Please help me find a white or pale grey paint for my lounge

[wonderwoo]

I have spent a fortune on paint testers for my lounge/diner - and I cannot find something that works. Please help me!

I am looking for a fresh white or pale grey. I currently have Dulux Timeless but it has a grubby look (it is probably actually quite grubby, but also never looked fresh anyway). I also have Jasmine white elsewhere and also find that the same.

I don't understand how colours/lighting works at all but the problem I have is that colours that look lovely elsewhere in the house always get a pinkish/lilacy tinge to them in my lounge/diner - in both natural light and more so when I have the lights on. Colours like look pale elsewhere look far darker too. I don't know why this is or what to do about it. My lounge diner is north/south facing.

Can anyone teach me why this happens? Or recommend a white or very pale grey that is really fresh looking?

I cannot keep spending money on testers and my lounge is looking like a badly made patchwork quilt with so many testers everywhere.

Thank you.

Well it seems.it's not just me who struggles with this then!

I had a wait for a month for some more funds in order to buy more testers. Managed to get three yesterday. Ammonite is quite beigey in my lounge. Polished pebble is a nice colour but a bit dark. I do like farrow and ball Wevet. It's very pale and I think I may go with that one. I need to see what it looks like in different lights though. It looked a bit gloomy tonight... but then it is gloomy weather so not sure many coloursuppliers would have looked fresh in that light. Sigh. So still no decision yet.

I want to try deluxe porcelain doll and a crown one (cannot remember the name at the mo) but couldn't get hold of them yesterday.

I am sure this shouldn't be this hard...

Thank you everyone again for your input!

I'm just about to paint my living room polished pebble and now you've all got me thinking I should try porcelain doll too..

Ha ha vacant. If you like it go with it! Don't get caught up in Tester hell.

I was excited to see Wevet looked fab this morning. Then went to the other end of the room and it looks lilac. I don't want lilac walls! Argh.

Used a few F and B greys but the one you are would probably like is Laura Ashley Pale Dove Grey. Have this in two rooms.

We have dulux polished pebble in our livingroom, gorgeous, has really lightened a dark space

Laura Ashley dove grey is amazing. I ran out of it and only needed a small amount more, so ended up taking a swatch in and getting b&q to colour match, naughty but it worked perfectly!

How light affects colour (regardless of the brand of pain you use!):-

www.farrow-ball.com/light-affects-colour/content/fcp-content

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We have Dulux Engraved Locket in our kitchen/extension and it's very light and soft pale grey

And the winner is (finally)...

Dulux Porcelain Doll. It's a lovely pale grey which doesn't turn pink/lilac/blue in certain lights. Perfect. Plus it's dulux so not too expensive but decent quality.

I really like Valspar Sleeping Inn too, but it does get a slight blue tinge and is a little darker than we wanted.

Thank you everyone for your input. Love mumsnet!

Now I just have to try and paint over a patchwork of endless testers!

Ah bloody hell. Looks like they are discontinuing porcelain doll! Argh. I can get it made up at a local ish mixing centre luckly, but not -so-luckily it is expensive to do.

So, I looked into Valspar Sleeping Inn and their paint will cost even more because its coverage is less so I need an extra tin. Plus there have been complaints that their paint smells like cat wee when the sun is on it and to be honest, I don't really fancy that. (I phoned B&Q and they say the problem is now resolved, but this was only done a couple of weeks ago, so I still feel nervous using that paint).

So, will probably spend a fortune getting dulux paint mixed up, but am a bit annoyed.

Yay! I'm glad you went for Porcelain Doll. We have it in our hall and landing and in dd's bedroom. It's a beautiful colour.

Following!

Following too. I'm torn between white and pale grey for my living room. I'm not a big fan of warm colours and really don't like creamy/yellowish/magnolia type colours.

My dining room has just been done in Dulux Polished Pebble which is lovely and subtle

I've just decorated a rental house and liked Farrow and Ball, CORNFORTH WHITE. It's come out the softest light grey tone and I want to do my own home in it now. I went to my local independent paint shop and got them to make it up for me in their trade paint at a fraction of the cost, beautiful.