work. In our home, we have an eggshell or satin finish on the walls and a semi-gloss finish on the baseboards and door casings. When we started painting our walls and ceilings white, we used a different shade of white for the ceilings, which meant we had to do a lot of touching up where we overlapped. Eventually we started using the same shade on walls & ceilings, and it made our job much easier! I hope this helps–have a wonderful day! xo Jane

      Reply
  • Kim
    August 23, 2020 at 10:52 pm

    We are in the process of closing on our new home, and I have been looking for color inspo. This post is EVERYTHING! I’m buying BM Simply White & White Dove samples right now! 🙂 What color did you use for your trim/baseboards?

    Reply
    • Jane
      August 24, 2020 at 9:32 am

      Hi Kim! We kept the same trim/baseboard color that was in our house when we moved in, and unfortunately I don’t know what it is. We took a piece of trim with us to the paint store and had them color-match it so we could touch up the baseboards. The baseboard/trim color we have is a very clean, bright white, like Benjamin Moore White (0C-151) or Benjamin Moore Decorator’s White (OC-149). You could also use the same color you choose for the walls on the baseboard, with a different sheen such as semi-gloss. I’m sorry I can’t be of more help, but thank you so much for your kind words and for taking the time to leave your lovely comment. Happy painting! xo Jane

      Reply
  • Carol Heartfelt Whimsies
    July 6, 2020 at 9:46 pm

    Jane—while your home was beautiful in beige it’s stunning in white!! What a transformation!!

    Reply
    • Jane
      July 7, 2020 at 11:21 am

      Hi Carol! Thank you so much for your kind words. I have to admit it was a little scary sharing those before pictures, lol! I appreciate you and your support more than words can say. Have a lovely day! xo Jane

      Reply
  • Nicole
    July 6, 2020 at 9:15 pm

    In the middle of a remodel I had to make a snap decision on white and without even going to the store – I went with exactly what you kindly messaged me when I asked: simply white 😉 You saved me hours if indecision and it turned out perfect! Thanks so much for your help then and now!

    Reply
    • Jane
      July 7, 2020 at 11:19 am

      Nicole, thank you so much for your lovely message! It made my day. I’m so happy to hear everything worked out with your paint decision, and I hope the rest of the remodel went well, too! xo Jane

      Reply
  • Loraine Pott
    May 26, 2020 at 11:06 pm

    Do you have pictures of the finished project? We have simply white trim & doors and looking to use the White Dove on the walls but would love to see how the two work together before hand! Thanks!

    Reply
    • Jane
      May 27, 2020 at 12:22 pm

      Hi Loraine! I’ve added a few photos to my white paint post showing the final results of our project. I intended to do this and completely forgot, so thank you for reminding me! xo Jane

      Reply
  • Barbara
    March 22, 2019 at 6:46 am

    Hi, Jane,

    This post couldn’t have been more timely. I’m itching to paint my bedroom white and I’m going to head out in a little while and get some of the samples you mentioned. I also ordered the rug you have in your hearth room for our guest room. I had been looking all over for something like that and, YAY, here it is on your blog! Just a quick question…I, too, have a blue chest in my foyer which I love with a mirror on top. Could you possibly post a picture of how you styled yours? I have an orchid, tray of geodes and a lamp on mine but I feel that something isn’t just right so I’m looking for ideas. Thanks!

    My mom lives in The Springs so I get out to Colorado often from here at home in Missouri. You live in a beautiful state and in a beautiful home!

    Reply
    • Jane
      March 22, 2019 at 9:54 am

      Hi Barbara! Thank you so much for your lovely comment! I appreciate your kind words and am so happy to hear that you found some helpful tips on my blog! My most recent post about decorating with blue and white has a photo of my blue cabinet showing how it’s currently styled. Like you, though, I’d like to change things up a bit–so I’ll keep you posted as to how I end up styling it for the coming months! Again, thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment and for your thoughtfulness! Have a wonderful day! xo jane

      Reply
  • Jane
    February 9, 2017 at 6:06 pm

    Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment! I’ll have to check out the Navajo white for some of our other rooms where I need a warmer white. I have to admit, going with white made me a little nervous, but your comment makes me feel so much better about my decision! And I love your tip about using canvasses for sample swatches! Thanks again!

    Reply
  • V Maguire
    February 9, 2017 at 5:30 pm

    Great post. My obsession w whites. You chose all the ones I choose in addition to Navajo
    BM for warmer white. 14 homes and several flips.. white is the trick and BM is my brand. Test all as you said for days in differing light. Being an artist I use 8×10 canvas panels. Even for other colors. Easy to shop fabrics with. The power of white. Everything else just pops! ☺

    Reply

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