Anonymous wrote:Eeehh, unfortunately the only way to pick a white is to bring in paint chips to your house. If you're worried enough about picking the right one that you're putting some research into it (i.e. you didn't just buy "white paint" and be done with it), then it will not suffice to take decorators' random online picks for white paints. I know this from experience. What is the "absolute, universally approved" choice for white looks like a light purple/grey in my house. What was the absolute, best, favorite grey in the world looks like a 1980s hospital blue in my house. How a color looks will depend on: the existing ceiling and trim color, the existing floor color (we painted our house with a crisp white years ago, before refinishing the yellow oak floors - the paint looked yellow, until the floors were changed - then the walls totally changed color against the new floors), your kitchen colors, the type of light you get, the colors outside your window. Just get paint chips and you will have far more success than randomly picking something based on recommendations.

This is the best advice you've gotten in this thread. We moved houses and the colors that we had loved in our old place with bright sunlight and east-facing windows don't work at all for our new house with huge trees and north-facing windows. Whatever you do, don't commit to a color until you have a) painted BIG sample boards with two coats of paint (Benjamin Moore sells poster-board sized paintable boards, small pint pots, and small rollers) and b) hung them in your house to see what they look like under your conditions.

When you sell -- are you moving your furniture out first or not? That may also make a difference. You don't need to pick the color that will work for a buyer's furniture or taste -- they can always repaint. You want to make sure to pick a color that will put your place in the best and most attractive light and having furniture or not will make a big difference in how the paint color reads.

Also, because buyers often expect to paint over, I wouldn't invest in the highest grade paint whether that is BM brand or the more expensive BM lines. You are staging to sell, not picking the paint that you want to live with for 10 years.

definitely listen to the PP who said you need to try paint samples or large chips in your place first. Depending on the light in your house, it can look completely different. I used the same color in my kids room as my kitchen - and I love the color in the kids room but it looks completely different in the kitchen and I kind of hate it there.

BTW - Simply white is a really bright white. I'd pick something with a creamier base to warm up the room. Go to the BM store - they have a brochure just on white paint that will help narrow down your choices. Many of the stores have a designer you can work with to help select colors for about $100 and then you get a slight discount on the paint. (Maybe 10% off?)

My parents had their condo painted, and my mom is scared of color. Most of the places was done in BM Linen White, which was meh to me, but they did a couple of rooms in BM Oyster, which look fabulous. Very bright, and has slight tones of gray and peach so it's kind of warm at the same time.