Kitchen and dining area with Natural White walls, bench backing and ceiling and including timber pantry and dining table.

Choosing the right white

Painting your house white sounds simple enough, but not all whites are created equal. There are a multitude of white paints to choose from, and you’d be surprised how even a subtle difference can change the mood of a room. By Lucy Feagins – Founder, The Design Files. Photograph: Caitlin Mills. Colour featured: Natural White™

The key consideration when choosing a white paint, is the undertones. Generally speaking, whites will have either warm (yellow) or cool (blue) undertones. Your choice will come down to personal preference, availability of natural light, and the unique style of your home.

Kitchen with Vivid White coloured walls and timber stools and dining table

A crisp white with a cool undertone tends to pair well with concrete, steel and stone. So in modern, architectural spaces, this is a great choice. Dulux Lexicon is an excellent choice for contemporary spaces – seen here in a sleek, renovated home. If your home lacks natural light, a white with a yellow or cream undertone is also a good choice, to add warmth and a subtle, sunshine-y feeling to the space.

Dining room with Lexicon coloured walls, large white paper light and marble table
Heritage kitchen dining area with white tiles, walls and ceiling and timber butchers bench, dining table and hutch.
In heritage homes with a little more character, consider a white with a yellow or beige undertone, which pairs well with period features, and textural, natural materials such as timber. Dulux Natural White is a fail safe option if you’re after a creamy white in an older style home, as seen in here in a nostalgic family home, with its period features, neutral palette, and antique furniture.

When it comes to exteriors, as a general rule, cool whites tend to be most popular, as they are crisp, clean and neutral, and pair easily with deeper accent colours on doors, verandahs and roofs

House exterior painted Colorbond Surfmist with green grass

It's not just about the colour of the paint though, it is also about the way it reflects light. So, after narrowing your choice down, use sample pots or A4 colour swatches, to try the colours out at home, paying attention to the way each white responds to the light at different times of day.

Living room with Natural White walls offset with black window frames and dark wood furniture

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Disclaimer

Colours displayed should be used as a guide for your colour selection. To ensure best accuracy, test your colour choice at home by ordering Dulux Sample Pots and A4 Colour Swatches.

*Stickers not suitable for render, uncoated cement and rough pine. #Solar Absorptance values are applicable to standard paint coatings. Contact Dulux Help and Advice for further information.

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