I'll always choose Extra White over Pure White. Because it's a prettier color.

I'm in Phoenix where there are drawings for new home lots. Months ago our name was drawn for a lot with a builder and when I found out they spray everything including cabinets Pure White I passed on the house. Husband suggested we just take the house any way because inventory here is so scarce. I still said no. Because of Pure White.

Four months later we got a lot with a different builder who sprays doors/trim Extra White. I'm not sorry.

Lori, So glad you posted about SW Extra White! I am 99% settled on it for my trim throughout the house. Do you think it will look nice with BM Balboa Mist? I’m planning on using that in the main living areas, with some color in the bedrooms and baths. I also like the colors the OP shows above, especially the Light French Gray and Oyster Bay.

@L P, Extra White goes with everything because of its hue family.

It's on the warmer side at the beginning of the green-yellow hue family. Which means its color appearance is more neutral in a "just white" kind of way.

Because we tend to perceive colors within the green part of the spectrum as brighter, colors of whites - and grays - from the green to green-yellow hue families will always be perceived as more neutral.

Compared to Pure White which belongs to the Yellow hue family and has more chroma.

A low chroma number when we're talking about white means the color is closer to a true neutral white.

And I could go on with more technically sound reasons why Extra White doesn't have "blue undertones" and isn't a "cool" color of white which are two bits of misinformation I see repeated regularly.

But it comes down to what it looks like. You have to like what it looks like with the colors you want to pair it with. Is it pretty. That's what ultimately matters.

Hi Lori, Thank you so much for your clear explanation. I had been debating between Extra White, Highly Reflective White, and BM Chantilly Lace but something was holding me back. I know the others have a higher LRV but maybe they’re just too stark for me. Extra White it is...one more decision made! Thanks again!

Thank you! We did like the clean look of the extra white.

We also have 10’ ceilings everywhere outside the great room and have been debating doing white ceilings or ceilings the same as wall color. There will be white crown molding. Any opinions on white ceilings vs same wall colored ceilings?

debating between Extra White, Highly Reflective White, and BM Chantilly Lace

These 3 belong to the same hue family. So it comes down to Chroma and luminance.

We'll start with Chroma. Chantilly and HRW have the least and will look the most stark compared to Extra White.

Pure White has too much Chroma to look "just white" when compared to whites and off-whites. Context matters.

Extra White sits nicely in a Chroma pocket at 0.32. One of the reasons it's easiest to work with.

Brightness and lightness refer to PERCEPTIONS of a quantity of luminance - in a word Value.

Luminance and reflectance refers to physical MEASUREMENTS - in a word (acronym) LRV.

Because of their high Value and LRV, Chantilly Lace and HRW look brighter compared Extra White.

Between the lower Chroma and higher reflectance, Chantilly and HRW are the brightest and most stark. Which is why I think Extra White is prettier in general.

Any opinions on white ceilings vs same wall colored ceilings? We also have 10’ ceilings everywhere.

Functionally:

If you use top grade (not "ceiling" paint) white paint on the ceilings, you can change wall color a couple times within 5-8 years without having to paint the ceiling too.

If you do walls/ceiling same color, you paint the ceiling every time you change wall color.

Last, white reflects more light.

Aesthetically:

There isn't a right answer. It comes down to personal preference. I myself prefer a white ceiling above my head. YMMV.

Lori, You are such a wealth of information, and generous in sharing your knowledge. I can’t thank you enough!

Thank you Lori!

Lori A. Sawaya - Could you please tell me in simple terms which white is the whitest, brightest white...SW Pure White or SW Extra White?

S.W. High Reflective White would be my choice because Oyster Bay shows green/blue in the chip, but it has a strong gray undertone. And you are using other colors with gray undertones, as well.

Semi-gloss on wood work and flat finish on ceiling.

See the gray in this photo of Oyster Bay?

Thank you, Judy. I do see the grey undertone, which is why my husband is leaning towards pure white vs extra white. We don’t have a sample of the high reflective, but I did run across that when looking online and thought it looked nice. What is the trim color in this photo - high reflective white?

Lori A. Sawaya - Could you please tell me in simple terms which white is the whitest, brightest white...SW Pure White or SW Extra White?

Extra White.

Thank you so much!

Which white is your vaulted ceiling color ?

Hasn’t been painted yet.