White paint ideas for your home

Whites

Bright, fresh and versatile it is hard to go wrong with white in the home. When choosing a white, always try and get a feel for its undertones, particularly when using the paint with another colour.

It is always important to try a sample of different whites, as more than any other paint they can vary drastically with how they appear in different settings. The swatches from our Box of Colour are a great way to try many at once, or pick up a colour card if you’re just getting started.

Bathroom Walls in Holland Park™ No.5 - @laurabutlermadden

Kitchen Walls in Kensington Rose™ No. 22, Woodwork in Holland Park™ No.5 (Wood & Metal Matt) - @laurabutlermadden

WALLS & WOODWORK in Maugham White™ No.2, Floorboards treated with Earth Stain Chalk

WALLS in Hoxton Grey™ No.72, Woodwork in Pure White™ No.1 (Wood & Metal Matt) - @laurabutlermadden

Walls in Maugham White™ No.2, Stairs in Boathouse™ No.33 (Wood & Metal Gloss), Bannister in London Brown™ No.287, Floorboards treated with Earth Stain Chalk

Walls in Elgin™ No.20, Woodwork & Ceiling in Pure White™ No.1 - @laurabutlermadden

Bathroom Walls in Holland Park™ No.5 - @laurabutlermadden

Warm Whites

Warm white tones are great to balance a room and create a cosy and welcoming environment. Off-white paints with soft yellow undertones can work well in rooms with a lot of natural light, giving the room a glow and comforting feel. They also pair well with bolder warm shades such as yellows and oranges.

Warm cream-toned whites are often used to create calm and are incredibly soft on the eyes, perfect for any home environment. The warm tones can help to enhance the natural light in a white room.

Bathroom Walls in Holland Park™ No.5 - @laurabutlermadden

Walls in Lemon Salts No.43, Skirting & Window Frame in Hurlingham No.181, Beds in Lolly Pop No.275 (Wood & Metal Gloss)

Kitchen Walls in Maugham White™ No.2

Foreground Walls in Proper Blue™ No.67, Woodwork in Sorrel Green™ No.207, rear wall in Cotton Street™ No.3

Cabinetry in Greenstone™ No.190, Walls in Honest John™ No.58, Ceiling in Charterhouse™ No.4

Walls in Walpole™ No.42, Woodwork in Long Acre™ No.102

Walls in Walpole™ No.42

Cool Whites

Inversely to the warm whites, cooler white tones contain subtle blue-green pigment to cool the tone. They can be great for creating a minimal aesthetic, paired with darker shades in monochromatic colour schemes. Cool whites are often more likely to be perceived as a true white, making them great for neutrality, but also the opportunity to feel striking and add strong contrast.

A cooler tone is usually the best white paint to pair with bold blue and overall cool colours and gives balance to your interior design. An all-white colour scheme is great for a modern, open feel, and clean white tones with hints of green are a great contemporary wall paint.

Walls in Sloane Square™ No.92 Woodwork in Pure White™ No.1 - @laurabutlermadden

Walls in Pure White™ No.1 - @anne.nyblaeus

White in the living room

The living room is a great space to experiment with your interior design, and making use of paint colours that speak to you is a must. White can be useful in this setting as a wall paint, making the room feel more spacious and bright. Having white walls creates a blank canvas for you to introduce hints of colour in your furnishings and with different paint colours as accents.

The size of the room is also important to consider when choosing the right white paint. Smaller spaces can benefit from a cooler, crisp white tone, as they are less likely to feel clinical. Pure white paints such as Pure White™ No.1 will also work in these spaces, giving a brilliant white feel to the space. The exception to this is in north-facing rooms, where due to the lower amount of light they receive it can feel too cold.

For larger spaces, whites with warm undertones will help to make the space feel inviting - and avoid making it feel too empty and lifeless. Warmer white pains are also great for balancing artificial light, whilst giving a beautiful glow in natural light.

Walls in Sloane Square™ No.92 Woodwork in Pure White™ No.1 - @laurabutlermadden

Walls in Charterhouse™ No.4, Cabinetry in Bond Street™ No.219 & Alderman™ No.60 - @middletonbespoke

Walls in Walpole™ No.42, Woodwork in Long Acre™ No.102

Woodwork in Whitehall™ No.9, Walls in Charterhouse™ No.4

Walls in Kensington Rose™ No. 22, Cabinetry in Holland Park™ No.5 (Wood & Metal Matt) - @laurabutlermadden

Pure White on Woodwork

Pure whites on woodwork can work as a great contrast against wall colours. When looking for the perfect shade to match with a colour, white is easy to overlook, but a strong white often provides a great companion.

For DIY projects, white is an easy choice for floors, stairs, front doors and many more features. Once you’ve found the perfect white paint, you’ll want to decide on the finish, which can give it a much more interesting feel than simply white. At Mylands we offer three great finishes for wood - Matt, Eggshell, and Gloss, that all are great for both interior and exterior.