June 7, 2021 Connecticut Home

Best Interior White Paints To Use In Your Home in 2021

This post on white paint colors for the home first appeared here in 2015, but since then I’ve updated it to include a few more great white paint choices.

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

best white paint home use daughter's bedroom
 BENJAMIN MOORE: DECORATORS WHITE
 
 

How to choose the best white paint colors to use in your home.

 
 
It’s no surprise to me that the number one question around here is “What is the best white paint to use in my home?”
 
Picking out the right shade of white paint to use in your home can be a bit tricky.
 
So, today I thought I’d address this whole white paint issue.
 
This post is all about my favorite interior white paint shades – 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 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 be the right one in your own home.
 
best white wall paint in bucket with a roller
 
The amount of choices out there is overwhelming.
 
Nuances with white paint can be exasperating!
 
You don’t need to let it consume you!
 
With choices like off white, true white, bone white, plain white, creamy white – you can really lose your mind!
 
That’s why I tend to stick to tried and trusted paint colors here.
 
No need to reinvent the (color) wheel:)
 

 

Benjamin Moore’s Decorators White Paint

 
Starting things off with my all time favorite, Benjamin Moore’s Decorators White.
 
Considered a “cool to neutral white” it’s a very popular choice.
 
This is the paint color that both my daughters have in their bedrooms.
 
It’s also the white paint color choice we made in in our vacation home.
 
Decorator’s White is as you might’ve guessed from the name is very popular in the interior design world.
 
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.
 
 
Bejamin Moore Decorators White
 photo by Nicole Cohen
 BENJAMIN MOORE: DECORATORS WHITE
 
 
white dove painted walk in closet
 
BENJAMIN MOORE: WHITE DOVE
 
 

 

White Dove by Benjamin Moore

Another favorite white paint color is Benjamin Moore’s White Dove.
 
White Dove is a warmer white and not considered a cool white.
 
However, it also doesn’t have a yellow undertone to it.
 
White Dove is the color I chose to paint over the dark cherry woodwork in my own closet here in Connecticut.
 
This made the whole space much more brighter and lighter.
 
 
In fact, we love this shade of white paint so much, we chose it for all the trim and moldings in our new home.
 
This is a warm white paint shade with a lot of depth to it.
 
* Update! After a lot of emails and questions, I now have an entire post dedicated to Benjamin Moore White Dove paint!
 
 
 
 
Benjamin Moore white dove satin impergo paint
 WHITE DOVE SATIN IMPERGO in our living room.
 
 
Benjamin Moore Simply White
BENJAMIN MOORE: SIMPLY WHITE

 

 

Benjamin Moore’s White OC – 151

 
When it came time to renovate our kitchen, painting the beige/yellow cabinets white (see before shots here) seemed like a “no brainer.”
 
However, once other shades of white paint were sampled on the cabinets, we changed our minds.
 
A sample of Benjamin Moore’s White OC – 151 on the cabinetry, and the decision was pretty clear.
 
This white has a lot less gray in it, it’s a bit more of a warmer white.
 
See 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
 
If fact, this is probably the white paint I tend to turn to the most these days.
 
Currently you can see it in our most recent beach house project!
 
 

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

best shades of white paint to use in your home
BENJAMIN MOORE: CALM
 
 
 
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 white paint color so much, we wanted to try it again here in our new house.
 
Especially since we were keeping all the furniture the same.
 
It 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!
 
In fact, just like all the other white paint colors mentioned here, I love this paint color so much, I’ve written a whole blog post on it!
 
 

Benjamin Moore Simply White

simply white paint on kitchen cabinetsBenjamin Moore’s Simply White on kitchen cabinets by True North Cabinets.

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 everything – ceilings, trim, and walls, built ins, 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.

Conclusion

Hopefully, these choices will work for you and make your life a tiny bit less complicated.
 
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.
 
I’ve also gotten some questions about Chantilly Lace and Swiss Coffee both by Benjamin Moore
 
Since I consider both of these to be more of a cream color, I talk about them here with my other cream color paint favorites.
 
 
 

Another GREAT thought: These large self sticking paint samples are absolutely brilliant!

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

If you do end up using any of these white paint choices in your home, let me know! I’d love to see it.

You can always see more of our current home here.

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

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 home. We all chime in with our best advice!

Additional Thoughts…

 
In a similar vein…I hope these additional posts can help you out as well:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
zhush design cheat sheet free pdf download

One last thing…if you’ve found this post helpful check out the offer below:

FOR EVEN MORE GREAT DESIGN TIPS, 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
     

    MORE TO EXPLORE

    • Professional Interior Design Tips To Use In Your Own Home
    • The Best White Exterior Paint Colors For Your House In 2021
    • Favorite Interior Gray and Greige Paints

    Leave a Comment

    10 Comments

    1. Darlene Gemmell wrote:

      All of the painted wood and moldings in your home are beautiful!
      Darlene
      http://www.BundleMeBaby.etsy.com

      Published on 4.23.15 · Reply
    2. une vie à vivre wrote:

      I use cloud white from BM a lot!

      Published on 4.25.15 · Reply
    3. therelishedroost wrote:

      White dove and China white are faves of ours, so crisp and clean with yellow!

      Published on 4.26.15 · Reply
    4. 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
    5. Danielle Perdue wrote:

      For the Family Room in Calm is everything the same color? wall, trim and ceiling? tnx!

      Published on 11.25.15 · Reply
    6. Lisa Crittenden wrote:

      This was helpful, thank you.

      Published on 4.28.17 · Reply
    7. Kristina Phillips wrote:

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

      Published on 4.24.19 · Reply
    8. 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
    9. 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