Benjamin Moore's "Chantilly Lace" (OC-65) is always nice in a flat finish on a ceiling. BM's "Simply White" is a little warmer, but also works well!

Not a designer, but I’ll make a rec anyway and you can disregard if you only want Pros’ recs. For ceilings, Benjamin Moore Cloud White in flat finish. Must be a flat finish.

@M Miller - very grateful for your home designer recommendation too! :)

Cloud White is a nice option too! And I agree, unless you're doing something special to a ceiling, it should almost always be a flat finish!

Thank you both.

All of your recommendations are here in this schematic of "best whites" I just found when googling the color names, so I wonder, is this something one can actually get wrong?

Seeing them side-by-side, chantilly lace looks a little cooler, simply white a bit warmer, cloud white maybe neutral. Do you have to go to the lengths of seeing it side by side with the wall color?

@Christopher Lyden-Ethan Allen, Chantilly Lace is a very nice, crisp white. I find it the most attractive of the bunch for whatever reason.

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Chantilly lace is a little cool, but reads as a nice pure white in a space. Cloud White is a little bit on the warm side, though it looks more neutral here, and would look almost the same on the ceiling. I wouldn't stress too much about it, but think of it this way:

Depending on the wall color you choose, if you pick something cooler (like those on the left below) instead of something warm (like on the right) I would choose a white with a cooler base like Chantilly Lace; otherwise you may want something with a bit of a warmer base like Cloud White or Simply White if you pick a wall color that is slightly warmer.

At the end of the day it's YOUR space, so pick the one you like best! Either way you can't go wrong with a flat white ceiling.

Wonderful advice, thanks @Christopher Lyden-Ethan Allen!

I think you need to sharethe ceiling height and the acyual wall color I like ceilings the same as walls often if the wall color is light it actually makes the walls seem higher. Sometimes I just cut the wall color 25 - 50% I agree with matte for the ceiling.

@Patricia Colwell Consulting the ceiling is 9'3" and there is no wall color as yet (well whatever color the drywall is). I'm taking baby steps. Good to hear light colors make the walls seem higher. That was in line with my instincts. The more visual space the better.

@Christopher Lyden-Ethan Allen, fast forward 4 months and I have my two coats of primer and am ready to go.... sigh at how long this has taken....

I went and got samples and have Chantilly lace on the left through I'm finding it is a bit stark looking, while Simply white on the right is a bit too warm and yellowish here next to my wall color. Do you have a recommendation for a neutral white in between these two? The blue is "Silver Cloud." Thanks!!!

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I’m comfortable with boring 😁

And white can’t possibly be boring, otherwise how do you explain the 150 shades of it?! Answer: 150 shades of boring

If you have sample boards, tape them to the ceiling for a better prospective. Use flat, don't pay extra for matte which is great for walls that need to be occasionally cleaned.

My absolute favorite color for a ceiling is Benjamin Moore Sea Foam 2123-60. Reminds me of a snow sky but also can appear white-ish.

@mont215 that really looks lovely against your green wall!

Hi @Rachel L! No worries, sometimes these things take time. Paint is often the light at the end of the construction tunnel! Try White Dove (OC-17), and see what you think. I will agree with someone above that cutting the ceiling with the selected wall color is sometimes a good go-to (I know a very successful designer that ALWAYS does this), but 20% is typically sufficient. Hope that helps!

Thank you. As I said it is my favorite ceiling color, it just has something. I wasn't sure how it would look with the green but it didn't disappoint!

@Christopher Lyden-Ethan Allen, I got a sample of White Dove but it still feels on the warm side like Simply White. I think I've landed on Oxford White. Not as stark as Chantilly, but still very clean and neutral against the blue. Trouble is I see it used extensively on trims, but haven't found much reference to it on the ceiling. Do you have any experience with this color? Is there any way I can go wrong with it on the ceiling (in flat)?

@Rachel L Oxford White is nice! I've used it on walls before, but wouldn't hesitate to use it on a ceiling. If you like it, you like it! In a flat finish on the ceiling you really can't go wrong. I've certainly done more wild things than white!