In the past five to ten years, I’ve seen a big shift in the neutral colors people are using to paint their homes. Before, people were opting for a neutral grey to color their walls. Grey is still a great color to use, but the popular decision is definitely shifting elsewhere. Now, white has become the color of choice, for both the interior and exterior of homes, and there are so many reasons for it! In this blog, I’ll go over design tips and the best white paint colors to use!
If you’ve opted to use white paint in the interior or on the exterior of your home, that’s great! But now what? There are a million different options to choose from! How do you pick the best choice?
On the exterior of a home, I believe a creamy warmer white has the most beautiful finish. On my own home, I opted for warmer undertones for our exterior finishes, from the shade of the roof to the color of the door stain, and chose a white with a warmer undertone to match.
*Designer Tip: Building a new home and wanting to paint the exterior brick? Opt for a tumbled brick. The added texture will give more character than a flat brick would.
And what about shades of white for the interior? My first recommendation would be to always shy away from a bright, true white because it can actually tend to make space fall a little flat and look unfinished. Your interior white shade should have a bit of an undertone (whether warm or even cool) because it will add depth and life to the overall tone of the space.
Another reason I love using shades of white on the interior of a home is that white walls are timeless. While grey is still a good option for generally appealing clients, it’s more on the trendy side and is honestly already going out of style. Scared you’ll be bored with white walls? You can always bring in added interest through wall textures. For example, vertical shiplap or nickel gap treatments are something I’ve been incorporating into several of my client’s homes, and it’s absolutely stunning.
Lastly, when it comes to selecting your interior paints, there are several different finishes you can choose from. From satin, gloss, and semi-gloss to flat and eggshell, your options can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming! A lot of people will immediately go in the direction of an eggshell finish because it’s considered to be of higher quality. Eggshell is a great choice! Despite this, I chose a flat finish for our walls because I had my toddler in mind! Due to the eggshell sheen, it’s impossible to seamlessly touch-up without having to repaint the entire wall.
Think of it like when you chip a fingernail. You can’t just paint over it if you don’t want to see where the old paint stops and the new begins. You have to start from scratch and re-paint the entire nail! It’s the same when touching up an eggshell finish painted wall. Instead, with Flat paint having a matte finish, it blends seamlessly, making touch-ups a breeze.
Something else to note, if you’re wanting to use the same white color for not just your walls, but also your baseboards, crown, trim, etc (which I highly recommend), try using a satin finish for your trim to add a little contrast from your eggshell or flat finish on your walls.
Looking for inspo for white shades? Here are some of the best white paint colors to use on the interior and exterior of your home:
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