Inspirational ideas
Decorating ideas & inspiration in white
White is never “just white”: it leans towards chalk, stone, linen or milk, and shifts with every hour of the day. It is the hardest shade to choose — and the most rewarding when it lands.
Our white schemes work in layers: several whites and almost-whites in one room, woken by a deep accent or time-worn timber.
“There is no such thing as one white — there are a hundred; the right one is the one that loves your light.”
Choosing a white: our whites and off-whites
There is no such thing as a neutral white. Every white leans — towards yellow, green, grey or pink — and it is that undertone, invisible on a colour card, that decides the character of a whole room. So the useful question isn’t “which white is whitest”, but “which way does this white lean, and in what light”.
Pure White No.1 is our purest white, formulated with crushed marble: the choice for ceilings and very bright rooms. For a warm white that doesn't yellow, Greenwich Time No.8, Maugham White No.2 and Cotton Street No.3 are our three benchmarks. Holbein Chamber No.7 and Whitehall No.9 add a trace of earth that warms north-facing rooms.
Among the deeper off-whites, Osterley No.25, Walpole No.42 and St Martins No.37 take full sun without glare, Acanthus Leaf No.12 and Belgravia No.6 carry a very soft green cast, and Sleet No.91 leans frankly grey — ideal on woodwork in a light room. St Clement No.11 and Holland Park No.5 remain our two most versatile whites.
Always test two coats on a board and move it around the room through the day: it is the only honest way to choose a white. See also our neutral colours and grey paint ideas, or browse all our white paints.
Our schemes
29 schemes
