The Ultimate Guide to White and Off-White Paint Colours

Explore the best white paint colours for your home, get tips on warm and cool white hues, and more.

A bright loft living room painted in the same white hue using different sheens with a world map over modern wall-set cabinetry, a leather butterfly chair, a wood cocktail table with black candles, and several planters. A bright loft living room painted in the same white hue using different sheens with a world map over modern wall-set cabinetry, a leather butterfly chair, a wood cocktail table with black candles, and several planters.
<

The Ultimate Guide to White and Off-White Paint Colours

Explore the best white paint colours for your home, get tips on warm and cool white hues, and more.

Transcendent and timeless, white and off-white paint colours offer unrivalled versatility. With their underlying tonalities and natural reflection of ambient hues, however, choosing the just-right white is an enduring challenge.

Read on to find insights and inspiration on the white and off-white hues that will work wonders in your distinct space.

Most Popular Benjamin Moore White and Off-White Paint Colours

These versatile, tried-and-true white and off-white paint colours are long-standing favourites.

A sunlit, off-white painted entryway with vaulted ceiling, ornate chandelier, a woven beige and black area rug, and a dog looking in from one of two wooden front doors.

How to Recognize Undertones in White Paint

Most paint colours are created by using two or more colours. An undertone is created when there is a higher percentage of one colour over the other.

Warm white hues have undertones of red, orange, and yellow, resulting in a soft glow and welcoming vibe. Cool whites have hints of green, blue, and violet, resulting in crisp, clean and fresh spaces. When looking for the “just-right” white paint:
  • Visit your local Benjamin Moore store and pick several colour strips.
  • Layer them on top of one another at home.
  • Observe the difference between brightness levels and undertones.
  • View the strip’s paint colours against your home furnishings to find which white is most complementary.

Warm White Paint & Undertones

Warm whites include red, orange, and yellow undertones.

Red Undertone

Orange Undertone

Yellow Undertone

Cool White Paint & Undertones

Cool, crisp whites include green, blue, and violet undertones.

Green Undertone

Blue Undertone

Purple Undertone

A cozy, white-painted bedroom with white bedding and chairs, a bay window with white cushions, an antique dresser, and a vaulted white ceiling with a dark brown wooden beam, looking into a white bathroom.

Our Brightest, Cleanest White Paint Colours

“What is Benjamin Moore’s ‘most pure’ white paint?” We get this question all the time.

From hundreds of white and off-white colours, we’ve narrowed it down to Chantilly Lace OC-65 and Super White OC-152 . Both have little to no visible undertone, making them two of our “whitest white” paint colours.

We love Chantilly Lace and Super White for a few reasons:
  • Adaptability: Each effortlessly pairs with almost any colour combination.
  • Super Bright: Both are crisp, refreshing white hues.
  • High Light Reflectance Value (LRV): In colour parlance, a high LRV means they reflect a lot of light.
A hallway sitting area in a range of all-white hues with a two-tone painted wall, wall moulding, a paned window, white shutters, a white-painted spindle-back chair and wood floor.

Classic White Paint for Trim and a Look at Finish

Clean, white-painted trim is always a go-to. For ultimate continuity, paint all the trim in your home the same Benjamin Moore white paint colour. For finishes, we recommend:
  • Semi-gloss for trim and doors
  • Matte/Ulti-Matte or eggshell for walls
  • Flat for ceilings
Designers love using finish/sheen to differentiate any hue, including white or off-white paint colours.

High gloss: Turns up the drama and highlights architectural details. Offers greater durability.
Matte/Ulti-Matte: Provides an understated, elegant finish that pairs with rich surfaces like marble countertops.
Eggshell: A homeowner favourite for its practicality, eggshell offers a soft hint of gloss and an easy-to-clean surface.
Design professionals share their must-have whites and off-white paint colours.

Designers Share Their Favourite Benjamin Moore White Paint Colours

Finding the right white and off-whites is critical to interior designers. Check out the ones they turn to again and again in this video.

Designer favourites include Linen White OC-146, Atrium White OC-145, Cotton Balls OC-122, Chantilly Lace OC-65, and Steam AF-15, from the mix-and-match Affinity® Colour Collection.
A charming kids bedroom painted in navy blue and white with a bunk bed, striped rug and sliding white barn door.

A Crisp White: The Ultimate Colour Pairing

Colours that connect one room to the next, or "colour flow" is easier with white hallways, trim and doors. Brushing on paint samples—even when it comes to hallways, trim and doors—is always the best test.

Here, deep, rich Old Navy 2063-10 against crisp, white-painted trim, ceiling and farmhouse door, punches up this charming kids’ room.

The white paint in this room is elevated further with Advance® Interior paint. Advance cures to a furniture-like finish, and its durability makes it an ideal choice for doors, trim, cabinetry, and yes—bunk beds!
A living room painted in off-white with an arched fireplace flanked by branches in glass vases beneath a ceiling with exposed wood beams.

Pairing White & Off-White Paint Colours on Walls and Trim

Here, window trim in Morning Dew OC-140, a soothing cool gray with a touch of green, pairs beautifully with Steam AF-15. Other white and off-white pairings we love for trim and walls include: Explore the Benjamin Moore Off White Collection to find paint colour pairing recommendations, compare similar shades, and more.
A southern style house painted a stylish off-white with greenish gray undertones, light gray-green shutters and side fence, a brown front door, centre breezeway, front greenery and lawn.

The Power of Classic White Paint on Exteriors

A white or off-white home exterior is a longstanding homeowner favourite, standing out against surrounding landscapes. White-painted exterior siding, be it vinyl, wood, or stucco, provides a harmonious hue against which brick, stone and slate pops. Other hues we love for all-white home exteriors include Swiss Coffee OC-45, White Diamond OC-61, and Distant Gray OC-68.

Thinking of painting your exterior a deeper shade? White exterior trim adds clean crisp lines and highlights architectural details.
A gallery wall painted in fresh white with a slight pink undertone, a wooden console table styled with art frames and three off-white sconces.
"There are hundreds of Benjamin Moore shades of white. By viewing white paint colours next to one another, the undertone will become more obvious, making it easier to select a white option that leans warm or cool.”
—
ANDREA MAGNO
COLOUR & DESIGN EXPERT

Test Your White Paint Colours

White paint colours are especially prone to taking on different tonalities from morning to evening, under both natural and artificial lighting conditions.

Use brush-on paint samples, or reusable peel & stick paint samples, and live with your options for a few days before you buy.


A Benjamin Moore paint colour sample.

Buy a Paint Sample

Test your paint colours from morning to evening, under both natural and artificial lighting conditions.

Aura® Interior Paint

Aura® Interior Paint

The ultimate interior paint for breathtaking results.

Ideas & Inspiration

Spark your creativity with a range of design and colour ideas for your home.

A homeowner sampling different interior blue paint colours.

Ready to Explore?

Browse photos and gain expertise to create remarkable interiors and exteriors.