Shades of white

Danél de Villiers of Walkerville, Gauteng writes We are building a house and would like to paint our loft white like the one on page 57 of your May 2018 issue. We bought white paint, but it looks almost pale blue. What colour did the homeowners use? We are looking for something as neutral as possible so that artworks and other items can be shown off to best effect.

Jenny Collins of Red Cat Design, who designed this room, replies It is a standard white from Midas. If you are looking for an off-white with a warm undertone, try Evening Mist from Plascon (it has a yellow undertone) or Natural Taupe from Dulux (with warm red undertones). Plaster from Plascon, Potters Clay from Dulux and Maluti from Duram’s Eye for Colour Collection all have a warm grey undertone.

Your choice depends, of course, on the quality of light in your space; paint 1 x 1m test areas on the wall to see what the colour will look like in the type of light the room receives. The time of day will also determine how the colour displays. >>