White Paint Pairing, Matching, etc HELP!

9 years ago

Hi! We are building a house (and therefore cannot test any colors, just rely on swatches. Which scares me to death). Our style is transitional/eclectic/modern and we want to go with white walls. Our builder uses Sherwin Williams paint, but I am not impressed with their swatches. I have some questions:

1- Does anyone have experience with Benjamin Moore's Chantilly Lace and Snowfall White? I like those two, but want to make sure if I choose them for the trim and wall that they will coordinate well. Are they both in the same "color family"?

2- I'm in a house now that the walls and trim are painted the same, but in different finishes and it looks dingy. I'm not sure whether that's because of the color or the fact that there is no distinction between the two? What should I do in this next house with more crisp whites?

3- Does anyone have any idea whether Sherwin Williams will even BE ABLE to match these colors? Their swatches all seem so much darker and more pigmented...

4- If they aren't going to be able to match it, what Sherwin Williams white will achieve the crisp white look without looking too cold? (My flooring choices are all warm medium browns and warm grey carpet, and my great room will be 2 stories with large windows but facing a northeastern direction.)

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Lori A. Sawaya

9 years ago

I picked up some more swatches and am now leaning toward Snowbound by Sherwin Williams for the walls and Chantilly Lace by Benjamin Moore

Yes, that works much better than Chantilly and Snowfall White.

Color matching can work out, have them mix and quart and see if it's a good enough match for you.

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Comments (6)

pkpk23
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
SW High Reflective White
PRO
Lori A. Sawaya
9 years ago
1- Does anyone have experience with Benjamin Moore's Chantilly Lace and Snowfall White? I like those two, but want to make sure if I choose them for the trim and wall that they will coordinate well. Are they both in the same "color family"?

Bonus points for thinking in terms of color family and not undertones.

They are in the same hue family - but - they're too close and too close in all the wrong ways. Mostly has to do with grayness (column "c") but it's a weird combination and the harmony is not right. Add in a factor of gloss, which alters color appearance, and I think it'd get really wonky.

Not just looking at the numbers, I pulled the chips too and I see why the numbers don't work out.

I'm not clear about what you want. Do you want a crisper "just white" on the trim and something with a little more chroma/colorfulness - or maybe a snidge grayer - for the walls?

If you could forget about paint chips and describe what you want, what would want for walls and trim?
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sesloop815
Original Author
9 years ago
Well based on internet photos, I really like the look of the white trim and seemingly matching white walls, but I'm not sure if that'd just look unfinished (to me), so I was looking for a wall color that was just different enough to not look accidental, but not so different as to make it look obviously grey. We will have grey kitchen cabinets and grey carpeting, so I don't want to overload on grey with walls too. We also have a very open floor plan with lots of windows on the N/NE side of the house, so I'm trying to make sure the white I pick doesn't make it look too cold/stark.

I picked up some more swatches and am now leaning toward Snowbound by Sherwin Williams for the walls and Chantilly Lace by Benjamin Moore (I'm hoping to get SW to color match it since I'm afraid the closest SW comparison--High Reflective White--might be too stark?)
theclose
9 years ago
I have chantilly lace trim. True bright white. Love it.
User
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I would probably do Snowbound in flat and the same color on your trim but in satin or semi-gloss. I have Chantilly Lace on my bathroom trim since I have white/gray color tile and quartz and I didn't want off-white. Chantilly Lace may be too bright for your warmer furnishings. Definitely try some on the walls first.