Thank you, Bee! By bright I meant "not warm," even though Simply White is described as warm. Except for one room, with windows on adjacent walls, all my rooms have windows on one side.

However, I found this by Maria Killam (even before I read your reply,i in which you mention her. Isn't tht WILD?!):
http://www.mariakillam.com/2011/03/can-i-paint-my-walls-white-even-if-the-room-is-dark.html

According to her, in my space "creamier whites" (eg., Moonlight White and Cloud White) would read beigy or dingey--something I definitely don't want.

But your info proved the point further.

Thank you so much again!

You describe your floor as a medium dark wood and I think that might be what you have too give some more consideration to. I live/have lived in older homes for several decades now and I think if you want to be happy with your paint colors, you need to be working with the color of your woodwork/flooring.

It's difficult to find a color with a high LRV that works with a large expanse of darker woodwork that doesn't come off as cold. I don't even try anymore.

Older homes don't handle the "contemporary" whites like Simply white very well, IMHO. I painted my back hallway trim Ivory Tusk (walls Nantucket fog, encaustic floor) and it looks like a very bright white. You might want to experiment with darker whites. The darker floors will make them appear more like the whites you are after but they should feel warmer.

Thank you for that suggestion. The Simply White I have now isn't awful, so I think I'll live with it awhile (especially because I don't have the money nor the want to move out for three days again--I'm not a do-it-yourselfer :) .) If/when I repaint I will look at colors on a particle board with a lamp, as Bee suggested above.

Take a look at the affinity color Mascarpone. My FAVORITE Ben Moore white.

I like BM Cotton Balls. To me it is a very simple slightly off white.

We have BM Cotton Balls on all the trim & white cabs in our house. I don't know why it doesn't get more love. It's a clean, simple white to my eye. Very very close to "simple white" but with a little more glowiness. In my house, anyway.

Took this pic just now (6 p.m. ET) of my bedroom wall over my doorway. I used a flash but the pic is still dark. I have a crappy, stark overhead light that will be replaced. However, you can still see the differences between the colors.

Wall: matte Simply White
Trim: semigloss Super White
Chips above doorway (from left): Moonlight White, Cloud White, and Decorator's White

Again, I apologize for the quality of the photo, but I hope it can be of help to people who are also wondering about these colors.

Here is a link that might be useful:

I like whites in old houses very much! I painted my MBR BM Simply White about 2 or 3wknds ago. The reason that I'm not loving it is becuase it's not white enough but there are a whole host of factors that I can (and will) address before repainting. I love the Simply White on my trim but not the walls.

My favorite go to white is SW High Reflectance White but you are going in the opposite direction that I am. I want the brightest white possible.

In the pic that you posted my favorite is the Decorators White but that may not be what you're looking for. Based on your description of your ideal I'd go w/ the Cloud White. Looks really nice!

I'll have to try this again in the daylight.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Hi, just read your post. Yes, Decorator's White is pretty, but not warm enough for me. Love the Cloud White but rally don't want to redo my whole place again.

Awaiting new bedroom furniture. I'll compare colors against that, then maybe I'll redo just the bedroom in Cloud White (but leave the trim color). The master bath (which I can see into while lying in bed) and the inside of the bedroom closet are Simply White, but the two colors are so close it shouldn't matter.

Thank you for your help!

Ben Moore Mascarpone is my alltime favorite paint. I just bought a couple of extra gallons of it "just in case" I find something else to paint with it! It is just slightly creamy and seems to go with about everything.