Choosing Soft White Paint Colors

Choosing a white paint can one of the more challenging aspects of setting the mood in a space. White paint tends to trick the eye into believing the natural light is behaving a certain way, by bringing in a touch of pigment and undertone. There are a lot of factors to consider when choosing a white paint.

Consider which direction your windows face

Sunlight takes on different characteristics based on the direction and time of day. Northern light is the most consistent throughout the day, and it is also the coolest type of light. This is because the light rays travel through a lot more atmosphere before being scattered into ambient light.

Benjamin Moore OC-27, Balboa Mist, Northern exposure

Eastern and Western light are both very direct. If you have windows that face east or west, the light in the room will change a lot throughout the day, as the sun traverses the sky.

Southern light is the brightest in the northern hemisphere, and windows facing this direction can have streams of sunlight throughout the course of the day.

Benjamin Moore OC-26, Silver Satin, Western exposure

Different whites can either amplify the atmosphere or neutralize it

When we are choosing a white for a particular space, we often will start by deciding whether we want to amplify the tone of the natural light, or neutralize it. For example, in rooms facing north, choosing a white with blue undertones will create a space in which the light feels very crisp. Going with a white that has a lot more warmth, like White Dove by Benjamin Moore, will soften it.

Banjamin Moore OC-53, Horizon, Northern exposure

Similarly, southern exposures can get very warm light on sunny days, and if the light streams inside, the rest of the room will often take on the color of whatever the floor tone is, because the sunlight bounces off the floor into the room.

Benjamin Moore OC-37 Glacier White, Southern exposure

Choosing a “darker” white can make the room feel brighter

One misconception that many people have is that painting the room a brighter, more stark white will automatically make a space brighter. The eye is a lot more complicated than that, and we have found that when the wall is a deeper shade of white, objects that actually are white, like dishes, artwork, or papers, can really stand out and appear more sharp.

Benjamin Moore CSP-365 Grandma’s China, Western Exposure