Gray paint colors were the star of the show for a long time. Move over gray, white paint colors have become the go-to in home decor. It used to be considered stark and institutional but we have so many beautiful white colors that will make your home feel cozy and warm.
White trim has been popular for decades but we are seeing many people painting their walls white as well. White walls and white trim. is definitely something you can do. You can also do painted trim. Let’s break it all down.
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The Best White Paint Colors
My Mom and I recently attended the Parade of Homes in our area. She mentioned that she was seeing a lot of white walls. White painted walls have become very on-trend.
But like gray paint colors, white paint colors can come in a variety of shades. They are warm or cool and have some serious undertones, just like grays.
Today we are going to go into all the details on the most popular and most used white paint colors from both Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore.
How to know if a paint color is right for you?
The best way to judge if a color is good for you then you will want to put a swatch on the wall and look at it over a few days. Look at it in different lights and decide if you really like it.
You can do this by getting a sample from the paint store and using a brush put it up on the walls, but then you are left with a can that you can’t do anything with. Those samples are used with poor quality paint and aren’t meant for use on your walls permanently.
I recommend going with Samplize. They are a company that will send you a 12X12 peel and stick swatch of a paint color that you can stick to the wall. When you are done just peel it off and throw it away.
It’s easy and much less messy!
You can also purchase paint decks that have all the colors from Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore right from Amazon!
The Best Sherwin Williams White Paint Colors
Sherwin Williams Alabaster
Alabaster was actually Sherwin William’s Color of the Year in 2016! It pairs nicely with dark colors, such as Urban Bronze and Gray Area. Sherwin Williams says the color sets the tone for healing, calm and restfulness so would be great in a bedroom.
Alabaster has decidedly yellow undertones which makes it a warm white paint color. It also has an LRV of 82.
For more details on Sherwin Williams Alabaster, check out the post I wrote dedicated just to that color.
Sherwin Williams Creamy
Creamy is a great neutral color. It does have a bit of yellow in it so if you hate yellow you should not go with this color. Creamy also has a very high LRV (81) so if you are looking to brighten a room this would be a great option!
Sherwin Williams Dover White
Dover White is another very popular color for trim. It tends to pull a little more orange than yellow but as far as neutrals go, this is the perfect warm white color. Dover White has an LRV of 82.
Sherwin Williams Pure White
Pure White is a very pretty creamy white paint color. It has yellow undertones but there is also a touch of gray in it that mutes that yellow. It is a bright paint color sitting at 84 on the LRV spectrum.
If you are interested in learning more about Pure White check out my post dedicated just to that color.
Sherwin Williams Shoji White
Shoji White is a bit darker than the others here. It might even fall under the category of greige. It is a warm white paint color with an LRV of 74.
Sherwin Williams Extra White
Extra White is a very bright white with an LRV of 86! This color is very neutral, meaning it doesn’t show a lot of undertones. It does fall on the cooler side but isn’t a stark white at all.
Sherwin Williams Eider White
Eider White has an LRV of 73 which makes it a little darker than some of the whites we have discussed. It has a lot of gray in it with a touch of purple in the undertones. That means you should be careful with this color. Make sure you hit up Samplize for a swatch and make sure you love it before you paint your walls this color.
Sherwin Williams Snowbound
Last but not least, for Sherwin Williams, we have Snowbound. It is much brighter with an LRV of 83! Snowbound is a great neutral white, it has hints of purple and pink undertones which pulls it both warm and cool. I know, it’s so confusing! But this color will adjust to whatever you pair with it. It’s like a chameleon.
Sherwin Williams White Flour
White Flour is a creamy white paint color that sits on the warm side of the spectrum. It has orange undertones just like most warm whites do. But you won’t see this color looking yellow. It’s deliciously creamy in nature.
The LRV for White Flour is 87 which makes it a pretty bright paint color. If you war looking to lighten up a room this one will work nicely.
The Best Benjamin Moore White Paint Colors
Benjamin Moore White Dove
This is probably the most popular color to use on trim. It has a touch of gray in it so it’s a very soft white, not a stark white. White Dove also has an LRV of 85, so it’s a bit lighter than the ones we have already discussed.
If you are interested in learning more about White Dove then check out the post I wrote that is dedicated just to that color.
Benjamin Moore Decorators White
Decorators White is more of a white that leans on the cooler side. If you are using greige paint colors then I wouldn’t pair the color with Decorators White. This pairs nicely with paint colors on the cooler side.
Decorators White has an LRV of 84.61, so will definitely brighten any room.
If you are interested in learning more about Decorator’s White check out the post I wrote dedicated just to that color.
