Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Master Bath Remodel~Finding the Right White

~~Sorry, I am reposting this.  It accidentally got deleted yesterday.  (Probably because I am a newb and when it said Do you want to delete this? I quickly said YES!!!)
I'm right in the middle of a Master Bath and Basement remodeling job for a client.  The Master Bath was basically a gut job keeping the only the flooring which was somewhat new and neutral.  I designed new his and hers vanities that were recently installed.  They were to be painted on site. We had decided on a creamy white but which white?
Idea photo: source

Did you know that there are over 140 off white colors in the Benjamin Moore Deck?  
Not as easy as you think to narrow down the right white.  

Here are some suggestions and tips for finding the perfect white:

1. Choose your color in the room that you are painting it.
 The lighting is different in each room and changes throughout the day.   So, we sat down in the bathroom with all of the decks and my paint kits from Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams and started to narrow it down.  It really helps to have the larger samples to look at.  Most paint stores will let you order large 8X10 sample sheets at no cost.
2.  Make sure you have all of your surface samples.
  We had samples of the flooring, marble shower tiles, and the countertops. 
 Also include your finishes for the faucets, 
hardware and/or towelbars, we were using Brushed Nickel.
3.  Hang up your samples and look at them during different times of the day.  
Live with them for a while. 
 In a bathroom you are most likely to spend more time during the morning hours and before you go to bed.
  Really look at the colors during this time.
source
                                    
4.  Look closely at the undertones in the colors you have chosen.  I find the best way to do this is to hold my samples up to a pure white piece of printer paper.  You can really see the pink, yellow or blue undertones this way.
I see a lot of yellow undertones in this off white color.
And in this sample I see more peachy tones.  In the color deck it's much harder to see these differences.

5.  Pick a color and PRAY!  And remember, it's only paint.  What's the worst that can happen? 
 You have to paint it again?
Source: Google

Here are some of my tried and true whites for cabinetry and trim. 

Benjamin Moore:

OC-38 Acadia White-  This is a great trim color.  The trim in my house is all Acadia White and I love it.
Houzz.com
 White Dove- This is a great no fail cabinet color.

Houzz.com

Linen White- This soft color is great for trim with earth toned walls like you see below.


Houzz.com

Bone White- This is a much bolder white, almost beige color.  It looks fantastic paired with darker wall colors.  It was my builder-partner's favorite.  

Houzz.com
Sherwin Williams- 

Steamed Milk- A creamy white with some grey undertones.


 This is the color I painted my guest room.  Trim is Acadia White OC-38  Benjamin Moore

Dover White 6835- I haven't personally used this color but it is very popular.  It's kind of a linen-y color.

Houzz.com
So what color did we choose?  

After much deliberation we chose Benjamin Moore's White Dove.  It's the perfect combination of a brighter white with creamy undertones.  With all of the neutrals going on in the room we wanted the cabinets to pop.  This is a sneak peak at "His" vanity.  I am in love, love, love with the Crema Marfil marble tops.  So Beautiful and Luxe!!!  

~~I have to tell you this funny story before I wrap up this post.  Don't worry, I got permission from my client to retell it.  The cabinets were in and we had spent a lot of time picking the white color.  I mean a LOT of time.  She was very unsure and wanted it to be just right.  On the day they were to do the enameling she texted and called me in a panic!  "I think I hate it!  It's too white!"  I told her I would run over and check on them and make sure they had the color right.  I also asked her if it was perhaps the first coat of paint.  I had an idea of what the problem was but to be sure I went to the house to check.  Sure enough, my hunch was correct.  What she was seeing was the PRIMER coat which was a very bright stock white color.  I called her and let her know that everything was fine.  She was embarrassed but I told her it happens to everyone at some point.  I was just glad that I was there so she didn't have to worry about it all day while she was at work.  

