We tend to think of white as the quintessential neutral color. However, there are hundreds of shades of white color, just flip a few color cards to get dizzy: there is pure white, a perfect white, but also toned whites to which color pigments have been added (yellow, red, pink, beige, gray, blue, green, etc.) These shades of white are sometimes so subtle that they are difficult to tell apart. So which white do you choose to dress your walls? Let’s make a color point.
Warm white or cold white?
Pure white is a neutral color. This is not the case with tinted whites, where we distinguish two main families:
Warm White: These are shades of white to which warm color pigments have been added, brown, yellow, pink, red, beige, etc. These warm white shades provide a warm and cozy look.
Cool White: You will understand that here we add touches of cool color, blue, gray, green, etc. These cool white tones bring a certain freshness to your interior and tend to be more contemporary.
How to choose a white paint adapted to the orientation of the room?
The orientation of the room is undoubtedly a point to consider when choosing the white color for your walls:
- A room facing north or east? The light in the room is naturally rather cold and blue. We therefore mostly prefer a warm white to compensate.
- A room facing south or west? Conversely, natural light tends to be warm and yellow. So we turn to cold whites to counterbalance it.
Over the day, natural light changes: to avoid unpleasant surprises, place samples of the white paints you have selected in your room and observe them several times of the day but also in artificial light to have a fair idea of the rendering.
How to choose a white paint adapted to the type of room?
The type of room is also important:
- In a living room or a bedroom, living rooms in which we rest or relax, we generally prefer warm whites which are welcoming and reassuring. But whites tinged with blue, green or purple are known to promote sleep.
- In a kitchen or bathroom, which are more technical and functional rooms, it is better to choose pure white so that the lighting is not misleading (however, choose bulbs that respect this neutrality) for cooking or for applying make-up.
