5 Of The Best White Paints To Use In Your Home in 2024

This post on the best white paint colors for the home first appeared here in 2015.

However, since then I’ve updated it to include a few more beautiful options.

I still stand by the original ones in this post as well!

best white paint home use daughter's bedroom
 Benjamin Moore Decorators White in my daughter’s north-facing bedroom.
 
 

How to choose the right white paint color?

 
 
It’s no surprise to me that the number one question around here is “Can you help me choose a great looking white for our walls.”

The interest in popular white paint colors seems to grow every year.

Picking out the right shade of white paint to use in your home can be a bit tricky.
 
But, you don’t need to hire an army of professional interior designers to do so…
 
If you too are looking to paint some white walls, you’re going to want to bookmark this post because today because I’m going to address this whole white paint issue right here.

 
Breaking down all of my favorite interior white colors – and no – all white paints are not the same!
 
However, you don’t need to make yourself crazy with a ton of different options here.
 
In fact, with these types of decisions, I always say “less is best.”
 

These are my tried and true Benjamin Moore White Paint favorites I turn to every time.

 
Having these “go to” white paint color choices on hand just makes everything SO much easier!
 
Once you know the best white paints to choose, you can decide which white paint choice will be the perfect white paint color for your home.
 
best white wall paint in bucket with a roller
 
Let’s face it, the amount of white paint choices available out there is overwhelming.
 
Nuances with white paint can be exasperating!
 
You don’t need to let it consume you!
 
With shades like off white, true whites, cool whites, bone white, plain white, creamy white, cloud white – you can really lose your mind!
 
That’s why I tend to stick to our tried and trusted paint colors here -no need to reinvent the (color) wheel:)
 
In other words, these are my favorite white paint colors.

 

Benjamin Moore White Paint on staircase wall

 
 

Benjamin Moore’s Decorators White Paint

 
Starting things off with my all time favorite, Benjamin Moore’s Decorators White.
 

Considered to be one of the cooler whites to neutral whites – it’s a very popular choice with staying power.

This is the paint color that both my daughters have in their bedrooms.
 

Wanting a modern look, they both picked it themselves and it ended up to be the perfect choice.

It’s worth noting one daughter has a north facing room and one has a south-facing room – this white looks great in both!

 
 
In fact, it’s such a great choice, it’s also the paint color we chose for our vacation home.
 
Any interior designer will tell you, Decorator’s White, (as you might’ve guessed from the name itself) is very popular in the world of professional home design.
 
Unlike a lot of other white paints, this particular shade holds up beautifully regardless of the room or the light situation.
 
Decorator’s White is a bright white and looks very clean and modern to me.
 
This pure white paint color has NO yellow undertones.
 

 

Benjamin Moore’s White Dove OC-17

Another great option is BM White Dove.

Benjamin Moore’s White Dove is a warmer white and not considered a cool white.
 
However, it also doesn’t have a yellow undertone to it, but rather warm tones.
 
White Dove is the color I chose to paint over the dark cherry woodwork in my own closet here in Connecticut.
 
It’s one of my favorite whites to use in our home.
 
This perfect shade made the whole space much more brighter and lighter.
 
 
 
 
Benjamin Moore white dove satin impergo paint
BM White Dove oc-17 Satin finish on all the trim in our current living room.
 
 
 
In fact, we love this shade of white paint so much, we chose it for all the white trim and moldings in our new home.
 
Benjamin Moore’s White Dove is one of my favorite warm white paint colors.

It has a lot of depth to it.

 
Benjamin Moore Simply White
BENJAMIN MOORE OC-151 on our kitchen cabinets.

 

Benjamin Moore’s White OC – 151

When it came time to renovate our kitchen, painting the beige/yellow cabinets white seemed like a “no brainer.”
 
However, once other shades of white paint were sampled on the cabinets, we changed our minds.
 
We had the good idea to put up a sample of another popular Benjamin Moore paint – Benjamin Moore’s White OC – 151.
 
Once this was up the decision was pretty clear.
 
This white has a lot less gray in it, it’s a bit more of a warmer white, as you can see in the image below.
 
 
Don’t miss this post for more of an in depth discussion on the best white kitchen cabinet paint colors.
 
 
best white paint home use
 
In fact, this is probably the white paint I tend to turn to the most these days.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Benjamin Moore’s Calm (a favorite pseudo white paint of mine.)

 
 
Another great shade of white paint that we absolutely LOVE is Benjamin Moore’s Calm.
 
Not really a true white, but sort of a neutral white with warm undertones.
 
Our old family room is in this lovely white shade.
 
We love this one so much, we wanted to try it again here in our new house.
 
Especially since we were keeping all the furniture from our traditional home the same.
 
This white room looks entirely different to me in the new setting, but I think I love it even more here.
 
The name of this paint color is so perfect, as it does seem to make this whole room feel so calm!

 

simply white paint on kitchen cabinetsBenjamin Moore Simply White kitchen cabinets – True North Cabinets.

 

Benjamin Moore Simply White

Finally, I had to include Simply White by Benjamin Moore.

It’s such a great color and so popular for a reason!

Simply white is a fresh white paint color that’s perfect on everything – ceilings, trim color, walls, built ins, white cabinets, you name it.

It’s off-white so it’s not too bright, but it’s light enough that it will still add a fresh and clean look to any space.

It can be the perfect backdrop for any room in your home.

Benjamin Moore White Paint Conclusion

Hopefully, these choices of the most popular white paint colors will work for you and make your life a tiny bit less complicated, at least when it comes to picking the right white paint.
 
