Choosing Paint Color

You want to paint it white… the walls. But which white should you choose?

This article will give you an idea of how many choices of white you will have to choose from…

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I wanted to paint my walls white. How hard could that be? You go to the paint store, buy a few gallons, and slap it on.

I did that first part: I went to a paint store.

But when I told the salesman I needed white paint, he pulled out that color chart that opens up like a fan to reveal six hundred different shades of white and throws you into a full on panic attack. (I’ve never responded well to a multitude of choices.)

“Can you narrow it down to, say, the creamy ones?” I asked.

The salesman licked his fingers and snapped shut about a third of the Panic Color Wheel, leaving me with only about 400 decisions to make. I grew a whiter shade of pale and moisture sprang from my armpits. Clearly this was too much for me.

I went home and launched a large-scale obsession.

• I asked friends and relatives for their thoughts on white paint.
• I visited my neighbor on the pretext of borrowing a can opener and secured the name of her paint color.
• I called a hotel where I’d once admired the bedroom walls.
• I asked the bookseller, the neurologist, the florist, anywhere I saw a good white, I asked someone what it was.
• I went online, did some social networking, picked the brains of people I do not know.

When I’d finally assembled a group of color candidates, the wall of my dining room became a patchwork of samples, which I checked on at different times of day as the light shifted.

I also painted the colors on white Bristol board and carried the samples from room to room. I made decisions, booked the painter, panicked and un-booked him. I threw away rejected colors, and then, in a frenzy of uncertainty, re-bought them for another look.

I kept all this activity covert, under my husband’s radar, so he wouldn’t have me committed. I did eventually make a few selections, and it worked out all right, if not perfectly. (One room suffered through two repaints.)

I offer here a list of my top choices of white wall paint (which are really almost-but-not-quite white) from a variety of manufacturers. This will save you weeks of trial and error, time better spent mastering the tango, buying a new garden hose, or writing your congresswoman. (If you do write her, please ask what color she painted her bathroom.)

Benjamin Moore ($20-$50 per gallon)
I used both “Oatmeal” and “Linen White,” the latter being more yellowy, the former more, well, oaty, but both nice colors.

“Swiss Coffee” is another one I have used, which is like white with a little splash of espresso. “Alabaster” is a good B.M. color for trim, also.

Donald Kaufman ($90 per gallon)
“#28″ is a beautiful creamy white my sister-in-law has all over their house. I was too cheap to buy it, but D.K.’s paint is amazing, more like light than paint, so you might want to splurge in a room or two.

Farrow and Ball ($70 per gallon)

This manufacturer makes my favorite colors, all of which have inspiring names.

It’s pricey, so I limited myself to using “Matchstick” in my office only, but if I were going to splurge I’d have also gone for “Satin Slipper” or “Clunch,” colors so interesting they inspire conversation.

YOLO ($40 per gallon)
If you are in eco-friendly mode, these paints are non-toxic and low VOC, and Air.01 and Air.02 are lovely whites.

Restoration Hardware ($32-$36 per gallon)
“Mediterranean White” and “Buttermilk” are good choices and reasonably priced, and “The Right White” is great for trim. Visit paint colors for further information.

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