White Exterior Paints to Sample & Snowy White House Gallery brings ideas for mostly traditional style homes and shares a few tried and true favorite colors. (You’ll even find our former home with ideas to get this custom color.) I’ll share the exact paint colors for the ones where it was shared as well as suggestions when you just need a place to start.
White Exterior Paints to Sample + Snowy White House Gallery
Almost every day is another paint consultation with a follower! Since there are always so many questions and so much anxiety (because who wants to mess up their exterior color and curb appeal!), it seems there’s never a bad time to share more ideas.
Benjamin Moore Balboa Mist 1549
One of the factors a lot of homeowners don’t consider when choosing an exterior color is how it’s smart to take into consideration the quality of light where you live.
And I don’t just mean which direction your home faces. Even the part of the country where you live is going to influence the perception of the white color.
This beautiful Tudor style white brick home is in Atlanta for reference.
So Balboa Mist may be the perfect white for your house…and it may look a whole different depending on where you live.
Curious too about the shutter and trim color?
Here’s another home with that combination of paint colors in a different lighting condition:
The sun is going to warm the color. Maybe that is why a light gray is often the best choice for a white.
Photo Gallery for Balboa Mist Exteriors
So bear in mind that the white paint color may actually be considered a gray. It’s never wise to even pay attention to the name of a given color – it can be misleading!
Should you even bother looking at inspiration online since photography, editing, and part of the country and exposure influence the color?
It isn’t enough to simply study a bunch of white homes on Pinterest and collect the paint names.
How a particular color looks on one home is not an indication of how it will read on yours. So definitely have an idea of whether you like warm, cool, off, or bright whites and then sample three at minimum. Here’s Balboa Mist with BM Coventry Gray:
Sampling has come a long way, and now you can buy peel and stick samples with no mess.
Benjamin Moore Gray Mist
Here’s another great contender when you are after a white paint, but the correct shade is actually on a swatch of grays:
If you look at the swatch below, it does seem much darker and more tan than the color we see on the brick above of this home in Canada. Just goes to show you how washed out a color can be on an exterior!
Easiest way to see if a paint color will work? Order samples with Samplize and have them delivered straight to your door.
For the shutters on this beauty?
I love using BM Revere Pewter (has a natural linen greyish look) inside and out. For another possibility for a grey when you like cooler grays? SW Repose Gray (a neutral and versatile gray that works across a variety of settings). See more examples of Repose Gray in this story.
Benjamin Moore White OC-151
For this board and batten white cottage below, the exact color used is Benjamin Moore White OC-151 (cool, crisp, minimal undertones and a bright modern white).
Lisa Furey found OC-151 to be the best color for her interiors as well and painted every room the same white. Now that simplifies a LOT and would be easy to remember!
While we don’t know the white on this exterior, OC-151 would be a great place to start for a sample:
SW Extra White
This white is similar to BM OC-151.
Ultra bright cool whites like SW Extra White have been popular for exteriors in the last decade. Should you even pay attention to trending white paint colors?
How to Choose the Best White Color for YOU?
If you’re flipping a house and selling it soon, it may be sensible to notice what is trending. But if you’ll be staying, think about what fits your taste.
I think it’s helpful to see homes in person, snap photos with your phone, and become aware of which whites you seem drawn to.
Does it feel tasteful and timeless? Is it a crisp bright brilliant white your after? Do you tend to like warm creamy whites?
How do you feel about greyed-whites? Do you first need to sample a warm white, a cool white, and an off white?
Deciphering a Custom Exterior Color
Another approach to finding a color you like is by bringing a swatch book or paint swatches to an actual house where you admire the exterior color. See what swatches come closest to the color. I actually did this to discover our former home’s exterior color. Photos of it may appear white or grey depending on the lighting.
To get the exact color, it was a 50/50 mix of Farrow & Ball Cornforth White and Hardwick White.
If you look at the paint card or swatches online, they may not strike you as whites at all…don’t let this confuse you!
It truly is tricky to guess at white paint colors from photography online. After all, all sorts of editing is often at play. The time of day an image is snapped also contributes to its appearance, and even the particular season’s quality of light enters the equation.
If I were guessing at the exterior color for this home above, I would peek at warm whites. Maybe BM Ballet White for the siding and something lighter such as BM White Dove for the trim.
Look at clues from surrounding accent colors too to get a feel for undertones and temperature. The white paint color you choose for an exterior should enhance its landscape. Imagine how out of place the whites on the homes above and below (with their lush greenery and foliage) might appear on a desert home in the mountains.
Try SW 6258 Tricorn Black for a similar trim color as the above home and see THIS if you need a blue for a porch ceiling.
Greyed White Exteriors
Marketers often decide what colors are in or out, and it’s silly to reject a particular earthy neutral because some headline says it’s over. Grey is not going out of style because it is timeless and represented everywhere in nature. If you like it, use it.
It bears repeating that it is important to TAKE TIME TO SAMPLE COLORS OUTSIDE! I know this from personal experience. SW Repose Gray for an interior is going to appear completely different on an exterior!
Such a gorgeous effect when you’re after simplicity.
Which White to Get These Looks?
Sometimes we don’t know the exact white, and that’s okay too since we can make educated guesses to start the sampling process.
After all, even if you know the exact color, it could be all wrong for your location.
And you don’t want to get sold or overconfident that one particular white is definitely the one.
Always try at least three samples.
Painted Brick Beauty in Charlotte
Benjamin Moore Simply White
Benjamin Moore Seapearl
Color Story for an Atlanta Cottage
I independently selected products in this post—if you buy from one of my links, I may earn a commission.
Peace to you right where you are.
-michele
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