Simply White by Benjamin Moore

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I want to save you the trouble! If you are looking for the perfect warm, bright white that isn’t TOO warm, Simply White by Benjamin Moore is your answer.

I debated our white paint color for about 2 months before making the plunge. Previously, our walls had been painted Ghost Pines by Sherwin Williams (a light greige). I found myself ready for a change and really loving the idea of white, but scared of the room feeling too stark – as many of us are when we start researching white paint!

I am so happy with this paint choice. It is truly the perfect in-between of pure white and ultra warm white, and I have tried hard to photograph it to show it’s true color for you all!

Simply White by Benjamin Moore OC-117:

Our fireplace is ultra pure white, so you can really see the difference between the two paint colors if you look at the fireplace versus the wall. OR if you look at the ceiling versus the wall. More in photos that in person for some reason. This color is a justtttt-warm-enough, creamy, off-white that is so soothing to the eye.

Why did we choose Simply White by Benjamin Moore?

We have a lot in our home that is already painted pure white. Fireplaces, trim, etc. I didn’t want the stark contrast of a super warm white next to a really bright white fireplace. However, I love a warm white, so I knew I wanted something with a hint of warmth.

Simply White has been a tried-and-true fan favorite for a long time, and with good reason. I was initially torn between Alabaster and Chantilly Lace (both wildly popular white paint choices) when I started my white paint research.

I found that Simply White is the best of both of those worlds. It’s the bright, crisp white of Chantilly Lace and the warm, off-white of Alabaster.

I wanted to share this angle of the color because this area of our home receives a little less direct sunlight. Our family den (with the big white fireplace) has sky lights and large windows, so the color reads a little differently there. Also, please ignore all of our child locks everywhere. Tis’ the life season!

You can see more of the off-white quality of Simply White against the bright white of our trim and counters/countertops. There is a slight yellow undertone, that I would never notice unless paired with a stark white. However, it doesn’t ever look yellow – just warm!

It is truly the most calming white, and a little hard to capture in its true essence via photo.

Dave and I were surprised to realize that our living room is actually WARMER after being painted white. I think our previous greige color had cooler undertones, so while we didn’t expect it, Simply White actually warmed up our space.

Our doors were already painted when we moved in. They are white but not as bright white and pull a little gray next to the warm off-white of Simply White.

What kind of paint should I use?

We actually had Simply White color matched at Home Depot. We do this for almost all of our projects and it’s never failed us! A helpful tip: when painting white over a darker color (even a greige like what we had), you want something with GREAT coverage so you don’t have to do a bazillion coats. Trust me on this! I have made the mistake of using cheap white paint before and finished my project about 8 coats later. Behr Marquee is the way to go at Home Depot. The work and time it saves you is well worth the extra money, in my opinion!

What sheen should I use?

Eggshell, all the way! We chose a satin finish when we first painted our home, in the color Ghost Pines. I immediately realized the mistake, as you could see roller strokes from were some areas were shinier than others. Anything above eggshell is hard to touch-up, due to it drying shinier in certain spots. We have found eggshell to be easy to clean and it has a professional-looking finish on walls.

How many coats of paint will it take?

This depends on several factors, the two biggest being: the color you are painting over and the brand of paint you’ve purchased. As you can see above, we were going over a light greige with premium paint and it took 3 coats (a quick 4th on some spots) to get a professional looking finish.

If you’ve made it to the end of this, that means you are seriously looking into using Simply White in your home! 100% honesty – I have been so thrilled with this color and would choose it again and again. I was worried about going white and having a “museum” feel to our home, but it’s done the opposite. Simply White by Benjamin Moore has warmed and brightened our home in the best way possible!

I hope this has been helpful, friends. Please feel free to reach out with any questions!