To paint the house just normal white?

[ShinyMatt]

Just moved. The house needs a total repaint.

I am not originally from the UK, and where I'm from walls are usually just white. Pure brilliant white. I like that look - white walls with colour for accent only - but I am from a hot, sunny place in a lower latitude, and I know colour can look different in different places.

I admit, friends and the internet have gotten into my head, with all their talk of pure white being too harsh, their talk of Timeless and Jasmine White and Egyptian Cotton and dozens of others.

Should I buy 10 shades of not-quite-white and try them out? I'm not sure I feel qualified to make a decision based on a swatch on the wall! I am not a great decorator.

The house is bright (when there's sun!) with one or two darkish rooms. It's an east-west orientation. It is currently painted white - it's chipped and dirty but it looks like plain white to me.

So... AIBU to ignore all decorating advice and buy a big tub of trade white and go for it?

Anyone out there with better taste than me and more experience, feel free to set me right.

You should absolutely do what you want. If you like brilliant white use that, if you like purple use purple. It's not up to anyone else to decide what you like.

Personally I don't like white or any kind of neutral coloured wall. I have a blue lounge and a green study and a green bedroom and a yellow kitchen. But that's me.

If you know you like white don't confuse the matter.

Do what you want. I personally like a hint of colour to distinguish the walls from the ceiling/woodwork.

Paint it white if that's what you want

And you can always repaint later if you change your mind or see something you like better

I like that too. And every time we have moved have painted the entire house white. It is not the British way so you will have laods of people telling you it's cold and clinical (scandi interior design says otherwise), but do what you want.

In the 7o’s Dulux had ‘white with a hint of ….’ which made it much easier to pick those pale colours.
Ive got a pale grey that actually looks purple 😡

I think pure white does look cold in the winter in darker colder climates, but there are many slightly off white paints that still look white but aren’t pure. If you were to describe my house you’d say white walls, but there’s actually a bit of grey in them, they still look white, not grey at all, but less harsh than pure white

Paint the whole house white. Later if any rooms feel like they need warming up or cooling down, you can easily just paint a subtle accent wall.

I like white. I'm shit at colours and I can't stand poor finishing between walls and ceilings or skirting boards so when they are all white it's much better. I can't then use pictures, curtains and furnishings for colour.

I don't find it stark, I find it clean which I like.

I personally like white! Any white!

Clinical or not, it looks clean and you can jazz it up with different colours and change the theme as often as you like without having to completely redecorate.

Do as you please, you have to live there - not them

I always prefer white walls (and white/neutral furniture) You can add colour with cushions/towels/duvet cover etc, depending on which room.

Love pure brilliant white tbh - it’s a classic and great to set off nice furniture against - go for it!
also very easy to paint over in the future if you need to…

I personally find white walls boring and like a bit of colour.....but would be a boring old world if we were all the same.

If you like white go for it. I'd buy basic white paint for the sunnier rooms and a white with a hint of warmth for cooler rooms w v little sun.

If you want colour later, it's not difficult ti change the rooms w a bit of coloured paint on the walls

I found the Dulux Visualizer app very helpful for visualising paint for our new house. We ended up with a dusky pink kitchen which actually looks nice and I would never have chosen otherwise.

My parents always went with pure white in our house when I was growing up. It looked very classic as they had a lot of dark wood furniture. It gave a cottagey feel. Just because everyone else has grey, doesn't mean you have to, you need to choose the colours you want to live with.

My son has this in a new built, although I'm not 100% sure brilliant white. It's possibly just 'white'. It looks lovely, they have wood floors and lots of plants.

No accent walls and not too many pictures either. The window dressing are plain too.

The house doesn't look at all cold. It look light and fresh.

I wouldn't worry at all about it looking cold in winter, that's what great lighting is for.

I wouldn't do accent walls either.

I think it depends on the lighting in your house. My hallway is white at the moment and because it doesn’t get lots of natural light, it looks SO drab because it accentuates shadows. I’ve got about a billion swatches stuck to the wall at the moment and have been taking one or two off at the end of each day after looking at them in different lights 😂

I love white walls in a light, bright house though.

I like a bit of colour but we moved house last year and it’s 100% white other than the two rooms we’ve decorated (now one green and one blue). I have a friend whose house is all white but she is quite clever with the colour accents etc in a way that I could never be.
So if you like white that’s fine and not particularly unusual in the Uk I don’t think.

Paint it white. It needs a refresh anyway. Then live with it a while.
See if you prefer something different after seeing the change of seasons.
But at least you have a fresh look now without using too many neurons to figure it out.

I agree that you should have whatever colour you want, but as you say brilliant white looks different (better) in different lights. It’s different with lots of sun, green landscape/ blue sea and blue skies. When it is reflecting grey tarmac and overcast skies is going to look quite different and probably cold, grey and possibly dingy. It might look like you want it to in your house, whatever other people think.

I can recommend Little Greene’s Silent White - Pale as a white that is slightly warm but looks (in my house at least) like a solid, bright, clean white that is lit by sunshine and blue skies (it isn’t!) It seems similar to Farrow & Ball’s Wimborne White but I haven’t directly compared.

My house is totally basic brilliant white in every room. Not my choice because its rented but it makes it really easy to clean and touch up and scuff marks. All of our furniture is colourful so it doesn't make it feel clinical and we use coloured led strips lights to bring more warmth or colour into the room which works even better on the white backdrop.

I had a bright white flat for a while and felt like I was living in a fridge. But I’m not you!

I think brilliant white is in fashion!
Go for it

I’ve painted my last two flats white.

I like it.

my accent colours come from textiles and art.

Entirely your choice, if you like it just do it. It's not for me, my house is probably too colourful for some, but these things are really down to you,your taste and personality.

Go brillant white ! Spend the money on dulex ‘once’ or similar. Worth the extra £££

I don't think it looks/feels best in British light, especially in winter. We lived in a rented house painted pure white everywhere, and it always felt unwelcoming and cold. It is absolutely lovely in Spanish houses and similar areas.

My house is mostly pale blues and greens, with a couple of rooms with stronger colours.