White: how to choose one that won't turn yellow, grey or hospital-white on your walls

There is more than one white

White is the easiest colour to choose, and the one people get wrong most often, because every white hides another colour inside it. Some have a touch of yellow, like fresh milk. Some have a touch of grey, like early-morning mist. Some have so much blue that they look as cold as a laboratory.

On a small paint chip in the shop you can barely see these differences. Put the colour on every wall of a room, though, and the light magnifies them at once. That is why so many people paint a room white and then wonder why it looks yellow, washed out or like a hospital. The paint is not wrong; it just does not suit the light in the room.

Which whites look yellow, grey or clean in Thai light?

Thailand has strong sun and warm light almost all year round. A white that already leans yellow can look far yellower than you expect in the afternoon light, while a white that leans grey or blue helps a sunny room look cleaner.

In a room with little light, though, such as a bathroom with no window or a condo room that faces the building next door, a grey-leaning white looks dingy, like a shirt that has been washed too many times. In a room like that, a slightly warmer white such as Ivory or Pearl White brings it to life.

• Whites that bring snow to mind (Snowflake, Blizzard, Powder Snow): try them in sunny rooms where you want a clean, fresh look
• Whites that bring milk and sweets to mind (Yogurt White, Popcorn, Coconut Ice Cream): try them in bedrooms and living rooms where you want softness
• Warm ivory and pearl whites (Ivory, Pearl White): try them in rooms with little light or cool lighting

North-facing rooms vs west-facing rooms

A room with north-facing windows gets indirect light all day: steady, with little direct sun. White in a room like this looks cooler and greyer. If you want the room to feel warm, choose a white with some warmth in it, not one that leans grey or blue.

A west-facing room is the opposite. The light is normal in the morning, but from three to six in the afternoon orange sun pours across the walls, and a yellowish white instantly becomes a deep cream. In a room like this, a clean or slightly cool white balances the orange light, so the wall still looks truly white in the afternoon sun.

How white LED light changes white paint

Many Thai homes use white LED bulbs (Cool white or Daylight) because they look bright. But this kind of light drains the warmth from a wall. A yellowish white looks washed out and slightly green, and a grey-leaning white looks like bare cement.

If a room is mainly lit by white light, choose a white one step warmer than you planned, or switch to Warm white bulbs in the bedroom and living room, and the white you chose will soften at once. In kitchens and studies, where you want white light, a clean white with no grey in it looks best.

Smooth white or mineral white?

White Voqe Wall Paint gives a smooth, clean wall. It is 100% acrylic, with a mild smell and low VOC, for interiors and exteriors. Applied thinly, it covers 35–40 sq m per gallon per coat and is touch dry in 20–30 minutes.

If you want a white that is more than ordinary white, Voqe Mineral Finish in Yogurt or Seashell gives a matt surface with faint brush marks. A white like this never looks flat in strong light, because the texture scatters the light, giving you a living white wall like a holiday home's.

How to test white so you get it right

Order 100ml samples at ฿75 each in 2–3 shades. Paint large patches next to a sheet of plain white A4 paper; the paper shows you straight away which white leans yellow, grey or blue. Then look at them at three times of day: morning, late afternoon and at night with the lights on.

If you are still unsure, take the shade quiz on our website, send a photo of your room to LINE @dynohomes for free advice, or drop in at Voqe Studio (Bang Phli) to see real white walls in natural light.