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Chantilly Lace by Benjamin Moore When she’s going for minimalist style in a design, Chantilly Lace is a no-brainer for interior designer Genna Margolis. “It reads cool and it’s clean, crisp and simple,” she says. “Sometimes when people are fearful to go too white, they wind up choosing something with a yellow undertone, and it winds up reading yellow, making the room look more rustic.” The paint was the right choice for the peaceful, minimalistic look of this yoga studio Margolis designed.
Pure White by Sherwin-Williams “I love Sherwin Williams because they are very user-friendly and they provide large swatches to designers — not all companies do that,” Harmony Weihs of Design Harmony says. One of her go-to whites is the company’s Pure White. She used it on these cabinets in this kitchen. “I love this white because it’s on the brighter side for a white while still being warm, which works great for all of our gray Pacific Northwest days,” she says.
Decorator’s White by Benjamin Moore “For white trim color, my go-to for years has been Decorator’s White,” interior designer Nikki Dalrymple of Acquire says. “It’s a true bright white that never disappoints. The undertone is so subtle that it never seems to fight with any chosen wall color.” In this lovely living room, the white on the millwork provides a clean contrast to the creamy tan hue on the walls. Wall paint: Monroe Bisque, Benjamin Moore
Simply White by Benjamin Moore “Simply White is a more modern, clean white,” Ben Leavitt of Fox Design Studio says. “It is a beautiful natural shade that works well with any gray tones.” In this space, Leavitt chose Simply White for the walls and ceilings, then painted the trim and doors in Thunder by Benjamin Moore for contrast.
White Wisp by Benjamin Moore “All whites have some undertone. White Wisp has a very slight gray undertone that keeps it from feeling cold or icy,” interior designer Ginger Curtis of Urbanology Designs says. In this dining room, the paint works wonderfully with the bright Texas light and the different browns and tans in the reclaimed wood.
South-facing rooms (in the Northern Hemisphere; north-facing in the Southern Hemisphere) receive the most intense sun during the day. Winter or summer, the side of your home that faces the sun at noon will be illuminated with red-yellow light on a clear day. White walls are a good choice to cool these spaces, and the paint can be adjusted with pigmenting options that will address glare. For example, gray softens the reflective quality of white and will help “quiet” the space if there are large windows inundating the living room with strong light.
The same white color, though, would not work in a north-facing family room in New England. White’s visual relationship to the snow and ice outside the windows would be visually chilling. Instead, try tinting your white with red, yellow or orange or selecting a color from Benjamin Moore’s Off-White Collection for rooms where you plan to eat, socialize and linger.
White for budget decorators. Decorating with white can be incredibly easy and inexpensive. Found a funky piece of junk shop furniture? Paint it white to transform it into something chic. White cotton duck slipcovers; curtains made from painter’s drop cloths; big-box-store white china, towels and bedding; and simple white accessories, like vases and pitchers found at flea markets and yard sales, are all affordable and chic ways to decorate a home with white.
Warm and antique whites. Richer, creamier tones of white, like a dollop of cream with plenty of butterfat, are easy and comforting. Antique whites can run the gamut from the palest cream to aged parchment and muslin. These hues make a natural partner for other warm neutrals, like beige, warm gray and coffee.
With warm colors. If your palette is on the warmer side (shades of red, brown, orange or yellow), select a white that has a hint of warmth. This would be a white with orange or yellow mixed in. by Jennifer Ott, Assoc. AIA + LEED AP Add to ideabook by Jennifer Ott, Assoc. AIA + LEED AP Warm white trim colors. See the note about your monitor's color calibration above. From left to right: 1. Creamy SW7012, Sherwin-Williams 2. Popped Corn W-B-200, Behr 3. Snow Cap 7003-8, Valspar 4. Acadia White OC-38, Benjamin Moore
With cool colors. A foolproof way to select a trim color is to take a cue from the color palette in the room. If you are painting your walls a cool color (greens, blues, purples or grays), then find a white that reads as cooler. The easiest way to do this is to put swatches of various white paints next to one another and see how they play off one another. Some colors will appear more warm or beige-like; others will read as a very light gray with hints of green, blue or purple. Cool white trim colors. Each of these paint colors reads as plain white or a slight off-white individually. But when they're placed next to one another, you can really see the hints of other colors they contain. Depending on the color calibration of your monitor, what you see here color-wise is not necessarily what you are going to get. Always refer to the actual paint swatches when selecting colors and sample any colors you like to make sure they work in your space. From left to right: 1. Site White SW7070, Sherwin-Williams 2. Full Moon 780E-2, Behr 3. Mineral Ash 7006-19, Valspar 4. Horizon OC-53, Benjamin Moore
This white paint has an antique quality. Like all the Farrow & Ball colors, it changes with the light, sometimes appearing pale gray, other times off-white. It's not too creamy or yellow, and very sophisticated.
The wall color is BM 'Quiet Moments' & trim is all BM 'Linen White'
White is an obvious choice with wood trim. Stay away from bright white and look for something with milky undertones. Here is Farrow & Ball's Slipper Satin 2004.
Creamy white works with honey- and amber-toned trim; this is Benjamin Moore's Sweet Spring 1500. I like creamy whites in an eggshell or pearl finish for just a little bit of sheen. Save a flat finish for ceilings; a little bit of sheen will make cleaning minor scuffs on wallseasier.
Cooking With Color: When to Use White in the Kitchen (12 / 12) Most paint companies have a "pure white" or "ultrawhite" paint, which will give you a very crisp and clean look in the kitchen. But you can also go with a shade of white that has a tiny touch of yellow, brown or gray, which will warm up or cool down the white and add a little life to it.
White. White is really one of the most asked-about colors. The perfect white is sought after for cabinets and trim. Undertones in white paint are important and can really shift a palette. My favorite pure white is White Dove OC-17, by Benjamin Moore. This white, shown here in this gorgeous kitchen, is crisp with no undertones. It looks great against any color.
Chambre
Swiss Coffee by Benjamin Moore “One of my favorite whites is Swiss Coffee,” interior designer Julie China of Idea Space Architecture + Design says. “It’s a warm white that doesn’t go too yellow or almond — it is a nice crisp white with warm undertones.” China chose the hue for the trimwork throughout this 1920s home, seen here in the crown molding. “Swiss Coffee was a good choice for this 1920s house due to the warmer color palette and existing chestnut moldings on the first floor,” she says.
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