As most of you know, I shy away from colour on my walls. However white paint is far from a fail-safe option – with hundreds and hundreds of different whites it can be easy to end up with a shade that’s too yellow, too blue or something altogether different to the pin-worthy look you were going for.

As an update so our hugely popular ‘finding the right white’ post produced way back in the early days of RMS, today’s colour guide focuses on whites and neutrals, adding a few more new finds to the mix.

Crown Milk White

I used Milk White in my old bathroom and some may say it has the slightest mint green tint. It has a very fresh appearance but isn’t stark or clinical.

Dulux Almost Oyster

A very warm neutral with a slight pinkish, grey hue. Dulux Almost Oyster changes from the palest pink to grey throughout the day depending on the light.

Farrow and Ball Wevet

Cool and translucent, Farrow and Ball’s Wevet is another fresh, elegant neutral. With the slightest grey tinge this paint looks great paired with other greys.

Farrow & Ball Slipper Satin

I featured this in our recent grey guide too due to the soft grey stone colour. Farrow and Ball Slipper Satin has no cool undertones so really warms up a space.

B&Q Antique White

With a real vintage feel, B&Q Antique White is great for the creamy quintessential cottage look. I have to admit I didn’t get along with B&Q emulsion due to the poor coverage but was really pleased with the satinwood finish when I painted the furniture in my old spare room.

Dulux White Cotton

White Cotton is a very slight off-white which also looks great paired with grey. If you are after a warmer finish I’ve read Dulux Jasmine White is a good option.

Crown Sail White

I’ve gone on and on about Sail White featuring it in our grey paint guide too. As you can see in this post there are plenty of whites now with a greyish base but this is my go-to and I love the finish in my recent living room makeover.

Dulux Chalk Blush 4

If griege is more your thing then consider the very contemporary Dulux Chalk Blush 4 (the lightest shade in this palette).

Dulux White Chiffon

I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with this paint and urge you to check the aspect of your room before you use it. In my old west-facing spare room White Chiffon was creamy and rich without any yellow tones however in my new north-facing room the dreaded yellow is prevalent. Best to avoid if it’s a room requiring a lot of artificial light.

Crown White Glove

White Glove is a flat matt heritage shade with some real depth.

Dulux Timeless

I discovered this a couple of years ago and have used it by the bucketload. Dulux Timeless manages to adapt to the colours surrounding it to perfectly compliment your decor. In my old house I used it in rooms with a quarry tile floor and a slate floor and it never clashed. An easy-to-use shade which I’ve always found to be a fail-safe neutral.

Dulux Trade Supermatt

Now I didn’t have a sample to show of this paint but if you’re after a true, pure white without the coldness of ‘brilliant white’ then this is the paint for you. Originally meant for application after plaster I’ve used Supermatt in White (not brilliant white) in my recent master bedroom makeover (more on that to follow soon) and for me it’s the perfect white. It’s not particularly hard-wearing though so better for lower traffic areas. I only wish I could find a satinwood in the same shade to paint my bedroom furniture. I would bite your hand off if you can make any suggestions.

What white is your favourite paint to use? What kind of neutrals do you use on the wall? If you’re a fan of other shades then you can find our colour guides to blush, grey and darks in our paint chart archives.

 

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