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Paint Remodeling Design Dilemma

Painting walls white - use same white as white on wainscoting?

last year

So everyone seems to have very strong opinions on white paint colors, and I want to get the experts' opinions.

Moved into this house a few months ago and am wanting to update the walls from the dated beige color to a nice white. My style is Mid-Century Modern. I'll also be updating the flooring to a light kahki LVP flooring.

Some have told me using a white as bright as the wainscoting paint color could come across as too cold and stark. But others have told me I definitely don't want two different whites on the same wall. (i.e. using pure white on wainscoting and trim and alabaster on the walls). I think I'm leaning towards Sherwin Williams Pure White, and I got the wainscoting white checked at the store today, and he said Pure White is very similar to the white on the wainscoting, except the wainscoting has a slight bit of gold in it. So, should I go with the exact same white, a slightly different white, or a white that defintely looks like two intentionally different whites?

This is my dining room and foyer. I'd really like to save the money and not paint all the wainscoding and trim another white if I can help it.

Living room with the fireplace the same white as the wainscoting in the foyer and dining room.

Another view just for context.

Thank you all SO much for the help. The paint is the first thing I'd like to get done, then will come new countertops and flooring, and hoping to get it all done before the holidays, so fingers crossed I can choose on a paint color this week.

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Comments (2)

kandrewspa
last year
I don't think anyone is going to be able to give you an answer. You will have to sample and see what works for you. Some people like the monochromatic white look and some people like a little contrast. Wainscot is not consistent with MCM style, so you might want to just remove it and the chair rail. Is this house MCM on the outside?
Ethan Swords
Original Author
last year
Hi, thank you for your comment. No, architecturally it's not. So I've installed MCM light fixtures and own MCM furniture, but I feel like because the outside isn't MCM at all, I should keep some of the more traditional, upscale aspects of the house like the wainscotting. I have considered it though! I mainly just don't want to spend extra money on a new fireplace design. Paint color wise, I feel it's safer to use the same white across the board. I'm just not sure what the experts say.
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