In 1993, our new house had all walls and ceilings painted Navajo white. We liked it. But about 15 years ago we hired a painter to paint the first floor (and stairwell and upstairs hall which is open to the 2 story family room). For walls we picked a color is a bit darker but still neutral. For ceilings we picked white. We really like the look, but admittedly it is more work (or in our case labor charge) to have the “cutting in” at the ceiling edge.
I have seen Navajo white look good, especially with tans and beiges. But these days the grays are in and I think Navajo white does not show as well with that color so prevalent.
My house was a linen white and I loved the way it looked in the bright sun. That with a simple white for ceiling and Wood trim/doors was a look I used for years. But to sell the house, I had to go a white with gray undertones. The yellow undertones of linen white looked dated. I’d go with a very neutral white these days. I’m just not that fond of the gray but it has become the standard.
I did not paint any walls white, but love BM Chantilly Lace for all doors & trim.
We’ve used Elmira White from Benjamin Moore
That’s what I am looking for! Very hard to find truly neutral white. They all come with color.
I like reading Laurel Bern’s take on paints. More important than advocating shades of white, she warns about certain shades. Navajo and China Whites can take on other colors more easily than some other Ben Moore whites.
I’m facing the same issue. I’ve found that Cotton ball White works well in just using one color for ceiling, wall and wood work. Though not all the same paint because used flat, eggshell and semi gloss respectively and yes, there is a difference. But they do flow in a continuum. I love the contrast among the three but I just could not deal with this house and paint because being a dark interior, any color was a risk. Bright houses look pretty good no matter what.
We also have Elmira White on walls and ceilings of all the common areas and guest rooms. It’s a nice contrast with the Frostine trim. I was a little hesitant when the decorator suggested it because I didn’t want white walls. But there is a good bit of pigment and it’s a really nice neutral with no pink or yellow undertones.
My favorite white is BM’s cloud white. It has a softness to it that I love.
We used BM Elmira white for all the walls of our small retirement lake house. Love it.
Warm but clean and fresh.
We used Navajo White for outdoor trim on our old house and loved the way it looked against the colonial looking blue body.
Red front door. Our red, white and blue house.
Just to show how many good whites there are, I’ll add that our painted trim is Benjamin Moore Mayonnaise. Not sure what the ceilings are.
Have used Chantilly lace(old school color), Navajo white (yellowy) and white dove ( crisp and modern) in our old house among others. Best was White Dove, it’s the cleanest shade and we thought it went best with many other colors. Would use it again though not looking forward to painting until Covid ends.
We used White Dove as our go to for trim. Worked well.