Picking out paint for your home is definitely a process. It can feel a little overwhelming because there are so many colors to choose from! Even within the same color family, there are endless hues and sheen options. Not to mention, you’re either spending a great deal of time painting yourself or money paying a professional to do the job. With that in mind, picking the right paint color the first time is so important!

I’ve learned a lot about picking paint colors over the past few years as we’ve transitioned our gray walls to white. You can see the paint colors in our home on the Shop Our Home page! We are currently updating the exterior of our home which means I had a very big decision in front of me. You definitely don’t want to mess that one up! 🙂

Today I’m sharing the color I picked and giving the reasons why, as well as sharing my favorite white paint colors and a step-by-step guide for picking the perfect paint for your home!

Our Exterior Paint Color:

House and Trim Color: Whisper White

Sheen: Flat

Wood Accents: Douglas Fir with 1 Coat Pickling White. 2 Coats Raw Umber (see this post for more details)

I mentioned on my Instagram stories how I was choosing between four white paint colors. Ultimately, I went with ‘Whisper’ for a number of reasons! The main reason is because we have white vinyl windows. Since we aren’t painting the vinyl, I decided it was most important for us to match the window color so as to avoid making the house look too warm or yellow. A contrast between the house and windows would’ve made the windows stand out, and I didn’t want to do that. While my first choice would’ve been ‘White Dove’, it looked too warm next to our windows so I prioritized matching the windows over simply selecting my favorite white paint. Additonally, we are painting our block wall as well. This wall leads into a white vinyl fence that is also the same color as our windows. Considering all that, I went with ‘Whisper’ and am so happy with how it turned out!

This really goes to show picking out paint isn’t just about looking at a swatch and picking your favorite hue. You really do need to consider the surroundings. lighting, and other factors that come into play! The exception to this rule would be if you’re building a new home or completing a full scale renovation. In that case, you would have a lot more freedom to choose your top pick when it comes to paint. But since I’m often working with the old and pre-existing features of our home (like our roof and vinyl windows), my decisions are made with more of a problem solving mindset.

If you’re currently looking to select paint for your home, here are my top white paint colors (with which you can’t go wrong) and a step-by-step guide to help you pick the perfect color!

Top White Paint Colors:

How to Pick the Perfect Paint Color:

1. Select Paint Colors:

Select 5-10 paint colors recommended by your favorite designers and bloggers. 1-3 of those may be what I call ‘wildcard colors’, or colors you picked on your own without any recommendation.

2. Sample & Test:

Sample each color on a small poster board so that you can get a feel for how it will look in your space. Move the poster boards around from room to room and view them at different times of the day so you can see how they look in different lighting.

3. Consider All Factors:

Consider all the factors that impact paint color such as the size of your space, lighting, surrounding greenery and landscape, existing painted structures (like furniture, windows, doors, trim, fireplace, countertops) and your decor style.

4. Evaluate:

Look at each color in the space you’ll be painting and pay close attention to undertones, which include both the temperature and the tint. Temperature: All colors will have either a cool (blue) or warm (yellow) undertone. I like to find one that lands in the middle! Not too blue and not too yellow, but definitely lean more towards the warm hues than cool ones. Tint: Colors also have a tint to them. If you look closely you’ll notice some colors appear more pink and others more green. Again, I like to find a paint color that lands somewhere in the middle. All of the white I shared today are very neutral in nature and are widely used by the design community, so you can feel safe picking a shade from that bunch!

5. Go With Your Gut

After going through these steps of carefully selecting, sampling, and evaluating your paint colors… go with your gut! There’s a certain element of design that requires us to be creative and tap into our instinct. There’s no right answer and no perfect paint color, so go with your gut and choose the paint color you’re most drawn to!

Hope this helps you find the right paint color for your home! Can’t wait to share more and reveal our front porch 🙂

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