I can't believe I have turned into one of those people who spend long periods of time debating the merits of different shades of white. White is white, right? I am finding out that this is not true. First I researched white paint colors online. Then I got a few sample pots and slapped them up on the walls in the living and dining rooms. I joked with the lady behind the paint counter at Home Depot that I would get home and not be able to tell the difference between the three whites I was wasting money on. But after putting them on the wall I was completely surprised to find that none of the colors even seemed terribly white to me! Simply White was a gorgeous white in the dining room but definitely a cream in the living room. Super White was a beautiful light grey that I would have considered back when I wanted a grey living room. And Decorators White comes across as having a definite color but I'm not sure what, maybe a violet grey or blue? Either way, I've ruled out Super White and would go with Decorator's white as being the most crisp and clean, which is what I want, except for how lovely Simply White looks in the dining room. If it looked that way in the living room as well the decision would already be made. I think I need a bigger swatch!
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| BM Decorator's White |
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| BM Simply White |
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| BM Super White |
It is amazing how many "whites" you can find. When we went to repaint our baseboards, we decided to use the same white that the builders used. We had the name (a Benjamin Moore paint) but hesitated buying it when we looked at the swatch at the store - it looked so beige. We did purchase it, and when applied it matched perfectly and looked bright white. Who knew that white could have so many undertones!
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean. I like to use up old paint. So when I painted our finished basement, I was mixing all the old whites together with my left over Bright White (I used in the upper parts of the house), it created a hybrid white that I will not be able to match. So I hope that I don't need to touch-up large sections continually.
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