Photo File
Or, I am often asked, which white should I choose for my trim and/or cabinets?
Photo File
So I would like to share with you some designer tips I have learned over the years that you can use when you are looking for that perfect white for your home.
Look at Decorator’s White Int. Rm. for a warm white with yellow undertones; Linen White Int. Rm. has a warm beige undertone; and a cool white will have blue/gray undertones such as White Diamond OC-61. An easy way to see the white undertones, is to use a large sample of Decorator’s White to put white samples next to help determine the underlying colors.
If you have white walls or cabinets, I suggest do not paint the trim the same shade of white. You want the contrast between the two whites for architectural interest. Again, sample the whites next to your existing white. Also, I like to use different finishes for more of a contrast which I wrote about here: Would you like that Shiny or Flat? Flat is usually used for the ceiling, an eggshell finish on the walls and a gloss or semi-gloss on the trim.
You can use several tints of white in a room, but keep them in the same color temperature, either all warm whites or all cool whites.
If you are going to use white for your ceiling, be sure to use a ‘warm white’ if your walls are painted in a warm color, including red, yellow or orange. I recommend to use a ‘cool’ white if your room is painted in cool colors, such as blue, green or violet.
Cloud White OC-130 seems to be the top ‘white’ choice for designers. It is also one of my favorites because it is so soft and works so well with other colors. Other whites I love are White Dove OC-17 , Linen White, Int. Rm, (a soft ,yellowy white) and Chantilly Lace OC-65 (a white, white). Here is a picture below I am redesigning where we used White Dove in a semi-gloss finish for her white cabinets. Just a beautiful white!
Be sure when you are painting your cabinets white, such as White Dove, your back splash and counter tops should also be white, gray or black. If you are using a white with a yellow undertone such as Acadia White OC-38 on your cabinets, your counters and back splash should be a more of a creamy color such as browns, beiges and creams shown in photo below.
File Photo
Comments? Any questions?
If you need help choosing whites for your home, contact me today.
Kelly Bernier Designs
Kelly,
I’m so glad that I came across your blog and have spent a countless amount of time reading through your posts, tips and advice all day today. In fact some of them I’ve read several times, but what brought me to read it in the first place was my recent and constant search for some ideas on what to do in my particular situation when deciding on trim colors.
I personally prefer and feel so much more relaxed in a home with a light, airy and open floor plan home. My home however, is a traditional floor plan built around 1986 with each room being separate.
I’ve recently painted the following:
Kitchen: BM Bittersweet Chocolate on cabinets and SW Ivoire on the walls
Dining room: Classic Burgandy walls
Den/small hallway between kitchen and den/Foyer and Hallway leading upstairs as well as upstairs hallway: BM Barley
All throughout the house the trim/crown molding/judges paneling /doors/fireplace mantel: BM Acadia White (they were all previously stained an old, ugly, blah, dull, pecan) The crown molding directly above the kitchen cabinets is the only place where I followed with the Bittersweet chocolate.
Here is the problem as it presents based on two of your blogs as I think they both apply (one about choosing the right white and the other about choosing trim color)
My husband is a window guy, and for 40 somewhat years he has installed residential windows and for which most are vinyl. I would have to say that about 99% of the time homeowners choose white as the vinyl color. I personally would have chosen white myself since all my trim is the Acadia white as mentioned above, but for some odd reason he decided to get our windows in an almond/beige color. Actually, in a certain light, they resemble the color of those old commercial metal filing cabinets, if you know what I mean. In darker light the color is kind of like a putty color and in lighter light more almond or light beige.
I have stared at these forever, and while I’m so thankful for them instead of my old wood, single pane windows that would leak enough air to blow out a candle, and the fact that it took a really long time to finally get them, (You know the story about the plumber with leaking faucets in his home because he’s always too busy fixing them for everyone else—well, the same holds true for window guys…) the color is just bugging the heck out of me against the white trim.
I’ve searched forever trying to find a solution to this until I finally came across your website. In trying to understand the under tones of the different whites against the windows I have to say I’m totally baffled.
I’ve managed to find just a couple of pictures online of white trim against the same color windows and I have to say in those pictures it looks fine.
This then got me wondering if maybe the wall colors are the problem. I’ve spent all day holding up my fan decks against the windows to find a more subdued trim contrast with the hope, I suppose, of making the windows blend in more.
I’ve started getting samples and so far have tested BM Bone white on the trim around the windows to see if it would settle down the contrast, but I’m also thinking—yikes do I really want to paint all that wood another white again… As I’ve said it’s everything from trim to judges paneling etc.
Additionally, I’ve considered repainting all the white in a different sheen. I used satin and I’m wondering that if I went up to a semi-gloss it might pop the trim more and magically make the windows recede.
I suppose a simple solution would be to just hang drapes or curtains to hide it all (out of sight/out of mind) but, as I said earlier I thrive on that light and airy feeling so I typically have gone to just using toppers with nice rods etc.
An even simpler solution would be to paint the windows themselves, but that isn’t possible and I think my husband would actually leave me after 29 years of marriage.
So, you see—I’m all over the place trying to figure out how to deal with this and at the same time apply the guidelines you presented about trim and undertones etc.
I just know more than anything that when I look at the windows, I see three distinct colors—the window color, the trim and the wall. Maybe it’s just me, but I find it all distracting somehow.
My apologies for this lengthy email, but do you have any suggestions for this type of scenario? I’m driving myself bonkers over this.
Thanks so much!
Laura
I have linen white on my trim throughout my home (we bought it this way, and it seems a bit daunting to start completely over). I would like all walls to be white. Since the trim is so creamy, what shade of white would you recommend for the walls? The house is a traditional home built in 1979 – lots of molding, hardwood floors. Most of my furniture is white slipcovered. Thanks!
I am looking at the color white sand to paint all of the rooms in my house. Right now I have a very warm yellow pink beigh but when I tried to match up with the bengerman morre it turned a beigh taupe color. I like a more off white. Do you recommend white sand. Thank you. I’m in a panick :>)