Choosing the perfect modern off-white paint color

White Flour SW 7102 was used on this project for both the walls and trim.

White paint colors can be tricky. There's a seemingly endless lineup. Some have warm undertones, cool undertones, or even pink undertones. Off-whites with cool undertones always feel too stark and uninviting to us, and more often than not when we turn toward warmer off-whites, things just end up looking too creamy and dark. Luckily, we've seen it all, and spent countless hours watching paint dry (literally) so you don't have to wonder which off-white paint color will strike the perfect balance between brightness and warmth for your next modern design project.

One of our go-to off white colors here at Rakkaus Design is White Flour SW 7102 by Sherwin Williams. White Flour is light and modern, but not too stark. It is warm but not too creamy. It will pair well with any woodwork, and brings out the warmth in wood flooring, wood doors, and wood trim. It is exceptionally versatile.

On mid-century or Scandinavian style projects, a favored design approach is to create a simple, clean palette for our clients' interior furnishings and artwork to strike the mood. White Flour creates that perfect blank canvas. Our whole home remodel project in Middleton, WI at Scott Road features White Flour SW 7102 on all walls, ceilings, doors, and trim. The walls and ceilings were painted with a matte finish, and on the doors and trim we used a satin finish. Using this glossier finish on the doors and trim creates a subtle contrast from the walls, but the overall effect of using one color throughout the entire home allowed all the painted surfaces to blend together to create that modern "canvas" effect. You can view this project here on our portfolio page - we think the results speak for themselves.