Choosing a white that isn't cold

There are hundreds of whites because no white is neutral. Each has a little colour in it, and the light in your room decides which part shows.

Look at the light first

A north-facing room has cool, even light all day: a white with a little yellow or red in it keeps it from turning grey. A south-facing room has warm light: a cleaner white keeps it from looking cream.

Paint big samples

Chips are too small to judge. Paint a sample at least two feet square on two walls, one by the window and one away from it, and look at them in the morning and after dark.

Compare against something white

Hold a sheet of printer paper against each sample. The one that looks closest to “just white” next to the paper, without looking grey, is usually the one.

Trim and ceilings

Use the same white on the ceiling, a touch brighter on the trim, and the walls will read as one colour instead of three.