How to Choose the Best White Paint Color

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If you have ever tried to pick out a white paint color, then you’ll know this for a fact: not all white paint colors are created equally. But if you’ve never had to choose one before, you probably think white is white is white. Nope. It is such a complicated color.

How to Choose the Best White Paint Color

I remember the first time I needed to choose a white paint. It was when I was painting the lower portion of my living room in preparation for my board and batten installation. I wanted to choose something that matched my existing trim. Well, the trim looked just plain old white. And I’d heard so many of my favorite home decorators say that “off the shelf” white was their go-to color.

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PRO Tip

Any time you are choosing a new paint color, you need to try out the real paint color in your home first!

The easiest and quickest way to do that is with Samplize! I solely use them for paint samples now. There’s no mess, no leftover sample pots of paint. Plus, these no-mess, peel-and-stick rectangles made from real paint, are easy to move around the room and easy to save for future reference!

NOTE: If you’re painting the room yourself, these tools will help tremendously. And this post will give you my best tips for painting a room in 5 easy steps.

So, I took my naive self down to the hardware store, picked up a can of white paint – straight off the shelf – and went home to start my project. When I painted that first stroke, I almost had a stroke. (Not really. I’m just slightly dramatic.) It was like a fluorescent, blinding white. Not a match to my existing trim AT ALL.

That’s when I knew that it was going to be a process to find the right color for my walls.

Tips for Choosing the Best White Paint Color

1. Find the Colors Online

My first step when looking for the right paint color is to find rooms online that are painted in that color. That helps me make the first initial decision. Looking at a wall color online is going to give you an idea of what it will look like, but it won’t be exact. Just search on Pinterest or Google.

2. Look at White Color Swatches Online

When you are dealing with whites, though, it’s very hard to tell tones and shades online when you’re talking about whites. The photos can be edited so differently, so I would suggest that once you find colors you like online, looking at online swatches to see what the undertones look like.

How to Choose the Best White Paint Color for Your Home

The white swatches that you see online aren’t even going to look white. Instead you’ll really be able to see the subtle undertones they have. Once you get these colors on the wall they will look white, but in certain lights they will skew green, blue, yellow, etc. This will help you see how they could possibly skew once on the wall.

3. Get Samples & Create Sample Swatches on the Wall

Since white is so hard to get right, it’s a MUST for you to take a sample home and try it out on your walls, cabinets, wherever you are going to paint. If you aren’t able to paint the wall, then paint a large poster board with the sample white paint and tape it up on the wall for a few days to see how it looks in the various lights.

And if you need help choosing a white that works with your existing colors or creating a color palette from scratch, you need to read my How to Choose a Whole House Color Palette post. This will help you see if you need to choose a cool white or warm white.

I personally find that slightly warm whites (not too yellow) look best on the walls and play well with other colors.

Top 10 Favorite White Paint Colors for Your Home

Since white is so tricky, I’ve tried to take some of the guess work out of it for you. I’ve rounded up some of my favorites along with the most popular white paint colors out there today. No need to go stand in front of eleventy-bajillion paint swatches at the store and randomly start grabbing them. This way you can at least narrow the selection down, have a plan and a purpose before you start flinging paint on the walls.

Here are some of my favorite white paint colors out there today. And I’ll let you know which one is my all-time favorite, too!

1. Decorator’s White by Benjamin Moore

This white has the subtlest of undertones, but nevertheless has a cooler, gray undertone and works perfectly with the rustic coffee table and blue accents in the above picture. It reads like a true white in almost all lighting and is one of the most popular whites consistently used by builders and designers.

Modern Farmhouse with Benjmamin Moore's Decorator's White | Top Favorite White Paint Colors
Decorator’s White – Benjamin Moore (Photo by: Raquel Langworthy)

2. Shoji White by Sherwin Williams

Shoji White is less of a bright white and more of a soft, subtle gray-white. It reads almost a very pale gray in the image below, but I’ve seen others where it reads more white and can even be considered a very pale bottled green.

Definitely one to test on the walls before buying an entire gallon. It’s super popular, especially paired with Urbane Bronze or Iron Ore (Sherwin Williams).

