You think white is white, and gray is gray until you go to paint a home. Then all hell breaks loose. I can tell you that I have no less than 35 “white” and “gray” paint samples in our basement, and I have definitely found my favorites.
I decided to share them all in one place as a home base. Regardless of if I have used it in another room, I always patch test. Lighting is everything. You can see by the master list of swatches at the bottom of this post that they don’t even remotely look white in the screenshots from each company’s site, but on my walls, it would be hard to tell the difference.
Tips for getting the perfect shade:
Test White Paint Colors in your lighting!
Every angle of sunlight and light bulb will make paint look different in your home. Even if you have seen the color in your best friend’s house 987 times, test it.
If you are going with an almost white, paint the ceiling too!
Another amazing tip from an interior designer friend of mine, I was terrified that this would look crazy, but I did it in 3 of the bedrooms and the laundry room and love it. Plus. Less tape. Speaking of tape, this tape is the best tape out there. It’s worth the splurge.
The best paint I have tried is hands down is Sherwin Williams ProMar 200
It’s pricey at full price, but if you go to a Sherwin Williams location, ask them about local discounts.
Know that you can dilute any color by a percentage.
If you like the warmth of Edgecomb Gray, but it looks darker in your house, ask them to cut it down by half. They can go by percentages to a point. Painter’s White is too light to decrease by much. Most paint shops are incredibly helpful and will walk you through it.
If I am being completely honest, I hate any type of sheen but was forced to have a step up on most of the rooms. I have those listed as well.
Master list of favorite neutral paint colors at the bottom for pinning!
You can see some of my other favorite paint colors HERE!
Playroom & Laundry Room – Taupe Tease (BEST!)
Eggshell
Taupe Tease is my absolute favorite neutral. It’s not blue-ish, or yellow, it’s perfectly balanced. If you aren’t into paints and are looking for a simple go-to, Taupe Tease is it. And you can 100% paint the ceiling with it too. It is bright and yet a little warm.
I’ll be doing on entryway in Taupe Tease and would highly consider repainting our living room Taupe Tease as well.
Julia’s Nursery & Reegan’s Bedroom – Painters White by Behr
Flat
We have this in Reegan’s room, the kitchen, a bathroom, and the downstairs guest room. It’s a great pure white with a slight cool blue undertone.
Den – White Heron by Sherwin Williams
Eggshell
White Heron has blue undertones. This is why I’ll be adding more and more photos. We have large windows in this room and this photo was only natural light. It’s bluer than the Painter’s White. At sunrise and dusk, you see the coloring the most.
Living Room – Edgecomb Grey by Benjamin Moore
Eggshell
This was the hottest color around in 2016/2017. I like it a lot. It’s more of an oatmeal beige. Edgecomb Gray is a lot warmer than any of the other off-white or grays in my house. If I’m not going as dark as Dark Ash or Poised Taupe, it’s as dark as I will go as I’ll go for a neutral.
Master Bathroom – White Wisp by Benjamin Moore
Flat
This has a cool blue/green undertone. At some points of the day, it’s white and at other points of the day, it’s very beachy.
It was impossible to get a good photo of to show the true color.
I went with flat paint against my husband’s and painter’s will, but I love it. It does get watermarks, but I’m sorry I just hate shiny things.
Master Bedroom Walls – Moth Grey | Ceiling – Dark Ash
Eggshell | Flat
This came together exactly how I wanted it to. I wanted a warm easy grey, white trim, and a dark ceiling. The Dark Ash in flat paint turned out to be the perfect color. The dark inlay makes the room feel even taller but still cozy. I hate feeling like I’m in a box.
Jack n Jill – Poised Taupe by Sherwin Williams
Eggshell
I have this on both sides of the girls Jack N Jill and really love it. But lighting is everything with this. On Reegan’s side it reads more brown and on Julia’s more purple. But walking up with stairs you get a direct view of this doorway/photo ledge and it’s the perfect neutral pop of color.
Patch test it for sure.
Here is a wrap up of the almost white paint colors all over our home!
