About 2 years ago, I wrote my first and only blog post that ever went viral:
Why this is the only gray paint color you’ll ever need
It wasn’t anything special, but I suppose the amount of views the post receives each day proves that the 50-shades-of-gray-paint trend is still alive and well. I spoke about trends last week, so I’ll keep my mouth shut today 🙂
In what will most likely be a failed attempt to reproduce virality, we’re jumping off that gray trend train today so I can share the only beautiful, classic white paint you will ever need.Â
I was convinced that I would never find the perfect white paint color for our dark and dungeon-like northern-facing living room, but I eventually found it after multiple failed efforts, and it’s been painted this *perfect* white for nearly 2 years now (even though I’m planning on painting it again, but that’s another story which I’ll save for another day).
I feel compelled to write about it today is because it truly is the perfect white paint color and works 95% of the time, no matter which direction your room is facing.Â
White Dove is very soft with a touch of warmth, yet not too cool or too stark and sterile.
It’s rare for a white paint color to look good in a northern facing room because of the dark and cool, gray-ish light. What’s interesting about our living room is that our 24-foot long wall extends to Narnia and our dining room, which is southern facing. And this paint color looks fabulous in there too.Â
I took these photos so you could see White Dove unedited. Our living room has a large tree in front of the window, so there’s a slightly green-ish tint there.Â
With an LRV of 85, it’s not superrrr bright either. You may love the super bright, super white look, but if you’re trying to brighten a naturally dark or northern living room with a bright white, it won’t work. White Dove is the best you’re going to get. You can pick and choose your battles, but not with father science. Trust me, I’ve tried. He’s an a-hole.
White Dove walls and ceiling on a sunny day in our northern living room.
For example – in our northern living room, Chantilly lace looked horrible – like a muddy, gray-ish blue, but on the cabinets in our southern kitchen, Chantilly Lace looks amazing.Â
Some more examples of White Dove:
Personally, I prefer a warmer white, like my favorite CREAMY white paint color – Farrow and Ball White Tie. In doing some research on my favorite paint color resource – Encycolorpedia – Behr Eggshell Cream has an almost identical formula to White Tie, and I can confirm, it’s just as pretty and more than half the price at Home Depot #themoreyouknow. So if you’re looking for a warmer white, I highly recommend White Tie or Eggshell Cream.
Have a fabulous rest of your week!
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Thank you Alisa, you have probably saved me some disappointing results!
I have been thinking about painting my paneled living room white for a few years, and have been waffling on choosing a white color – I have pinned many white paint ideas, but not yet pulled the trigger! I know you really think through [ 🙂 ] and test options, so your opinion is valuable. My living room is about a story up with both east and north facing windows, and the trees give lovely shade and privacy in summer, and also make the room much darker in summer, winter is much lighter when the leaves are gone. So I have a similar cool, green tinged light that you do.
I am so glad you wrote this, thank you for the article!
~Deborah
It sounds like we have very similar living rooms! I don’t think you will be disappointed with this paint color. Good luck and thank you for reading! ????
Hello there found your blog searching for white paints and northern facing areas and I must say it’s frustrating! Glad I ran into this post 🙂 Been thinking about alabaster and pure white too. Would you mind answering a quick question? What would you do if your living and formal living room were connected (but separated by a wall with an arch) one was north and the other south facing? Would you paint them both the same shade of white or one cool and the other warm white? I have this problem and it sucks. Currently I have Benjamin Moore abalone in both and they look nothing alike. In my northern living room it goes purple while the other side looks much warmer. I thought it would be nice but once everything was finished I realized I hate purple undertones smh Just wondering what you would do if you had this issue. Any help would be appreciated.
I’m having the exact same issue.
I have a sample of white dove on my northwest facing kitchen cabinets. Mainly north..what accent color would you suggest for the walls and ceiling? My trim is simply white? I really want to stay away from anything grey or that will cast grayish tone. Leaning towards and all white toned kitchen with a bold earth toned stand alone pantry and jewel toned back splash.
I I am also wondering what trim color to use with White Dove? We just painted our walls White Dove but struggling with a trim color.
Thought of a matte white dove on the walls with a semi-gloss white dove trim? It will give you just the right amount of contrast in most cases.
Thanks for sharing! I have been trying to decide on using a color or just a neutral paint. In our last home I went with color in a couple of rooms that made it harder to sell because buyers wanted more neutral colors. Seeing this post, I believe I’ll be going with white. We aren’t planning to sell for a long while, but I also don’t want to have to repaint if and when we do. We bought an older split level (a split wasn’t in the original plan when looking for an older home) and I found your blog while looking for ideas to do a little updating. Love to see what you are doing!
Hi! Great post. I have to weigh in after spending thousands in several epic BM paint disasters in my open concept kitchen/family room. Large windows but everything skews yellow or dingy for some reason. White Dove was too green/blah. Cloud White was too yellow. Simply White (painted throughout the rest of my first floor) I loved for its brightness, but the small wink of flourescent green/yellow still nagged at me. The winner? Behr Nano White (matte) from Home Depot. I read about it in another blog and decided to give it a go. Its super high LRV (91) so its very fresh and crisp with the tiniest wink of cream. – not yellow, not tan, not grey, not green – just cream. Its super gorgeous alternative for anyone who doesn’t like a cool white (Chantilly Lace felt too sterile to me). – if you are looking for a bright, fresh, crisp white that leans warm, NANO WHITE is it!
I’d love to see pictures of Nano white. What direction is your room facing? I’d like to paint my colonial in upstate NY white through out the whole house. I do have north facing rooms that I’m concerned with. One of the bedrooms has small windows and tends to be very dark. I love the coziness of this room, but need help with the color.
Thanks
What color do you recommend for trim?
Hi…I am wondering what was the sheen of the White Dove paint that you used in your north facing dining room?
Thanks,
Colleen
I love white colour, extremely! It’s need , clear and godly.
What white paint would you recommend for interior and exterior?
Curious what you think of simply white in a north facing room? Wouldn’t the warm yellow undertones counteract the blue tints?
Hi,
Thank you for the advice! If you painted the walls dove white would you also paint the ceiling, crown molding and casing in dove white?
@AGLASSOFBOVINO I too am trying to figure out trim and door color if I use BM White Dove on the walls in new north facing master bathroom remodel. Would you use same the same White Dove, a lightened strength of, or another color all together? Considering Chantilly Lace for the trim and doors. I love our new doors and wide trim and looking for clean, calm room with very slight pop of color for doors and trim. Help?! Thank you in advance.
I’ve painted white dove and it still feels too heavy for me…ugh! Maybe I’ll try Oxford white or the nano she suggested. I’ve got open concept but different exposures. If you do white dove walls do the the trim the same y’all. Also, SW has new line out with new whites so maybe one of those will be the winner.
Is the trim a different white? What is it, if so? Thank you!
Hello!
We’re wanting to repaint our hall bathroom. We want it to be bright and airy but there is no natural light in there. I thought about going with a white color for walls and trim but don’t want it to look cold and stark. What would you recommend?
It’s hard to tell without seeing the room. You can’t have a room without windows feel bright and airy – I recommend embracing the darkness and go with a darker color
I have two bathrooms without windows. I painted them both Chantilly Lace by BM. It is a bright, stark white, but without windows it feels warm and welcoming but still crisp and airy (LRV of 90). We love it!
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Will hale navy work with white dove and do you do the white dove on the trim?
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