How to Pick The Perfect White Paint

I LOVE white walls — so crisp, so clean, so fresh — the perfect backdrop for allowing art and accessories to pop, while making a space feel light and open. But when we first moved into our apartment, the once-white walls were more akin to dingy yellow after years of neglect. No problem, we thought, we’ll just paint them. Cut to nearly three years later and we just finally got around to it. Big mistake. Big. Huge. Paint makes SUCH an impact, even white paint, especially white paint. Part of what stopped us was getting lost in the sea of white paint options. So we turned to the experts for help.

Sarah Cole, Director of Farrow & Ball, the luxury paint and wallpaper company, shares four tips on how to pick the perfect white paint.

Tip 1:

Make a small room feel more spacious and airy by combining grey-based whites such as Ammonite and Purbeck Stone. Use the darker color on the woodwork to give a strong, contemporary look and make everything above it feel lighter in contrast.

Tip 2:

Use a sympathetic white for colors as it creates a more harmonious scheme. Pick a neutral with the right tone, for example if you are using a green on walls choose James White which has green undertones, or choose Wevet with greys as it has just a hint of grey.

Tip 3:

Add accents of color to a white room by painting furniture or woodwork — or interior doors like we did! — in a stronger tone. For an edgy look, try painting a bed in Pelt to accent Cabbage White walls, or paint skirting boards in Plummett with Blackened on the walls for an urban feel.

Tip 4:

Whites are very popular because they create light and space. Consider painting floors in white (such as Farrow & Ball Strong White or Pointing) to bounce even more light around a room.

What we decided:

After weighing all of our options, we knew we wanted a more modern, gallery-like feel, so chose All White No. 2005. And we love it. It has made ALL the difference. It’s one of those things where after we finally painted, we both said, Why didn’t we do this sooner?

I hope that helps you choose the perfect white paint and encourages you to do it sooner rather than later! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask away in the comments.

Sources:

Walls: All White No.2005 (flat) | Trim: All White No.2005 (glossy) | Interior doors: Black Blue No.95 (glossy) + No.9811 from the archives (glossy)

Full home tour + sources: HERE

Photos by Fred Moser

 Thank you to Farrow & Ball for partnering on this post.