Why the same white looks different here
Paint doesn’t really have one color. It reflects whatever light hits it, and Southern California light is bright and often warm. A white that looked soft on the chip can go stark on a sunny wall, or gray in a shaded hallway.
The direction a room faces matters most. Sherwin-Williams suggests warmer whites for north-facing rooms, which get cooler, less direct light. South-facing rooms get steady warm light, so most colors work, though very warm ones can tip toward yellow. East- and west-facing rooms change through the day, so choose for the time you actually use them.
What LRV tells you, and what it doesn’t
Light Reflectance Value, or LRV, runs from 0 to 100 and measures how much light a color reflects. The brightest whites on the market sit around 90.
A higher number doesn’t automatically make a brighter room, though. In a dim room, a very clean, cool white can leave the corners looking gray, and a slightly warmer white with a lower LRV often reads better.
Pick the sheen for the room
Flat and matte finishes hide wall imperfections but are harder to wash. Eggshell is the workhorse for living and dining rooms. Kitchens and bathrooms do better in satin or semi-gloss, and trim and doors in semi-gloss or gloss. The shinier the finish, the tougher it is, and the more it shows every flaw in the wall underneath.
How we test before anyone paints
We use large samples, at least 12 by 12 inches, on more than one wall, and look at them in the morning, in the afternoon, and at night under your actual light bulbs. We also hold them next to the flooring, cabinets, and stone, because that’s where undertones show up. Usually we narrow it down to two or three whites and let you live with them for a few days before deciding.
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