Shoji White – Sherwin Williams (Photo by: Inspired by Charm)

I recently painted my new office Shoji White and I LOVE it! It definitely reads a subtle gray-white in there, which makes me so happy. It has the perfect amount of “color” while still looking white.

3. Extra White by Sherwin Williams

If you are going for pure white and want your colors to pop off the walls, then this is your color! Definitely a gorgeous bright white!

Extra White Paint Color from Sherwin Williams is GORGEOUS in this staircase landing space. LOVE!! | Top Favorite White Paint Colors
Extra White РSherwin Williams (Photo by: Ni̱a & Cecilia)

4. White Dove by Benjamin Moore

White Dove a perfectly cool white with a very slight undertone, which isn’t discernable to most. There is virtually no yellow in it, which means it sometimes reads like an ever-so-slightly grayed white. It ranks in the top 10 most popular Benjamin Moore paint colors and is a go-to for many designers and builders.

Lovely White Dove Paint Color in a Kitchen Nook | Top Favorite White Paint Colors
White Dove – Benjamin Moore (Photo by: The Decorologist)

5. Simply White by Benjamin Moore

Simply White is my go-to white paint color. It adorns my kitchen cabinets, board & batten treatment in my living room and my guest bedroom walls. I didn’t paint the trim in my home, but it’s a close match. I LOVE this color.

It was the 2016 Benjamin Moore Color of the Year and will continue to be my color of the year for years to come. Ha! It is a subtle warm white that gives off a beautiful glow, but doesn’t read yellow at all!

Simply White from Benjamin Moore on the office walls. Perfect subtle warm white! | Top 10 Paint Colors We LOVE!
Simply White – Benjamin Moore (Photo: my office)

6. Paper White by Benjamin Moore

Definitely more of the pale gray in color, this white is gorgeous paired with other cool tones like blues, violets and grays. Paint it on the walls and pair it with crisp white on the trim. It’ll look so good!

Paper White paint color from Benjamin Moore | Top 10 White Paint Colors we Love
Paper White – Benjamin Moore (Photo by Shophouse Design)

7. Dover White by Sherwin Williams

A slightly warm white that looks good on cabinets, as seen in the photo above. Since I tend to love a warmer white, I really like this color.

Gorgeous Dover White painted cabinets and Alabaster walls - both colors from Sherwin Williams. LOVE these two colors together! | Top Favorite White Paint Colors
Dover White – Sherwin Williams kitchen cabinets (Photo by: Colleen Duffley)

8. Alabaster by Sherwin Williams

This color is more of an off-white than a true white, but since it was SW’s 2016 color of the year, I wanted to include it. I also love how it pairs well with Dover White in the two photos about above!

These are from the same home and they used Alabaster on the walls throughout the home. It has a slightly warm yellow undertone. (Don’t be confused with Benjamin Moore’s Alabaster, which has a pink undertone.)

Gorgeous Dover White painted cabinets and Alabaster walls - both colors from Sherwin Williams. LOVE these two colors together! | Top Favorite White Paint Colors
Alabaster – Sherwin Williams (Photo by: Colleen Duffley)

9. Antique White Sherwin Williams

The name kind of gives this away. When you think of something becoming an antique, what color do you think it becomes? More yellow, of course. This white definitely has a warm, creamy undertone to it. It is subtly creamy, soft and delicious.

I chose it for my nightstands and headboard in my primary bedroom. It definitely is more of an off-white, but I love it, especially on furniture in older homes or in a home that is going for the farmhouse look.

DIY Farmhouse Nightstand with Antique White from Sherwin Williams
Antique White (painted dresser) – Sherwin Williams (DIY Tutorial)

10. Snowbound by Sherwin Williams

This soft white almost has an off-white quality, so it’s light enough to appear white without glaring in the natural light. Snowbound is a slightly warm white with subtle gray undertones and is a popular shade for walls, ceilings, trim, and exteriors!


Yay! Hopefully that will help you choose the perfect white paint color for YOUR home! I know you’re going to knock it out of the park and you will love the color you choose!

