White paints may be sophisticated. And imagine me, we’ve tried various over time. Over a decade in the past, we lastly landed on Benjamin Moore’s Merely White (OC-117) as our favourite go-to white paint. It’s a heat and vivid white that we put all over the place: partitions, trim, doorways, and cabinetry. Case closed, proper? Properly, it’s not fairly that easy…
What makes BM Merely White a well-liked white?
Selecting the proper white paint to your house is tough as a result of a real “easy” white doesn’t exist. And even when it did, you wouldn’t need it in your partitions! The greatest white paints usually have hints of black and refined colourful undertones like yellow, inexperienced, or pink. You might not discover these hues at first look, however they’re the qualities that hold white paints from trying too stark or too blindingly vivid in your house. It’s additionally why there are seemingly countless choices to kind by.
Merely White has earned a status for being one among greatest white paint colours on the market. It was even named Benjamin Moore’s 2016 Colour of the Yr resulting from its recognition and flexibility. Designers flip to it when on the lookout for a vivid, heat white that can be utilized on nearly any floor in a house. However after utilizing it for thus lengthy ourselves, we now have found it does have drawbacks.
Is Merely White heat or cool?
BM Merely White is a distinctly heat white, making it a good selection for partitions, trims, cupboards, and extra. Cooler whites usually make interiors seem stark and sterile, so most specialists choose heat whites as a substitute. It’s additionally the rationale we selected it because the trim colour all through our total house. We knew it will be the proper complement to the greige paint we used on lots of our partitions, Edgecomb Grey (HC-173).
You can even think about how a cooler white paint may conflict with lots of the heat tones in our bed room – just like the rust-colored rug, gentle taupe headboard, and off-white dresser.
What’s Merely White’s undertone?
Merely White has seen yellow undertones. That is what offers it the refined (however distinct) creamy heat many search in a white paint. The yellow undertone isn’t robust sufficient to veer it into off-white territory, however in sure lighting (like rooms with low or synthetic gentle) the yellow can change into extra pronounced. For a lot of, this makes Merely White an incredible, cozy white.
Within the photograph above, you’ll be able to see the yellow undertones of the built-in bookshelf, which seem hotter than the kitchen cupboards within the background. These are a cooler, stock-white end.
Does Merely White look dingy and yellow?
Merely White can typically seem too yellow for some individuals. Whereas it’s vivid sufficient to keep away from trying dingy, it will probably look off-white or cream in sure circumstances. So if that is one thing you’re involved about, we advocate utilizing one thing like Sherwin-Williams Pure White as a substitute.
In our expertise, Merely White appears yellowest underneath these circumstances:
- In north-facing rooms with little pure gentle
- When paired with cooler wall paints, accent colours, or wooden tones
- As paint ages and yellows over time
We discovered a few of these classes the laborious approach in our front room (beneath) which skilled a little bit of all three. The beams, partitions, and fireside are all painted Merely White. The ceiling beams had been particularly vulnerable to a yellow look since they acquired the least quantity of pure gentle of any floor within the room. Take a look at the ceiling trim within the high left nook of this photograph:
To keep away from this pitfall, we discovered Merely White labored higher in brighter south-facing rooms – like our daughter’s room beneath. By utilizing it on the trim in addition to the partitions, the entire room achieved that crisp white look we wished.
We did finally repaint her partitions a comfortable greige (BM White Heron OC-57). Not as a result of we disliked the white partitions, however as a result of we had been giving her room a basic refresh as she received older. The trim remained Merely White as a result of it labored so properly as a crisp distinction to her colourful door, pink ceiling, and taupe partitions.
Merely White labored properly for us in the house pictured on this put up. However its tendency to look too yellow in sure lights brought on us to maneuver away from it in our present house. That is the white paint colour that we choose to make use of now.
What’s the LRV of Merely White?
Benjamin Moore Merely White has a Mild Reflective Worth (LRV) of 89.5. This quantity is a standardized approach to measure the quantity of sunshine a floor displays, with 100 being the very best (pure white) and 0 being the bottom (absolute black). It’s a helpful metric when evaluating paint colours, particularly white tones. With a rating close to 90, Merely White is without doubt one of the brighter white paint colours obtainable. That’s the way it achieves that crisp, clear white tone that folks search.
This excessive LRV additionally makes it an excellent candidate for lightening up areas that are typically darkish, like closets, hallways, or loos.
