Benjamin Moore Cloud White Trim – I can’t believe it’s been years that I’ve never written about how to choose the perfect white color for your home. It is very easy for me and my clients because in my experience there are only 3 shades of white that I use, love and recommend to my clients to paint their jewelry. Today I wanted to share with you, in my opinion, the best paint colors for white paint and explain why we only work with these colors.
Over the years I’ve tried all the popular colors for white trim, as I’m sure you’ve heard. Benjamin Moore Dove White, Benjamin Moore Cloud White, etc. When I moved into my house in 2000, all of our trim was painted Sherwin Williams Dover White. 10-20 years ago, all contractors and designers used Dover White as their primary trim color. I still see home builders using Dover White finishes.
Benjamin Moore Cloud White Trim
Dover White is the worst white for finishing because it is not white and looks dirty, dull and dirty when finished. Did I mention laundry?! It does nothing to cut it and the color doesn’t enhance the room or wall color in any way. But on the contrary! By the way, Dover White can look very beautiful on the wall. I don’t hate this color at all.
Benjamin Moore White Dove: Why Is It So Popular?
White trim looks best when it’s a subtle crisp white contrast to the wall color, but not too bright and shiny white. The magic is in this subtle crisp white and the detail in the crown molding pops and the wall color is highlighted beautifully.
On the one hand, I always advise my clients to stay away from off-white unless they choose a white with a neutral undertone or decide to go with another color. Fortunately, I can convince them to go for Benjamin Moore (more on Just White below), which has a warm feel to it. If you’re really sure you want a white border, I have a trick to spot white/white undertones instantly.
There are really two conditions in the home that affect the gloss/sharpness of the white trim in the home; 1) The house is filled with natural light and 2) The house has little natural light. In homes with a lot of natural light, white is naturally brighter, so it’s important to choose a white color that has a very subtle hint of warmth that doesn’t get all the natural light. If the natural light is moderate to minimal, it’s important to choose a bright white color to help illuminate the space without glare.
To help you out, I’m breaking down the top three colors of white paint I use; 1) bright, 2) bright and 3) the brightest to help talk about you.
Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee Paint Color
In rooms where the house is filled with natural light (which I rarely see), I recommend Benjamin Moore Simply White because it’s a soft white with a very subtle neutral tone (although it’s a little warm). Simply White helps balance/diffuse a lot of light that can cause white finishes to be too bright. Simply White is lighter/lighter due to the abundance of natural light.
A client of mine recently built a home filled with incredible natural light. Strong natural light floods almost every room in the house and I advised my client to use Simply White for paneling and cabinets in her home to balance all the natural light making the white even brighter. As you can see below, even though plain white isn’t close to bright white mixed with natural light (and the lights are on), you can still get the amount of light you need.
One of my favorite simple white examples that I show my clients when they have lots of natural light in their home is this simple white kitchen below by Studio McGee:
Studio McGee’s kitchen has a lot of natural night and white color is absolutely perfect and not surprising! Not too bright and not too dark, and all the natural light just illuminates the white, which in a room with no natural light can miss the subtle white/yellow freshness.
Paint Colour Review: Benjamin Moore Classic Gray 1548
You’ll also notice how much natural light comes in through the windows and doors in the downstairs room (my client’s master bedroom). The simple white trim, doors and ceiling are light enough to complement this wall color (Sherwin Williams Sea Salt) for just the right shade of white. See how the white is still crisp but not too bright, and plain white has a neutral feel that resembles true white in natural light.
The downstairs office was painted with Benjamin Moore Beach glass and was one of the few rooms in my client’s home that didn’t have a lot of natural light. You can see that plain white is a bit dark. While it’s still nice and true white, it’s not as fresh as the rest of the house. However, I had to wear one color at home.
If my client had a home with little natural light, like the office above, I would suggest a decorator’s white rather than just plain white (see below).
In homes that don’t get a lot of natural light (probably most of our homes) I use and recommend Benjamin Moore’s Decorator’s Poem because it’s a nice, light neutral white (but not too bright). I use decorator white paint with crown molding, interior doors and cabinets to instantly brighten up a room and complement any wall color. There’s also that subtle freshness I mentioned at the beginning, it’s updated and fresh and helps make the space light and airy. Decorator’s White is a cool white with very little gray that is one of the most neutral whites I use.
Benjamin Moore Decorator’s White
In another client’s home below, we used Sherwin Williams Repose Gray on the walls of the house and all the paneling, cabinets and interior doors were painted in Decorator’s White. Although this house has a lot of windows and natural light, the house is surrounded by many trees and there are places where the natural light is not constant and strong.
You can see that the decorator’s white in this room is not white, but a really nice white with a subtle off-white. You can really see what I mean if you look at the kitchen in my client’s home where all the cabinets and crown molding were painted Decorator white.
For those wanting an even brighter/fresher white for trim, cabinets and doors, I recommend Benjamin Moore Super White. Personally, I think Benjamin Moore Super White is as bright a white as anyone should go (yes, there are pale whites). I love this color in rooms with little natural light and I want to illuminate things in the room a lot.
Below you can see how this dark hallway brightens up with Benjamin Moore Super White on the trim and doors. So fresh, light and totally up to date!
The 3 Best White Trim Paint Colors
You can also see below that Super White is a bright white that enhances the color of the wall.
If you’re looking for more tips on choosing paint colors or my “Go To” colors, you can find my list here. we could use it all day. It has soft shades that are invisible to the eye. You can use White Cloud for your walls and it will give you a beautiful white, cabinet or ceiling color.
It looks great in bright rooms, but can work well when there are shadows. It can look bad in rooms with very cold northern lights.
Cloudy white was the home color we chose as the main color. This gorgeous Colorado renovation features lots of windows and light in public areas, western views and dark hallways. In this house we used the same white color for the walls (eggshell), ceiling (flat) and panels (satin) and it never disappoints.
The 8 Best Benjamin Moore White Paint Colours
Please note: all color reviews reflect our color consulting projects and many of our photos are from our happy customers!
Cloud White has an LRV of 87.4, making it a soft white. This warm white enamel color has invisible dark tones. It is short for LRV
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