White paint exudes energy and brightens up a room

Designers and decorators will tell you that color is the fastest, easiest way to change the look of a room. But they usually mean any color but white. White is the fail-safe, fallback non-color. Or is it?

White exudes energy. It’s clean and bright, and nothing can bring light to a room or create an empty canvas for decorating as effortlessly as white.

Fresh appeal

If you’ve been trying to find a way to brighten up a dark room or lighten the heavy look of wood, a coat of white paint can often do the job. Dark, stained woodwork instantly becomes bright and light and opens up the room when it’s painted with a coat of semi-gloss white paint.

Use white paint to cover walls, woodwork and even furniture. So don’t be afraid to give your old cabinets, bookshelves, or side tables a coat of white.

Feeling extra adventurous? Try painting a piece of furniture or your doors and woodwork with a high-gloss white. It’s formal, uptown and so fresh and trendy.

Tinges of color

Contrary to what you might think, white often isn’t just white. All paints have some amount of color that leans more yellow, beige or ivory. Other whites might have a tinge of gray or blue in them. Some may have a hint of rose or peach. It’s important to understand what these shades will look like before giving everything in the room a coat of it.

One important consideration is the room’s natural lighting. The amount of light you have will affect the way the color reads, and a warm white could look yellow in low light and then bright and clean in morning light.

Warm or cool?

That’s why you should consider how you want white to look in your rooms. If you prefer a warm hue, choose a white shade that leans toward ivory, such as Dover White by Sherwin Williams. If you want a cool feeling, select a white paint that looks as if it came out of a Swedish design magazine. Benjamin Moore’s Frostine has a touch of blue or palest green. For something in the middle, look for a shade that balances the color undertones and appears clear, as does Decorator White by Benjamin Moore.

Another consideration is where you’re going to use that white paint. If you’re painting your walls, you might want to have undertones to your shade of white. But if it’s your kitchen or bathroom cabinets you want to paint, you might be better off choosing a white that’s balanced, versus one that’s too bright, too cool or too warm. Your local paint store can help you select the paint color and sheen that will work best for your decorating plans.

This story was originally published March 5, 2015 at 6:13 PM with the headline "White paint exudes energy and brightens up a room."