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Choosing the perfect warm white paint color for your home can be a challenge. The perfect shade will still look white, but have just the right amount of soft creaminess to it. The wrong shade will come across as too yellow or too cream or just too bland and be not at all what you’re looking for.
Like with any paint color, the different undertones of the paint itself as well as the exposure of your room play a huge role in how the paint will appear on your interior walls, trim, or cabinets.
Understanding Warm White Paint Undertones
When selecting a warm white paint color, understanding undertones is key. Warm whites are typically infused with hints of yellow, red, or brown, which give them that soft, inviting glow. However, these undertones can shift dramatically depending on the light and surrounding colors.
- Yellow Undertones: These are the most common in warm whites, providing a soft, creamy appearance. However, in a room with a lot of natural light, yellow undertones can become more pronounced, sometimes reading as too yellow.
- Red/Pink Undertones: These add a subtle warmth but can lean towards a peachy or rosy hue, which might be noticeable in certain lighting conditions. This undertone works well in spaces that need a touch of warmth without leaning into yellow.
- Brown/Beige Undertones: These create a grounded, neutral warmth that works well in both traditional and contemporary spaces. Brown undertones can help balance out bright light, making them ideal for south-facing rooms.
Practical Tips for Choosing the Right Shade Based on Room Direction and Lighting
South-Facing Rooms: These rooms receive warm, intense sunlight throughout the day, which can amplify the warmth of a paint color. A neutral warm white with a slight beige or gray undertone, like Sherwin Williams Alabaster, can help to balance the light and prevent the room from feeling too yellow.
North-Facing Rooms: Northern light is cooler and softer, often bringing out the cooler aspects of a color. To counteract this, choose a warm white with a yellow or brown undertone to bring some warmth into the space. Benjamin Moore’s White Dove is an excellent choice for these rooms, as its warm undertones can counterbalance the cool northern light.
East-Facing Rooms: These rooms get bright, warm light in the morning and cooler, softer light in the afternoon. A warm white with a slight pink or yellow undertone can help maintain a consistent warmth throughout the day. Consider Benjamin Moore Simply White, which adapts well to changing light conditions.
West-Facing Rooms: Rooms facing west receive warm, golden light in the late afternoon, which can intensify the warmth of your paint. A warm white with a neutral or beige undertone can help to tone down the golden glow. Sherwin Williams Greek Villa is a versatile option that works beautifully in these settings.
Natural vs. Artificial Lighting
Natural light is ever-changing, making it crucial to test your paint colors at different times of the day. However, don’t forget about artificial lighting, which will dominate during the evening and in rooms with fewer windows. Warm white paint can look dramatically different under artificial light.
- Incandescent Bulbs: These emit a warm, yellow light that can enhance the warmth of your paint color. They work well with whites that have beige or brown undertones.
- LED Bulbs: LEDs come in a variety of color temperatures, but many cast a cooler, blue-tinged light. To maintain the warmth of your paint color, choose LED bulbs that are labeled as “warm” with a temperature of around 2700K to 3000K.
Practical Tips for a Perfect Finish
Testing paint samples is non-negotiable. Order peel-and-stick samples from companies like Samplize and place them on your walls, moving them around to see how they interact with different lighting conditions.
Light Reflectance Value (LRV) is another critical factor to consider. LRV indicates how much light a paint color reflects, which can affect how bright or dark a room feels. For warm whites, I recommend an LRV between 80-90 to keep spaces feeling light and open while still maintaining warmth.
jenna’s Tip
I highly recommend picking up peel-and-stick real paint samples, hanging them on your wall and watching them throughout the day to see how the color changes. This will give you the best idea of what works in your space, before committing to the large purchase of gallons of paint!
To help you narrow down the best choices for warm white paint colors, I’m sharing the most sampled shades from both Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams over the past year.
1. Benjamin Moore Simply White
Simply White continues to be one of the favorite warm white paint colors, and is frequently chosen for cabinets, trim, and walls. With an LRV of 89.5, it is a bright white, perfect for walls and trim.
Yet, it’s not nearly as versatile as people say it is. In a room with a lot of bright natural light, it can be the perfect slightly warm white color that doesn’t wash out and look overly bright, yet in the wrong space, it can read very yellow.
My kitchen cabinets (although a stock color) were color matched to BM Simply White. They are the perfect soft, slightly warm white. This room is flooded with daylight.
However, in my son’s north-east facing bedroom, which is dark throughout most of the day, Simply White looks distinctly yellow, especially under artificial lighting.
Interestingly, most of the white furniture from Pottery Barn is painted Simply White, so if you have any of those items in your home it will give you a good idea of the color.
If you have bright white trim (especially of it’s a cooler white) and don’t want to repaint it, I would choose a color with more depth so that the different shades of white don’t clash.
Want To Sample Them All?
Ready to sample these colors in your own home? Purchase all these colors in one easy bundle of peel-and-stick REAL paint samples, delivered overnight from Samplize.
2. Benjamin Moore White Dove
As one of Benjamin Moore’s most versatile white paint colors, White Dove is a beautiful creamy white that works wonderfully in dark rooms or areas with lots of warm elements or wood.
