… As it turns out, quite a lot.

You’d think with all the beautiful natural inspiration of our varying landscapes around us, that kiwis would favour blues or greens above all else, and yet year on year, the top 10 colours from most of the paint companies in New Zealand are all variants of white.

Variants? Wait… but isn’t white just white?

If I had a dollar for every long conversation I’ve had with people about which white paint to roll with for their interiors, I’d be sunning myself up right now on a faraway island, a very rich and content lady. Sadly, the topic really isn’t as simple as black and white. (Geddit?! Oh gawd.)

Buckle your seatbelts ladies & gents, we’re in for a ride…

First, a simple Science lesson:

All whites are made up of RGB – Red, GREEN, BLUE.

The slightest of variations in these colours added to paint impact the final colour we see, which is why there are over 150,000 options to choose from… gulp! It’s no wonder people feel overwhelmed!

Simplified; pure white is made up of equal amounts of these three colours; RGB (Red, Green, Blue content) 255, 255, 255.

On the opposite end of the scale, pure black is made by the absence of these 3 colours, making the RGB code 0, 0, 0.

The pure white at the centre of the above image will reflect all the colours around it, while on the pure black at the far edges, they will have no effect.

Going by this theory, if we were to pick the mid-point between these two extremes; for example 125, 125, 125 – we can expect a mid-grey. If for example, we then increased the B value of this grey, we’d end up with more of a blue-grey and so on.

OK… back to paint.

To identify the undertone of a white paint, scope out the back of your paint chip! (The little card samples you pick up from hardware stores). Here you’ll find the RGB values, along with other important fancy information like the LRV (light reflective value) of your paint selection (another lesson for another day.)

The closer to 255 each value is = the ‘whiter’ the white.

Whites with more red in = warmer whites.
Whites with more blue in = cooler whites.
White with more green in = crisper whites.

Check out the following example:

Looking at the back of this ‘Haast’ chip from Dulux, we can tell that ‘Haast Half’ will be lighter than ‘Haast Double’, because the values of Red, Green and Blue are all closer to 255.

We can also tell that the ‘Haast’ range is a selection of warmer whites, having slightly more red in them than blue or green.

ok, so where should i use warm / cool white?

Cool whites are great for adding a modern or minimalist edge to a space, suiting more modern / contemporary buildings. These colours are cleaner to the eye and will give you a feeling of a larger space within the room, though can also make it look quite stark if the room doesn’t get a lot of sun.
Warm whites often carry subtle peach, pink, or yellow undertones. These variations invite a relaxed warmth into your home and can help to soften colder-looking spaces that don’t get a lot of sun. By contrast, if used in a very sunny room, they can take on an even warmer, creamy appearance.

Still confused? I feel ya.

If your mind is still blown / you’d like some in-home assistance with picking the right white, get in touch and we can figure it out together!

What's in a White?