Benjamin Moore Simply White
Simply White is the opposite of Decorators White, it pairs nicely with warm tones and looks beautiful in any room. It has slight undertones of yellow.
With an LRV of 91 this is by far one of the brightest paint colors you can find.
If you are interested in learning more about Simply White check out my post dedicated just to that color.
Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace
Chantilly Lace is the lightest and brightest with an LRV of 92! That is one bright paint color. It’s very delicate and cool with slight blue undertones. But as far as whites go this one is probably the most neutral of them all.
If you are interested in learning more about Chantilly Lace check out my post dedicated just to that color.
Benjamin Moore Paper White
I am very partial to this one because I just painted almost my whole first floor this color! It’s a very light white with blue/green undertones but why I chose it is because it also has gray in it. So next to the very white trim there is a subtle color difference which is exactly what my husband wanted.
Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee
I love Swiss Coffee. It definitely falls into my favorite go-to paint colors.
Swiss Coffee is a complicated off-white paint color. It has undertones of yellow, green, and a touch of gray. The gray keeps the yellow and green from being too dominant. What you see instead is a beautiful creamy paint color that goes really well with most other paint colors.
Swiss Coffee is a warm-toned paint color.
Benjamin Moore Super White
Super White is a bright white paint color with an LRV of 89, which makes it pretty bright! It sits on the cooler side of things.
If you are using this color for your walls I also suggest you use it for your trim. When painting your trim thought I would do it in a different sheen, just to add some contrast.
Benjamin Moore Cloud White
Cloud White is a warm white paint color with slight yellow undertones. What’s great about this color is that even though it has yellow undertones it has a neutral base which keeps it from being as warm as some of it’s counterparts.
The LRV of Cloud White is 87 which makes it very bright. While it is bright it also has this touch of softness that makes is like sitting on a cloud.
Benjamin Moore Acadia White
Acadia White is a gorgeous off-white color with yellow undertones but can sometimes look slightly peach. It has an LRV of 83, so not quite as bright as others but still plenty light enough to brighten any room.
The Best Warm White Paint Colors
Let’s recap which are the best warm white paint colors.
- Sherwin Williams Pure White
- Sherwin Williams Alabaster
- Benjamin Moore Simply White
- Sherwin Williams Shoji White
- Benjamin Moore White Dove
- Sherwin Williams Dover White
- Sherwin Williams Creamy
- Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee
- Sherwin Williams White Flour
- Benjamin Moore Cloud White
- Benjamin Moore Acadia White
The Best Cool White Paint Colors
Let’s recap which are the best cool white paint colors:
- Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace
- Benjamin Moore Paper White
- Sherwin Williams Extra White
- Sherwin Williams Eider White
- Benjamin Moore Decorator’s White
- Benjamin Moore Super White
- Sherwin Williams Snowbound – we will put it here but it really can go either way
Related Paint Color Ideas Posts
- 5 Tips on Choosing the Perfect Paint Color for your Home
- The Best Modern Farmhouse Paint Colors
- The Absolute Best Blue Gray Paint Colors
- The 12 Best Green Paint Colors for Your Home
- The Best Black Paint Colors for Any Room in Your Home
- The Best Benjamin Moore Gray Paint Colors
- 13 Beautiful Front Door Paint Colors To Improve Your Curb Appeal
- The Best Beige Paint Colors
- 11 Must-Have Supplies for Painting a Room like a Pro
Jaime
Wednesday 25th of August 2021
My living room faces south with alot of sun. We've had to tint our windows because its so hot. But the darker gray i have on the walls looks deep blue purple issue. So to remedies we installed daylight lightening. This has helped but it just now feels so dark. I'd like to use the agreeable gray but am wondering will it look to green or blue ish purple. Thanks in advance :)
atlaneandhigh
Monday 30th of August 2021
Hi Jaime. That's a tough question to answer without seeing the room. Agreeable Gray is an awesome color but it does have slight purple undertones that you can see in a room with little natural light. This color has a high LRV so it will definitely brighten up the space. I suggest getting a small sample and look at it over the course of a couple days and see what you think.
Darya Suleske
Thursday 3rd of December 2020
If I"ve painted the walls Chantilly Lace and the beautiful craftsmen trim is a white that gets the trim completely ignored, can I paint the trim White dove? Do the doors need to be White Dove too or can they stay the boring unknown white?
atlaneandhigh
Thursday 3rd of December 2020
You can totally paint the trim White Dove but you might find that the doors next to the newly painted trim next to another white on the walls is too much. Try it first and see what you think for a few days and then see if you want to paint the doors as well.