It has an LRV of 83, putting it on the lower end of white, on the verge of being an off-white paint color.
It’s easy to see why it’s been favored by homeowners and interior designers so often, especially since it never feels super warm, though it tends to lean more on the warmer side than other whites.
It’s an excellent choice for creating a cozy atmosphere in your dining room, living room or master bedroom
I used BM White Dove in my north-west facing bedroom. Its warm tones counteract the gray cast the northern lights brings into the room, and the slight gray undertone stops it from ever looking to warm, even when the warm afternoon sunlight pours in.
BM White Dove can be paired with a brighter white trim (this room has SW Pure White) or the trim can also be painted White Dove in a higher sheen.
Want to know more about whether White Dove will work in your space? I have a full White Dove Paint Color Review that you’ll find helpful.
3. Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee
BM Swiss Coffee is known for its soft, creamy white that looks gorgeous in natural daylight. It has an LRV of 81, making it an off-white paint color.
For a brighter look, you can consider lightening it by 25%, like how Shea McGee did on her kitchen walls, which will bring it back to a white rather than an off-white.
Related: The Best Cream Paint Colors.
4. Benjamin Moore Atrium White
BM Atrium is a unique warm white because of its pink undertone. It has an LRV of 87.04, providing a slightly warm white that’s a good choice as a white paint color to pair with warmer-toned woods like cherry cabinets.
5. Benjamin Moore China White
BM China White, with an LRV of 85, is a versatile soft warm white that pairs well with various colors and styles. It is also known as Benjamin Moore Seapearl (OC-19).
It has a subtle greige undertone, without a strong yellow base. Its LRV of 85 puts it on the lower end of whites, almost making it an off-white paint color.
While China White would not be my favorite choice for trim and doors, it makes a beautiful soft white paint color on walls that can be paired with a brighter white like BM Chantilly Lace for trim. Plus, it’s a very versatile, classic shade that complements various color palettes.
6. Benjamin Moore Cloud White
BM Cloud White is a beautiful off-white that will definitely bring warmth to any room due to its yellow undertones. This color has been around for a while and its versatility makes it a great option inside your home. This sophisticated shade of white will bring a warm and cozy feeling to your space.
If you’re going to use it on your walls or cabinets, I’d suggest using the same color but different sheens for trim instead of other white colors, as it may be tricky finding the right balance of undertones.
7. Sherwin Williams Alabaster
Sherwin Williams Alabaster was the color of the year in 2016 and we see why! Sherwin Williams Alabaster is a popular warm white paint color, offering a creamy look that’s ideal as a neutral color for your home, blending well with both warm and cool tones for a perfect warm white paint color.
It technically has yellow undertones, but not so much that it will look bright yellow, thanks to a neutral base that cools it down just enough.
Need a more in-depth review? I have a SW Alabaster Paint Review that will help you decide on whether it’s the paint warm white for you.
8. Sherwin Williams Greek Villa
Give your home a cozy welcoming feeling with this neutral off-white paint color. SW Greek Villa is a creamy, soft white that has been listed as one of the top 50 paint colors, and I can see why!
It will make any room look much brighter and larger even if you don’t have much natural light, due to its high reflectivity.
See how this versatile, elegant, and timeless white can be used anywhere in my full paint review of Sherwin Williams Greek Villa.
9. Sherwin Williams Zurich White
SW Zurich White (SW-7626) is my latest paint color obsession. My hair stylist moved to a new salon recently and it’s painted this color. It is the most beautiful warm white with a touch of gray.
Pay attention to where the wall meets the white trim of the window and you’ll get a good idea of how it looks against white trim. This particular window is west facing and this was taken in the afternoon when the space was receiving a lot of warm bright sunlight.
I am thinking of so many places where I want to use this paint color!
Ready To Sample?
Ready to sample these colors in your own home? Purchase all these colors in one easy bundle of peel-and-stick REAL paint samples, delivered overnight from Samplize.
10. Sherwin Williams Dover White
SW Dover White has an LRV of 83, indicating it is on the lighter side but not as bright as some of the other whites I’ve already mentioned.
Dover White has a noticeable creamy, almost buttery undertone, distinguishing it from cooler whites. These warm undertones can bring a sense of warmth to a space, making it feel more inviting.
However, Dover White is NOT a good choice as a white trim color for a whole house. While it can be beautiful on walls, it looks dirty as a trim color so I would steer clear!
Dover White pairs beautifully with earth tones, soft greens, blues, and rich browns, offering a flexible palette for design schemes. It also works well with bolder colors, providing a soft counterbalance to vibrant hues.
FAQ’s
Yes, you absolutely can mix warm and cool tones, but there’s a way to do it. Even if you have other cooler colors in the home, you can definitely still look toward these warm colors to paint your walls white!
Warm southern light, or warm eastern light in the morning will bring out the warmth in an off-white color, while cool light (north facing for example) will be balanced by the warm tones, stopping a room from feeling too cold and drab.
I’d love to hear about your experiences with warm white paint colors. Have you discovered a shade that transformed your space? Share in the comments or join our subscriber list for more color insights and tips.
