The Best White Paint Colors for Every Room Direction (Use This Compass Trick!)
I may never choose a white paint color the same way again.
We’re right in the middle of making over our friends’ bedroom, and I knew I wanted a warm, creamy white on the walls. Easy enough, right?
Except “warm creamy white” describes approximately 4,793 paint colors.
So while I was narrowing down samples, I pulled out a hiking compass and tried a trick I’d heard about for choosing paint colors: figure out exactly which direction your room faces FIRST.
And suddenly, choosing our white got a whole lot easier.
Related: How to Choose Paint Colors for Your Home Like a Pro
The bedroom faces mostly west. Once I knew that, I could focus on whites that would work with the cooler light we get earlier in the day AND the strong, warm sunlight that pours through our windows in the afternoon.
We tested our finalists throughout the day and found THE ONE: Behr Mourning Dove OR-W12.
And ohhhhhhh my goodness.
Look how pretty she is!
We’re not finished with the bedroom yet, so consider this a little sneak peek. But seeing this color on all of the new picture frame molding completely confirmed it.
The compass trick WORKED.
So before you bring home 37 white paint samples and start questioning your eyesight, here’s how to use the same trick.
How to Use a Compass to Choose a Paint Color
You don’t even need an actual hiking compass. Your phone probably already has an app for that!
Open the compass app and stand inside the room facing your windows.
The direction you’re facing is the direction your room faces.
So if you’re looking out your windows and your compass points west, you have a west-facing room.
That’s it.
Ridiculously simple, right?
And now you’ve just narrowed down your paint search because north-, south-, east-, and west-facing rooms all receive different types of natural light.
Here’s the quick breakdown with some examples in our own house:
North: cooler, indirect light all day
South: warm, bright light all day
East: warm morning light + cooler afternoon light
West: cooler morning light + warm afternoon light
And those differences can completely change the undertones you see in white paint.
Best White Paint Colors for North-Facing Rooms
North-facing rooms get cooler, indirect natural light, which can make white paint look more gray or more blue than you expected.
To balance that cool light, start with warmer whites with creamy or beige undertones.
Some of my favorites to sample:
Behr White Wool GR-W01
Behr Antique White 23
Behr Linen White 70
Behr Cottage White 13
More White Paint Colors to Try
I sampled I bunch of Behr colors for our project, but these warm whites from other brands are great too:
Benjamin Moore: White Dove OC-17, Simply White OC-117, Swiss Coffee OC-45
Sherwin-Williams: Alabaster SW 7008, Greek Villa SW 7551, Creamy SW 7012
Farrow & Ball: Pointing, White Tie, School House White
And don’t assume a darker north-facing room automatically needs the brightest white you can find. A super crisp white can’t manufacture sunshine and can sometimes make the room feel even colder.
Best White Paint Colors for South-Facing Rooms
South-facing rooms are the lucky ducks.
They get plenty of warm natural light throughout the day, so they can usually handle cooler, brighter, or more neutral whites without feeling cold.
Some of my favorites to sample:
Behr Polar Bear 75
Behr Vibrant White BWC-12
Behr Nano White HDC-MD-06
Behr Sleek White OR-W15
More White Paint Colors to Try
Benjamin Moore: Chantilly Lace OC-65, Decorator’s White OC-149, Super White OC-152
Sherwin-Williams: Pure White SW 7005, Snowbound SW 7004, Extra White SW 7006
Farrow & Ball: All White, Strong White, Blackened
These are the rooms where I’d feel more comfortable sampling a crisp white. Benjamin Moore calls Chantilly Lace and Super White two of its brightest, cleanest whites, and Sherwin-Williams includes Pure White, Extra White, and Snowbound among its timeless whites.
I’d be a little more cautious with anything REALLY creamy. That southern sunshine can grab onto the tiniest yellow undertone and say, “Oh, we’re doing YELLOW? I can help.”
No thank you, ma’am.
Best White Paint Colors for East-Facing Rooms
East-facing rooms are morning people.
They get beautiful warm sunlight early in the day, but once the sun moves overhead, that direct light disappears and everything starts looking cooler.
So I like soft, slightly warm whites here, enough warmth to keep the room cozy in the afternoon without going full French vanilla in the morning.
Behr White Paint Colors to Try
Original White N290-1
Spun Cotton YL-W09
White Veil OR-W14
Melting Icicles BWC-20
More White Paint Colors to Try
Benjamin Moore: White Dove OC-17, Simply White OC-117, Cloud White OC-130
Sherwin-Williams: Pure White SW 7005, Alabaster SW 7008, White Flour SW 7102
Farrow & Ball: Wimborne White, Pointing, School House White
White Dove and Simply White are especially nice starting points because they’re soft whites with warmth rather than icy, stark whites. Sherwin-Williams also lists Alabaster among its warm whites, while Pure White gives you a more neutral direction to test.
And whatever you do, don’t pick your paint at 9 a.m. and call it a day.
Morning is when an east-facing room is showing off.
Come back at 3 p.m. That’s when we find out who everybody really is.
Best White Paint Colors for West-Facing Rooms
And this is where our bedroom makeover comes in!
West-facing rooms start the day with cooler indirect light and then get flooded with warm, golden sunlight in the afternoon.
So I wanted something soft and warm but balanced enough that it wouldn’t turn yellow when that strong western sunlight hit it.
Behr White Paint Colors to Try
Blank Canvas DC-003
Mourning Dove OR-W12
White Moderne PPU7-13
Painter’s White PPU18-08
More White Paint Colors to Try
Benjamin Moore: White Dove OC-17, Simply White OC-117, Swiss Coffee OC-45
Sherwin-Williams: Alabaster SW 7008, Greek Villa SW 7551, Oyster White SW 7637
Farrow & Ball: School House White, Shadow White, Pointing
These softer whites give you some warmth for the cooler first half of the day without automatically sending you toward the brightest, creamiest white you can find. Benjamin Moore describes Swiss Coffee as a warm white, and Sherwin-Williams specifically describes Greek Villa as a white that comes alive in natural light.
The White We Chose for Our West-Facing Bedroom
And after staring at our samples morning, noon, and night like they were contestants on The Bachelor…
Behr Mourning Dove OR-W12 got the final rose.
It is SO GOOD in here.
It’s soft and warm when the room is getting cooler indirect light, but once that golden western sunlight comes pouring in later in the day, it doesn’t suddenly turn yellow.
Add in linen curtains, a fireplace, black canopy bed, and all of the traditional details we’re bringing into this room and… eeeeek.
I cannot wait to show you the whole thing.
More Paint Color Help:
- The Biggest Paint Color Mistakes Most People Make (and How to Avoid Them)
- Our Calming Whole House Paint Color Palette
- How to Choose Paint Colors In Your Home Like a Pro
Don’t automatically reach for the brightest white you can find! A dark room doesn’t have enough natural light to make a stark white feel bright, so it can actually end up looking cold or dingy. Instead, try a soft, warm white with creamy, beige, or greige undertones to make the room feel cozy and inviting. And always sample it first.
If your white paint suddenly looks yellow on the wall, blame the undertones and the lighting. Warm whites naturally contain yellow, cream, or beige undertones, and warm natural light, especially in south- and west-facing rooms, can make those undertones much more noticeable. Warm light bulbs can do it too. This is exactly why a white that looks perfect on a tiny paint chip can look completely different once it’s covering an entire wall. White paint is sneaky like that.
They absolutely can be! Using the same white on your walls and trim is one of my favorite tricks for creating a soft, cohesive look. If you use two different whites instead, make sure their undertones play nicely together; a warm white wall next to icy-white trim can make both colors look a little… off.
