The Best White Paint Colors for Home Staging and Redesign

Designers, home stagers, builders, homeowners, and even social media influencers have gravitated in recent years towards white walls with accents of neutrals and charcoal. It’s a color scheme that is timeless and classic, yet fresh and crisp. But finding the perfect shade of white can be difficult. That's why we compiled a list of the best white paint colors for home staging and redesign to share with you.

We predict that the coronavirus pandemic will extend the lifespan of the white paint trend, as it creates a  perception of being clean and disinfected. Balancing with the warmth and texture of organic materials, like baskets and wood, keeps white from feeling too sterile and clinical.

So what is our go-to white? As certified Master Color Consultants® know, we get asked all of the time to just name the one-size-fits-all paint selection for every situation. Clients will call begging us to give them a color name over the phone. It’s always an emergency. The painter is coming in the morning and they need to pick something right now.

Don’t we wish it was that easy to choose paint colors?! Here’s the thing – and it may surprise you – white is a color. Actually, it is a rainbow of all colors. Sir Isaac Newton (ironically, while he was bored in the house during a flu epidemic) discovered that when you pass white light through a prism, it splits into the 6 major hues: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet.

So every white paint, unless it is a precisely equal blend of all of the colors, will have an undertone of one or more of those hues. The most commonly used whites fall into one of the following categories: blue whites, true whites, off-whites, and creams.

Pairing a blue white with a cream can cause the blue one to look a bit chilly, or the cream to appear dirty. Once you see it, you can’t unsee it.

At a recent Dr's office visit, we snapped this picture. If you weren't sick before you got there, you would be from seeing this! The blue wall is cool, while the baseboard is warm. The wall and door colors are a true white, making the baseboard and switch plate look dirty. 

Painting the baseboard a clean white and replacing the switch plate would make a huge difference in this space. 

The moral of the story is that the perfect white paint is the one that works perfectly with the other colors in the space. It must be chosen in the context of the lighting and hard surface selections that it must coexist with. A white that looks clean in one setting will read as blue in another. One that appears warm in one home will appear dingy in another.

Okay - but you came here for some direction on a great white backdrop for your home. So with the above disclaimer, click here to download a list of the best white paint colors for staging and redesign.

Staging Studio is the leading training provider and resource for the Home Staging industry. Click here for more info on our courses, including our online Master Color Consultant® course.