Until Next Time,
Beaux R'eves,
XO Cindy

I'm linking to
Faded Charm~ White Wednesday
 Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
Judy at DIY by Design
StoneGable~Tutorials,Tips and Tidbits
 Sherry at No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays
 Gina at The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
 
From My Front Porch To Yours for Treasure Hunt Thursday
Poutpourri Friday at 2805

 Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Courtney at French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
Heather and Vanessa at At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday
Diann at The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday
Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday
Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday

Jen at Tatertots and Jello for the Weekend Wrap-up Party
Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special

19 comments:

  1. Great tips! White is the hardest color to choose. I swear the young guns at the paint store cringe when helping women choose white paint. I have Steamed White in my dining room and I love the gray undertones. I think I'm going to put it in my bathroom too. Thanks for sharing your knowledge on this. Much appreciated!

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  2. The primer story is too funny. I just did my cabinetry in BM Manchester Tan which looks SUPER tan when it is against white, but when it is against anything else tan it looks white. It is really is amazing how important WHERE and WHAT you are painting is. Just because a chip looks nice on someone else's wall, it doesn't mean it will work for you.

    Great tips!

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  3. What a great informative post - (I'm going to copy and paste it because white is the hardest color out there!!! )
    Your newest follower - would love to have you come by and follow back when you have the chance :)

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  4. I love the idea of holding up a white color swatch to a sheet of paper...that's brilliant. I'm an over-cautious person, SO White Dove is my color. And I'm happy with that.

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  5. Whites are, indeed, very difficult to choose. And here I thought I was the only one who used a sheet of white paper to show someone the undertones of a color. Great minds... LOL.

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  6. Thank you for sharing color tips at Potpourri Friday!

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  7. I love the white in your guest room, Cindy! In fact, I love the whole room!

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  8. Coming over from Debby's Bungalow. I am your newest follower and what a beautiful blog you have here- I LOVE it! xo Diana

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  9. Beautiful. I have used Dover and it is beautiful too.
    Katie
    katietreasures.blogspot.com

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  10. Thiis is a BIG help to me. We are building a new home and for the first timein 28 years will ahve white trim! And white walls! I am so NOT a white person so I need a trim color that will go well with my other colors. I tend toward warm colors so need a white with NOT gray undertones. Thanks for the info!!! XO, Pinky

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  11. Such an informative post Cindy. Didn't realize so many choices of white are out there. I like using the sheet of white paper tip. Thanks.

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  12. Thanks for the great information!

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  13. Steamed milk is the way to go. It's not too dark and not too light! Your tips on choosing the right color shade is very helpful, most especially to people with no background about these kind of stuff. Oftentimes, individuals look for some inspiration over the internet and copy the color and arrangement of the whole entire room. There’s nothing wrong with that though, but having your own designed room would be way cooler.

    Kip Whitehead

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  14. I love your blog .This is a cool site and I wanted to post a little note to tell you, good job! Best wishes!!!

    white marble tile

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  15. Finding the right color shade is very important, so your tips will be really helpful to people without any background or experience about this. Usually, we get inspirations and ideas over the internet on how we want our room would be, but to design it on your own is impressive. Your tips are much appreciated!

    Gabrielle Jeromy

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  16. I was holding my breath as I scrolled down to see what color you picked. What a sigh of relief when I read that you selected White Dove. After weeks of fretting over which white I should paint my bathroom cabinets, I too picked White Dove. The cabinets are still being built, so I wont be seeing them for a while, but I do feel more confident that I picked the right white to go with my Crema Marfil. If it's good enough for you, it will be perfect for me. Thanks for allowing me to throw away all those other white samples.

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  17. Have a very good blog about remodeling our bathroom which is knowledgeable for us. Thanks for sharing this information.

    best bathroom ideas online by prodiggau

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  18. Did you choose white dove for the walls? We are having a hard time finding a paint w crema marfil. Our trim is swiss coffee.

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  19. Did you choose white dove for the walls? We are having a hard time finding a paint w crema marfil. Our trim is swiss coffee.

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