How to nail ultimate neutral from Dulux Heritage

As the ultimate neutral, white always looks clean and uncluttered, creating a blank canvas for colour elsewhere. It also works wonders by opening up small spaces and making rooms feel lighter and brighter. Plus, it’s a shade you can pair with pretty well any other hue in any style of house. But the best bit? Most whites feature undertones of other colours, meaning spaces needn’t feel cold and clinical. Here, we reveal how to get white right for your clients…

Understand your undertone

While undertones in whites are often subtle, they can create the biggest impact in an interior. From cool (Lead White™, Swedish White™) to warm (Ash White™, Roman White™), many have hints of grey, blue, pink or even yellow in them. The whites in the Heritage collection are easy to choose from, thanks to our clever colour card and online colour wall, where we arrange them in complementary colour groups. Not only does this mean that you can see at-a-glance which whites are cool or warm – according to the colours that sit above them – but you can offer complimentary colour suggestions with confidence that the colours coordinate effortlessly.

White for the light

If your client is thinking white, you should recommend a shade according to the light in their space. For example, it’s best to avoid cool whites in north-facing rooms, as they get little sunshine and need warming up to avoid feeling unwelcoming. On the other hand, pretty much anything goes in south-spacing spaces – although cool whites will counteract the yellowness of the sunshine. To get it right the first time, order a Tester Pot online to trial on your client’s wall, and remember to check in on the sample at different times of the day to catch it in changing light, from dusk to dawn. 

Let’s talk trim

From the skirting to the door frames, don’t forget to consider the colour of your client’s trim when working with white. Matching colours can actually hide unsightly skirting while adding height to a space when done properly. Alternatively, you could suggest picking out trim in a punchy colour – perhaps a dominant shade in furniture and furnishings? – to draw attention to the white on the walls and focus the eyes upwards. What does work well is layering the same or similar whites in varying finishes to create depth and dimension: Velvet Matt on walls looks and feels luxuriously smooth in contrast to Eggshell for woodwork with its low-sheen finish.

Flow-through colours

It’s also a good idea to consider white in context of the colours in your client’s other rooms – maybe creating a seamless look throughout the home. The same rule applies as with any other shade: select a white that is the same tone as in adjacent zones, whether cool or warm, as the secret is in the sympathy between the white and the other spaces. If you’re white-washing multiple rooms in your client’s home, or even the whole house, it’s good to go with one shade your client’s comfortable with and stick to it, for a seamless and connected look.

Commit to colour

Not only does Dulux Heritage look beautiful, but it feels gorgeous under your fingertips, with its velvety matt finish for walls and an eggshell with a soft sheen for woodwork. Try it today by ordering a Colour Tester.

For advice on Dulux Heritage, pop down to your local Dulux Decorator Centre and talk to our in-store colour experts.