Perfect pairings for ceilings & woodwork Which white with which colour? It seems strange but true – there are more variations of white than any other colour! We have 15 different whites in our collections and if you add the whites in which we have lighter shades, we have 21 different whites. Yet it remains the most oft asked question – which white shall I use? The best off-whites are tinted with earth pigments – yellow ochre, red ochre, raw umber and a little black. These will have warmth and a bit of hue, ranging from yellow to red through green and grey. What works best is determined by ’uncoloured’ elements in the room like stone or wood and what weight of colour the room calls for. Some off whites look too bright against deep colours or old furnishings and others look too muddy for a modern aesthetic. So we hope to unravel the mystery of whites with a few simple principles on how and where they are best used and we will give you some ideas on combinations in each colour group. Ceiling Whites Choice of white for the ceiling is crucial. We often hear customers saying that their painter has arrived unexpectedly and so they have gone off to the DIY to get some cheap latex white paint for the ceiling (so cheap that it is the same price as a litre of milk!) whilst the client decides on the colour for the walls. Keeps the decorator busy but not ideal for the colour scheme! Cheap white paint is heavily bleached and packed full of plastic and so it is very stark and can be quite chilling on a ceiling. A bright white ceiling does not do any favours to the wall colours and can dominate the room and you don’t want to be drawn to the ceiling in the room, rather the pictures or furnishings and fabrics, even the people! The joy of having chosen one of our ceiling whites is that you can now use that throughout your house for continuity and with confidence as all our colours are first cousins. Even the whites are made from the same 12 natural earth and mineral pigments we use to make the other colours. We have four ‘go-to’ ceiling whites: Plain White – as white as we will go with a subtle amount of pigment to take it off the bleached spectrum, if in doubt, go with Plain White Fair White – as bright as Plain White but with a ‘fair’ amount of pigment giving a slightly warm grey glow. Grace – our nursery white, fresh and bright yet warming with an opacity resonant to our Pearl Colour. Spanish White – a pale, warm white with a slightly yellow ochre tone of natural chalk. Great with the darker colours. Plain White Fair White Grace Spanish White SHOP PLAIN WHITE SHOP GRACE SHOP FAIR WHITE SHOP SPANISH WHITE Woodwork Whites To help you select the complementary white for all of our colours we give you a suggestion in the SHOP for a ceiling white and a woodwork white (light) and woodwork white (deeper). However this is a personal taste choice and our suggestions are just that. In reality you can be confident choosing a white you like. They will actually all work with our colours as they are all made with the same natural pigments. You just might think one white works better than another for your homes. You can call us to discuss or email us on info@edwardbulmerpaint.co.uk for advice. White with Pinks Whiting Pearl Colour Silver White Fine White 'Rose' on the walls with 'Whiting' on woodwork White with Greens Whiting White Lead Water Glass Milk White Silver White 'Light Olive Green' with 'Whiting' on woodwork White with Blues White Lead Creami Colour Stone White Milk White Fine White White with new Neutrals Spanish White White Lead Whiting Pearl Colour Water Glass White with Yellows Whiting White Lead Fine White Silver White Spanish White 'Naples Yellow' and 'Spanish White' White with Browns White Lead Milk White Silver White Rose Tinted White Stone White 'London Brown' on the walls with 'Milk White' on woodwork and ceiling White with Reds Whiting Milk White Silver White Water Glass Portland 'Red Ochre' on the walls White with Grey Pearl Colour Fair White Silver White Rose Tinted White 'Flaxen Grey' and 'Silver White'