The place do you have to use Merely White?
This white paint has many good qualities that make it a robust candidate for many makes use of, so let’s go over just a few.
Merely White as a trim paint colour
In our expertise, Merely White works greatest as a trim or molding colour in rooms with different heat undertones. It offers that crisp white distinction that helps different accents within the room pop, like taupe partitions, conventional rugs, honey toned woods, and heat metals.
Within the house pictured above (our earlier house), Merely White is used as an entire home trim colour. It’s a straightforward, no-brainer alternative for trim.
Merely White as a wainscoting colour
Merely White is a unbelievable crisp white for adorning moldings and wainscoting, just like the one we selected for the eating room proven beneath in a showhouse that we designed. It was additionally used for the trim and ceiling on this area. It’s an incredible trim alternative for highlighting your wall colour or different colourful equipment. For instance, we paired it with deep heat grey partitions, Benjamin Moore Kendall Charcoal (HC-166) and colourful artwork.
We advocate utilizing high-quality paint like Benjamin Moore Advance for trim, wainscoting, cupboards, and doorways. Decrease-quality paints can yellow sooner and intensify its inherent yellow undertones.
Merely White as a door colour
We love Benjamin Moore Merely White as an inside door colour as properly. It is going to give your doorways a clear, crisp look with out leaving them trying unpainted. It’s a unbelievable possibility for a basic vivid white door that may pop towards different surfaces in your room. You possibly can see beneath how we used it on this frosted glass door to our lavatory in our former house.
Watch out when utilizing Merely White on exterior doorways, although. Out in direct pure gentle, vivid whites like this could seem too stark and blinding. For exteriors, we advocate white paints with a decrease LRV, like Benjamin Moore White Dove (OC-17) or Benjamin Moore Snowbound (7004) (which we used on our former house’s trim).
Merely White as a cupboard or built-in colour
Utilizing Merely White on cupboards is an effective way to realize that basic white kitchen look. The identical goes for built-ins like bookcases, pantries, closets, and mudrooms. Its yellow undertones hold cupboards and built-ins from trying chilly or grey, white the excessive LRV nonetheless offers a vivid, crisp white.
However keep in mind that in north-facing rooms that are typically darker, Merely White can seem barely creamy or yellow. This additional heat could be a profit to some, however for those who choose a white with fewer undertones, take into account Sherwin Williams Pure White (SW 7005) as a substitute.
Merely White as a wall colour
Benjamin Moore’s Merely White could be a tough wall colour. In lots of areas, it’s an effective way to get a clear, trendy white that’s nonetheless heat sufficient to really feel stark. We particularly like it in rooms which are south-facing or obtain good pure gentle. In our daughter’s room, it was the proper backdrop for a colourful, playful youngsters room.
The tough half is when Merely White is utilized in lower-light rooms or areas that includes cooler colours, like this house workplace from our Showhouse beneath. The porch exterior this room brought on it to be darker than we anticipated, and when paired with the blue ceiling, Merely White seemed yellower than we’d hoped – you’ll be able to particularly see the yellow undertones within the doorways within the photograph beneath:
Shiny white partitions additionally are likely to replicate the colours round them, like in accent partitions or daring furnishings. You might discover the teal ceiling casts a little bit of inexperienced on the high of the partitions within the workplace above. Whereas the roses and pinks in our daughter’s gave Merely White a reddish undertone.
Merely White as an entire home colour
Merely White is an efficient complete home colour for those who’re snug with is variation in several lighting, notably its tendency to look creamy and off-white in decrease gentle. We used it within the open-concept front room & kitchen of our Showhouse. It gave the home the intense, trendy, and colourful aesthetic we had been looking for.
You possibly can see extra rooms on this Showhouse we designed by watching the video tour beneath. It could provide you with a greater concept of how Merely White performs as you stroll by the open dwelling area.
Be aware: You can even watch this video on YouTube.
For our present house, nevertheless, we determined to decide on a whole-house white paint with much less noticeable yellow undertones. It’s now our high advice for a whole-house white paint colour.
Evaluating Merely White to different standard whites
One other approach to determine if BM Merely White is the appropriate match to your house is to see the way it compares to different standard white paint colours that specialists use over and over. As you’ll be able to already see, slight variations in undertone or brightness could make an enormous distinction.