Wrapping things up, I want you to know, my goal here, is to just make these type of home design decisions a lot easier for you.
 
Something like white paint, where all the subtle nuances alone can drive you crazy (trust me, I know!) – you just need some solid recommendations.
 
 
And, if you do end up using any of these white paint choices in your home, let me know! I’d love to see it.

Any other questions, please shoot me an email or leave it in the comments below.

 
 

 

TRY OUT SEVERAL WHITE PAINT SAMPLES

These large self sticking paint samples are absolutely brilliant!

I can’t recommend trying it out as a sample in your home first enough.

Maybe this seems so obvious, but even the surrounding light and lighting conditions from one interior space to another can differ.

So, live with a few samples in different light for a few days before making your decision.

Test it out in natural light and artificial light too!

Another good reason to try these self stick paint samples, no messy paint cans and brushes to deal with!

If you’re at all curious, you can check them out and order them here!

Benjamin Moore White Paint Sample

 

ADDITIONAL INSPIRATION

Finally, for even more simple tips and great home design features, be sure to check out these posts by clicking each title below:

 
cheat sheet

A few more things…

Design lovers! Have you joined our fun and VERY helpful design Facebook group?

In this group – members share photos with their design questions and dilemmas from their own homes.

We all give opinions in with our best advice!

It’s a nice group of fellow design enthusiasts.

We also spill our best sources and tips – it’s such an easy way hard to find those more elusive items and pieces.

Lastly, to help you even further with your home projects, download my FREE DESIGN CHEAT SHEET, it’s loaded with all sorts of quick tips and handy measurements.

SIGN UP BELOW FOR MY FREE, SUPER HELPFUL DESIGN CHEAT SHEET!

*This post contains affiliate links. This means if you click a link and purchase something, I may get a small commission from it at no cost to you. For more info, please read my disclaimer. I only refer things that I truly love and hope you will too!

photos by Nicole Cohen

 
 
 

Leave a Comment

17 Comments

  1. Julie wrote:

    I just had my cabinets painted in dove white and I LOVE them. White/cream without being too stark. This post helped lead me to that color. Thank you!

    Published on 10.25.24 · Reply
  2. Lisa wrote:

    Hi Sue. Can you please tell me where you bought the white pom pommed shams with the purple embroidery in your daughter’s bedroom? Thank you.

    Published on 8.21.24 · Reply
    • Sue De Chiara wrote:

      Hi Unfortunately they are SO old and I think they were custom.

      Published on 8.26.24 · Reply
  3. Laura Livesay wrote:

    I love your posts. I’m ordering new kitchen cabinets in White OC-151 because I like yours so much. What color is the trim in your kitchen with OC-152 cabinets?

    Thank you!

    Published on 10.30.23 · Reply
    • Sue De Chiara wrote:

      Thank you. Same color but with a slight sheen to it for the trim!

      Published on 11.1.23 · Reply
  4. Cindy wrote:

    Hi,

    Great article. Wondering about what colour to paint walls in Florida 1,162 sq. Ft. condo undergoing full gut job. Blond porcelain floors in a hardwood look alike, high gloss white kitchen cabinets, cream white quartz countertops, white shiny, floating bathroom vanities with white countertops, cream shower tiles, neutral large porcelain on bathroom floors. Eastern morning sun in front, western afternoon sun in the back. My friend used BM Chantilly Lace, which want in your line up. I loved it since it was a fresh neutral white. No yellow or pink undertones.
    Do you have any opinions about this colour?

    Published on 10.15.23 · Reply
    • Sue De Chiara wrote:

      Yes, It’s a great color! Look into Swiss Coffee too!

      Published on 10.16.23 · Reply
  5. Rick Henry wrote:

    Thanks for confirming what we are using in our bungalow. We are doing the walls and ceilings in Calm and the trim in White Dove. What sheen did you use on walls and trim?

    We have stripped the hardwood (pine) floors and are doing refinishing them in Minwax pre-tinted white wash stain.

    You’re final 4 are what was left after our elimination. I spent the last week getting to those colors and Benjamin Moore.

    Your advise on the sheen is how we will complete it.

    THANKS!

    Published on 3.8.20 · Reply
  6. Katie wrote:

    Great post! I just used BM Calm for entire interior of a flip I’m working on. Both walls and ceilings. I used BM Super White for all the trim. I loved these 2 colors together on the swatches, however, on the walls/trim I’m hardly seeing any contrast at all! Ugh! What trim color did you use with Calm?

    Published on 9.15.19 · Reply
  7. Kristina Phillips wrote:

    What’s your favorite white paint for (exterior) cedar shakes?

    Published on 4.24.19 · Reply
  8. This was helpful, thank you.

    Published on 4.28.17 · Reply
  9. For the Family Room in Calm is everything the same color? wall, trim and ceiling? tnx!

    Published on 11.25.15 · Reply
  10. Unknown wrote:

    For the family room the Calm looks beautiful! Did you use it everywhere trim and ceiling as well or a different white? Tnx!

    Published on 11.22.15 · Reply
  11. White dove and China white are faves of ours, so crisp and clean with yellow!

    Published on 4.26.15 · Reply
  12. I use cloud white from BM a lot!

    Published on 4.25.15 · Reply
  13. All of the painted wood and moldings in your home are beautiful!
    Darlene
    http://www.BundleMeBaby.etsy.com

    Published on 4.23.15 · Reply