We all know that one of the easiest updates you can make to your house is to update the paint, right?! In fact its always the first place that I start. But, I’d be lying if I said that picking the perfect color is easy. There are SO MANY factors that come into play. but guys I’ve tested more paint colors than I care to count and today I’m dishing on my Fail-Proof hues!!
Over the last 15 years we’ve witnessed beige walls move into the grey territory and just the last few years it’s moving again into whites and blacks. It’s almost impossible to scroll through Instagram or Pinterest without seeing some variation of a modern farmhouse with white walls and black windows. Monochromatic is huge, and for good reason. It’s the perfect back drop for almost every style choice. I’ve said it for years, if you LOVE color like I do, white walls give you freedom to use ALLLLLL the colors. If you hate color, chances are great that you already are on team white walls. You just can’t go wrong. Or can you?
All of the colors below are described as white. 5 out of the 6 have White in the name, and on a wooden background they all look white.
Within every color are a whole range of undertones. These are the exact same colors on a white background! I mean, that is crazy right!?
What looks white by itself can look pink next to a truer white. So what if you want just white white? No blue, green. yellow, or gray tones. Just white. Sherwin-Williams Extra White SW 7006 is your answer. It the perfect shade of true white that doesn’t come off too cool.
Black is the exact same story. True black can be hard to find right?! My go to is Sherwin-Williams Tricorn Black SW 6258. It’s the perfect shade of warm true black. It doesn’t read blue or purple or brown just black. I’ve used it everywhere from my dining room walls (remember that?!) to the trim in our old house, to the workshop makeover at the Merc, to the doors at my in-law’s new house. Guys, trust me when I say it is THE BEST BLACK PAINT COLOR EVER.
What about everything in-between? I’ve so got you covered.
Iron Ore SW 7069 is my favorite charcoal grey. We used it at their new house in their office. Notice how great it looks with the Tricorn Black doors! (We also used it at the restaurant and have people asking about it all the time.)
One thing that we wanted when we were designing Alicia’s house was for the accent doors to feel special, so we went with a semi-gloss paint from Sherwin-Williams. But the thing we went back and forth on the most was what exactly to paint Tricorn Black SW 6258. Just the doors? The doors and casings? All of the trim work, including the baseboard? SO many options. Ultimately we decided to do the door and the casings black and the baseboard Extra White SW 7006.
Didn’t it turn out amazing!?? Huge thanks to Sherwin-Williams for sponsoring this post!
Hi there! Just an FYI, the above dining room walls link goes to the Sarah’s Waldo Kitchen which made me wonder, whatever happened to the ‘What’s Happening In Waldo’ series? I know renovations can be slow moving but I’d be interested to see where they are know.
I also have been wondering. What happened to Waldo?
Me too! I loved the Waldo series, any chance of an update?
When painting my walls white, do you use satin? when painting the doors black, what would you go with???
Hey Kat!
We used Satin on the walls and Semigloss on the doors!
Wow… Mandi you just made me realize how much impact “Only changing the colors” has…!!!
That charcoal grey is a definite turn on for me … thinking about trying it for my Office
will update you how it turns out… you are the expert.. i just wanna see how close i can get…. 🙂
I love me some white walls lol!
Also if you are having trouble detecting undertones you can go to the paint counter am deathly ask them to show you the “colors” that go into the paint and that’s a good way to tell 🙂
That is such a great tip!!
This is great timing bc we are painting our walls white in the next few weeks. My main hang up is the ceiling. Its white now, but do i carry the wall white over to the ceiling or leave it as is? In the photos above, are the ceilings the same as the walls?
Thanks!!
Yes its all the same color, the ceiling, the walls, and the baseboard
I painted my entire house extra white! No complaints here
I have 1970 ? wood kitchen cupboards..are quite Orange.. they’re mint.. what undertones will take attention away from the Orange.. can’t paint them old Dad is adamantly rejecting that…thanks
I find myself unable to leave your blog! I can’t stop reading it! I must say you have a very unique voice in writing, which I personally appreciate. Thanks again Mandi
Hi Mandi, we’re struggling to find a good and inexpensive brand for a modern gas fireplace like you have in your in laws home. Can you provide the manufacturer and model?
Thank you,
Nadia
What are your thoughts on SW 7757 High Reflective White? It seems even whiter than Extra White.
What white ceiling paint do you pair with the Sheraton Williams white walls? Thanks 🙂
Do you know what species of wood was used for stair treads and the other wood trim and shelves? I
Its Birch!
The picture with the Iron Ore walls and Tricorn Black doors – that Iron Ore color does not look as dark as the sample I have? Are you sure that is Iron Ore on the walls?
Yep! The lighting in your space may make it seem darker