We’re utilizing the paint producers’ internet colours to match these white paints as a result of they supply an apple-to-apples distinction. Nevertheless, it’s really useful that you simply check a brand new paint colour in your wall earlier than portray your full area. You can even order pre-printed paint pattern stickers, which is a fast, straightforward, and inexpensive approach to check these standard white paint colours:
Merely White vs White Dove
Benjamin Moore’s Merely White and White Dove (OC-17) are sometimes urged as options to one another. White Dove has very comparable yellow undertones, however its decrease LRV (83) makes it barely darker. Meaning it could seem as a really muted tan or gentle heat grey in some areas. It’s a nice substitution for anybody who worries Merely White is simply too vivid or stark for his or her style.
Merely White vs Pure White
Sherwin-Williams Pure White (SW 7005) is much like Benjamin Moore’s White Dove. It too is darker than Merely White, which prevents it from trying too stark or vivid. Nevertheless, its beige undertones are a lot subtler, so it reads nearer to a real, clear white. Use it if yellowing is a priority for you, or if in case you have cooler tones in your area. We’ve got extra details about why Pure White ranks as one among our high white paint colours.
Merely White vs Chantilly Lace
Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace (OC-65) is Merely White’s cooler cousin. Cooler, as in it has barely grey or blue undertones. It’s simply as vivid and crisp, however with out the hints of yellow. It pairs properly with different cool-toned decor, however in some areas could lack the coziness of hotter whites.
Merely White vs Alabaster
Sherwin-Williams Alabaster (SW 7008) is kind of completely different from Merely White. It’s a lot darker and noticeably hotter, giving it a distinctly off-white or beige look. The 2 share comparable undertones that means they might work properly collectively, like Alabaster partitions with Merely White trim.
Merely White vs Greek Villa
Sherwin-Williams Greek Villa (SW 7551) is one other standard off-white that may be paired with Merely White. Each have heat undertones that complement one another, however Greek Villa has some hints of pink that can provide it a slight pinkish hue in sure lighting. Take into account Alabaster as a muddier different for those who’re on the lookout for a light-weight greige.
Merely White vs Swiss Espresso
Benjamin Moore Swiss Espresso (OC-45) is one other nice complimenting colour to Merely White. It’s a bit darker and has hints of inexperienced, which might cool its heat ever so barely. It’s nonetheless firmly within the heat white class, and will even tip over to off-white or gentle beige, particularly if paired with a brighter trim white.
Merely White vs Cloud White
As a result of Benjamin Moore Cloud White (OC-130) is barely darker and barely creamier than Merely White, is extra more likely to appear as if an off-white in your area. We propose sticking with Merely White for those who’re looking for a real heat white, however take into account Cloud White for those who’d like a basic vintage white really feel or have a number of heat finishes in your area.
Merely White vs Decorator’s White
Benjamin Moore Decorator’s White (CC-20) is a distinctly darker and grayer white than Merely White. Due to its slight blue undertones, it doesn’t run the danger of trying yellow and might pair properly with different cooler-toned paints. Nevertheless, it could seem too grey for some. A brighter white like Chantilly Lace could also be a greater cool different to Merely White.
Merely White vs Further White
Sherwin-Williams Further White (SW 7006) is one other nice cool white different to Merely White. Is it barely darker, however nonetheless seems like a crisp white when used on partitions, trim, or cupboards. It doesn’t have robust undertones, which additionally makes it a versatile white alternative for those who fear about Merely White’s tendencies to look yellow.
Remaining issues
Benjamin Moore’s Merely White is a strong alternative for a vivid heat white. We used it all through two completely different homes: on partitions, trim, doorways, cupboards, moldings, and extra. In doing so, we ran into a few of its drawbacks and limitations. It tended to look creamy and off-white in rooms with out good pure gentle. And after a number of years, the inevitable yellowing of previous paint compounded this concern.
In order a lot as we swore by Merely White for thus lengthy, we moved on to a white paint we like higher for our new home.
Extra paint colours we love
You possibly can take a look at extra of our favourite, go-to paint colours by touring our houses within the menu on the high of our weblog (right here’s the house featured on this put up) or looking our Portray Initiatives part. We’ve additionally written deep-dives on a few of our favourite paints:
*This put up accommodates affiliate hyperlinks, so we could earn a small fee whenever you make a purchase order by hyperlinks on our website at no extra price to you.
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