Dulux Simply Refresh Matt Emulsion Paint - Jasmine White - 2.5L, 5382883

Product Information

A south-facing room gets a lot of natural daylight and can often be bathed in golden sunshine for a lot of the day. This means any underlying warm tones in a white paint - like yellow, red or brown - will be amplified, making a seemingly innocuous pale ivory white suddenly look decidedly yellow once on the walls.

I know I really need to investigate and do lots of testers and monitor over time but full-time work and small kids mean that more than likely it will be a last minute snap decision based on internet colour charts – not good!!!! Aaron at Coat Paints adds, 'Water-based emulsion will work just fine on the ceiling and it’s the default choice - but how about this. Choose a white Soft Sheen emulsion paint for the ceiling which has a subtle shine to it and can be really effective at bouncing light around the room. It’s not for everyone, but it can look super effective especially in low lit spaces or at night with lamps.'

Brilliant white has a very slight blue tint to it that can leave a room feeling a bit chilly. It’s best reserved for south-facing spaces with loads of natural sunlight.

Probably the most well-known white is Pure Brilliant White, a staple of new homes everywhere on the planet,' Marianne goes on to say. 'Pure Brilliant White contains optical brighteners which make it reflect more light and so it’s perfect when you want a super bright white as a blank canvas for your walls and ceiling.' Pure white paint is a good option for small living rooms with a healthy source of natural light, but should generally be avoided in north-facing rooms where it can reflect blue tones and make a room feel cold and drab.White Clay, our most popular selling white, is balanced and traditional. Not as harsh as a brilliant white, it flatters all decors, and both north and south facing rooms.' Aaron at Coat adds, 'For walls and ceilings, you’ll want to choose a white water-based emulsion paint, probably in a flat matt finish, this is the best white paint for interior walls. White paints are available in large tubs, but avoid this low-quality stuff if you can. It’s usually a very cold, bright white, which is usually used for public spaces or in trade. This won't feel particularly welcoming when put in your home though.' Emma at YesColours adds, 'A south-facing room will need a cooler white to counteract the warm glow of natural daylight, any white with a hint of blue or green is ideal.'

Our Colour Scales collection provides a wonderful solution for creating a light fresh design scheme that gives the illusion of space, ‘Masquerade’ works beautifully alongside ‘Masquerade Mid’ and ‘Masquerade Light’ to create an elegant and welcoming scheme in a small space.' Am facing the dilemma of wanting to decorate the whole of our ground floor in the same colour, so incorporating a kitchen/dining space, north east facing with lots of light (big window in kitchen and 3m wide bi-folds in the dining area), then also a living room which faces S/SW with floor to ceiling windows, and relatively large entrance hall area – S/SW facing but no windows, just a front door with some stained glass in it. Marianne Shillingford, Creative Director at Dulux explains, 'It’s easy to understand why it can be so difficult to choose just the right white for your walls when there is so much choice.' Just remember, the placement of furniture around the room can change the appearance of the paint, impacting how the colour is reflected on the walls, so be mindful of this when planning your scheme.'We used Crown Brilliant White in our summer house and, thanks to the fact that the room is bathed in light for much of the day, it’s bright and crisp rather than feeling like you’re hanging out in an asylum. Off White For an alternative smooth and creamy white (without any hint of yellow) I’ve been very pleased with Dulux White Chiffon that James used to paint our other west-facing bedroom. It’s very similar to B&Q Antique White that unfortunately proved to be disastrous for us in terms of application; four patchy coats later we plumped for this ivory shade from Dulux that looks fab with pink accents. Mellow White Because south-facing rooms are generally the brightest in the house, a brilliant white paint can often feel quite harsh, bouncing that strong light around even more. After all, no-one wants to have to wear sunglasses in their white living room idea! My goal for the lounge is white on the 3 plain walls, and then bring in some ivory or soft white seats onto the dark imbuia sofas with some blue and white cushions. PLEASE HELP! The lounge has recently been carpeted but when we bought our cottage we inherited a beautiful, yet deathly-cold slate floor. With the strong dark grey tiles, I felt I needed a white with a very slight grey undertone for the walls and set out to find the perfect chalky winter white. Eventually I settled on Sail White Emulsion from Crown. The lounge is multi-aspect and I’d say the room looks a lot cosier in the afternoon sun than in the morning. It’s not stark by any means but definitely looks better in the west-facing part of the room. Farrow & Ball Cornforth White is also a good shout if you’d like a more distinctive greyish white. Soft White

These undertones are amplified by the type of natural light a room gets, and can even be affected by the contents of a room which will reflect onto the walls and change the appearance of the paint hue, something worth thinking about when looking into white bedroom ideas. For a modern look, you can also move away from the traditional white ceiling altogether and paint the ceiling a statement colour – this could be the same as the walls for a really cohesive feel, or a different tone.'

For this reason warm white paints with undertones of yellow or red are generally recommended for north-facing rooms, where they'll look a lot less 'creamy' than they would painted in a room with a south-facing aspect.