Bonus TIP: When you are painting walls white, it can be tricky trying to marry the trim and wall color. The tendency may be to try to use two different white paint colors. But do you know what? When you use the same color in different sheens  – eggshell for walls & semi-gloss for trim – they don’t look like the same color! But they will flow together seamlessly because they are, in fact, the same. Yay!

More of the Best Home Decor Paint Colors:

Tips for Painting a Room Yourself

I’ve gathered some of the best tools for painting a room yourself. First of all, you’ll want to check out this post I wrote: Painting a Room in 5 Easy Steps. These tools are the top tools I use when painting my own rooms, which is how they get painted 95% of the time!

  • Paint Brush – These paint brushes are a little more expensive than your basic brush, but they’re worth it! I’ve used these brushes for more than a decade and if you wash them out well after each use, they will last for years.
  • Painter’s Tape – a MUST have for taping off edges. You’ll need to tape off all edges if you don’t have a steady hand.
  • Drop Cloths – a must have if you don’t have any laying around the house already.
  • Paint cup – Sure you could use any old cup, but I’ve come to swear by this one. The magnetic piece holds your brush cleanly in place when you need to take a break. And it fits my hand perfectly, keeping it from cramping.
  • Roller Tray – I’ve found the only paint tray I’ll ever use again. The magnetic piece is great for holding the roller in place. And the liners are a luxury, but I won’t paint without them because it makes clean up a breeze!

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11 Comments

  1. My color palette in my living room is a dark turquoise, dark red, white and a gold tone. i am looking for the right white wall color that will will complement it. Any ideas, I tend to go towards the white beige/tan tones that can also complement grey counter tops.

  2. Thanks for this post! I am pretty confused now, as we are building a home and I have been trying to choose and off white for cabinets and trim. I was planning to go with either SW Dover White or Alabaster. To me they are very similar, but yet when you showed the two pics that supposedly have Dover Cabinets and Alabaster walls, the walls look beige to me. In most photos I have seen, I thought Alabaster looked slightly whiter than Dover. I am wanting a slightly warm off white since I decorate with antiques and warm colors and planning to use this color on all trim, doors, and most cabinetry throughout my home and really want to get it right. I do have samples I plan to try on cardboard/foam core board in my current home to see how they look in different lighting.

    1. I too am also confused about Alabaster and Dover White. Alabaster is a lighter color than Dover, but in the pictures, Dover looks lighter and the walls look beige. I am trying to decide between these two colors and the images that you show are confusing me because it doesn’t jive with the paint samples that I have.

  3. I have Shoji White walls, black honed countertops and Pure White trim. Time to paint my cabinets and I’d love your opinion. Floors are white stained oak. Color coming in through fabrics and texture.

  4. What undertone (in a white paint) should I look for if I have oak trim? Yes, I’d love to have the oak painted, but there is so much of it in my house that it isn’t an option right now. I’m tired of the beige on my walls and was thinking a white paint would really brighten everything up. Thanks for any help you can give.

  5. Could you tell me where you got the ceiling fan in your office? I tried your home tour but couldn’t find it. Thanks. Love your tips on the white paint dilemma. I went with SW Alabaster in our kitchen and am very happy with it on the uppers.

  6. Want to thank you for all the info you gave us while you are on vacation! You are something else, my friend, it is time for you to relax and enjoy your little ones and yourself! You really outdid yourself for us and I personally want to thank you for it.I am getting ready to paint my whole house, so that has really come in time. I enjoy all of your posts and you are an exceptional person balancing and wearing a lot of hats! May God Bless You and Your Family, and safe travels. Carolyn L

  7. Something else you can do to help choose colours that work together is to match paint chips to other key pieces in your room – ie. find a paint chip that matches your sofa, carpet, furniture as close as possible – then find the wall colour that works with them all. So when I decorated my bathroom I started with a pure white suite and dark grey tiles. I knew I didn’t want a bright white for the walls to prevent it looking stark and clinical (also, in the UK, bright white looks grey and gloomy!) So I found a paint chip that matched my tiles, picked a bright red paint chip for my accent colour (towels and accessories), then tried lots of different whites, off-whites and creams until I found the right one that worked with everything. It worked out great!

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