I may be replying to an old post...having a white dilemma! Moving to a new home soon, and I need to choose a white for the painter soon! I used BM Cotton Balls in my current home in 2 bedrooms, one is north facing and the other is south facing. worked well...nice and bright but not stark, however the hallway to the rooms look beige, which I am not fond of. New home has both north and south exposures + a hallway without a lot of light. Considering Simply White. Second question...the baseboards are lovely and very high, I would like them to remain a feature, which white to choose for trim? Your comments are appreciated!!!

Ok this post has made my decision final. I’m going to paint all my walls/trim decorators white. I like that it leans slightly grey and that there are absolutely no creamy undertones. I’m going to do the walls in eggshell finish and the trim in semi gloss. My floors are a whitewashed oak and my cabinets are a mix of painted white and wood stained. Will post pics in a couple of weeks when it’s complete to hopefully help others!

Both colors are very popular whites but are slightly different. However, the way you have the samples on the wall is not a good way to choose a color. Painting one color over another distorts the color in 2 ways--the first is that the darker color is bleeding through the white and changing it. The second is that the darker color next to the whites is causing the whites to appear different due to something called "simultaneous contrast." "Simultaneous contrast refers to the way in which two different colors affect each other. The theory is that one color can change how we perceive the tone and hue of another when the two are placed side by side." Another factor to consider is that all of the "whites" are lightened versions of an actual color. Simply White is in the yellow family, while Chantilly Lace belongs to the green-yellow family. I've learned from Lori Sawaya, color guru, that we perceive whites in the green-yellow family as more "white" than any other hue. Also, you are correct in saying that Chantilly Lace is a more neutral white, since it has less color, or chroma, in it, being .27, while Simply White is .50. So combined with being in the green-yellow family, and having less of that color, Chantilly Lace will appear more white than Simply White. Personally I'd select Simply White, since I prefer softer whites, especially with your maple cabinets and walnut floors. BUT having said all this, the best way to select the color is to paint each one on large poster boards and view them at different times of day in different lighting conditions (natural, artificial, day, evening, etc.) I'd also prime the walls so you eliminate the effect that the existing wall color is having on your decision. Hope that helps--good luck!

Oh, I am so sorry! I forgot about this. I will have my friend take pictures when she stops by in a day or two and send them to me to post here. I promise I won't forget by bookmarking this discussion. I can tell you that I just could not be happier. It doesn't appear any other color than neutral white regardless of what direction the sun comes in or if it is at night with drapes closed and lights on. The ever-so-slightly shiny texture of the faux white silk drapes against it looks fantastic too. I'll be back as soon as I can.