Listener Questions 2 - Fifty Shades of White

In between full episodes we will be fielding listener questions about their renovations. So if you have a burning question send us a voice-note or a message at @ripitup_podcast_official on Instagram or ripitupearlybird@gmail.com.

Our favourite (off)white paints:

• Slaked Lime - Little Greene
• Subtle - Colourtrend
• Arctic Blonde - Colourtrend
• Powdered Shell - Colourtrend
• Soda Bread - Colourtrend
• Trigg - Farrelly & Co
• Wimborne White - Farrow & Ball
• Old White - Farrow & Ball
• Schoolhouse White - Farrow & Ball
• Shaded White - Farrow & Ball
• Shadow White - Farrow & Ball
• Dropcloth - Farrow & Ball
• Designer White - Fleetwood (for outdoors)

Follow the podcast on Instagram @ripitup_podcast_official, or follow us - Jenny is @workerscottage and Kate is @victorianrathmines

Transcript

​[00:00:00] 

Podcast Intro

Jen: Welcome to Rip It Up, the renovations podcast.

In between full episodes, we are answering your questions. So if you have a burning question for us, send us a voice note or a message on Instagram at Rip it Up Podcast official or email us, rip it up earlyBird@gmail.com.

Welcome back to the podcast hi Kate. 

Kate: Hi, Jen. 

Jen: Our quick mini episode this week. We're doing listener questions. Thank you to everyone who sent them in. If you want to send in a question, uh, the links are in the show notes.

Let's get straight into it. This one is about white paint colors because there's 587

billion of them as far as we can tell. Um, so here's the question.

Listener: Hey, Jenny and Kate. Um, I'm looking at painting my house white, but when I go to look at White, there's kind of a million whites including the strangest white, which is, uh, dirty Swan. So I literally, they all look the [00:01:00] same to me. Um, I really appreciate it. If you could come up with some suggestions for me as to what a good white is in the Irish climate.

Love the podcast girls. 

Kate: Love

this question because I went through so many whites this time round 

Jen: There's 

so 

Kate: I would get it wrong.

Jen: It's too easy to get wrong. 

Kate: Yeah. Yeah, it is. One thing that I find, and I've said this before, I think in the podcast when we were covering paint, I think it's always

worth it to get like swatch books and stuff, but not

just a small sample, tiny square ones.

The bigger size ones you can get like in certain brands, like I have little green one. If you're watching this and the video, you'll see me. Pick it up. I also have the Faron Ball one, which are nice, kind of big samples, but the little green one or the Faron Ball. Um, small booklets even. They do the colors and scales, which I think is a really good way to see what the undertone is in your white paint.

And this, um, little, little green color scales. One I have is literally every color they have in scaled version. And I think it's a really good way to identify undertones because I remember we spoke about [00:02:00] this in a previous episode where I did subtle all over my house by color trend in 

Galway 

Jen: I 

Kate: years ago.

And you 

have it in your house and it's beautiful, but in my house it looked quite purple. So it's really important to know those undertones and know how they're gonna 

work in

Jen: It is a totally different, like we've, we've said this, we have two paint episodes. I think one is about picking colors and one is more specifically about like 

technical painting and, and um, different types of paint. But there. Light. Everything to do with color is about light, so the type of light that is coming into your house is going to massively change the paint colors on your walls or floors, whatever it might be.

Um, 

and so subtle in my house looks totally different to subtle in your house because of the surrounding colors, because of the direction of light that's coming in, because of whether there is like morning light, west light, um, et cetera, 'cause of whatever's being reflected around it. So it's, it is, no matter what you pick, it is so vitally important to get a big [00:03:00] swatch.

And we always say like, get, if you can like an a three sheet of sheet of paper, I would say at the smallest

and Um, paint that in the color one or two coats and hang that in the room at different times of the

day. So 

Kate: Yeah, and I think maybe like say, just not to go back on subtle and I'll talk about the colors I've used more

recently, but that subtle one I lived in G at the time. Galway is obviously quite gray and cloudy a lot, so the lights can be very different than your house, which is quite sunny. It gets a lot of sun in the back.

Uh, so like that sun, that sunny kind of. Bright light will show up more the warmer undertones versus the cooler undertones that I was probably getting in my Galway house. And then I find for this house that I'm in right now, I use the same color everywhere. Like I think it was just, I knew I'd have that decision fatigue thing, so I just 

picked it ahead of time. But I tested a million pain samples here. My last house, I used all Faron Ball and I used shaded white drop cloths. They were all the kind of same color skill and I love 

those. Quite a green undertone. [00:04:00] I love greens. Anyway, so like that green undertone worked for me. 

This time. I wanted something that was like.

A bit brighter than shaded white. So a shade or two up. Um, I think pure, brilliant white is never the answer. By the way, if you're 

listening 

to 

Jen: no, it

Kate: don't use it It's harsh, it's cold. It looks like an undercoat like it, there's always room for some, some level of tint, I think in the, in the white paint.

But I went with,

um, slated lime little green this time. Uh, the reason I used it is because a lot of the paints that I was trying, that I loved before were showing up really yellow in all the south facing light I had. So I went with slated lime. Mid, if you looked at the swatches, mid looks, looks kind of deep enough.

There's a lighter or a pale version as well. But even though with the mid, everyone thinks I've just painted the house white, but it's just a soft white. And then I did everything. I did the ceilings, I did the coving, I did the ceiling roses, and I just didn't break it. I just, all 

downstairs is just the same except for my little living room, which I went to shade deeper instead of the mid.

I went deep in that room in the same color. [00:05:00] Um, but it's completely kind of enclosed in a separate space. 

But I did the ceilings the same. I did the woodwork the same, I did the doors the same. And I just think it gives a lovely kind of continuity. So I think don't be afraid to go the shade deeper 

'cause it won't show up.

Like I think the whitest, lightest shades will show up so brilliant white 

that they're harsher, I think. 

Jen: that's a really important point. When I got the samples for, for paint here, 

um, subtle by color trend, which is a pretty, you know, light white color, I would say looks like a dark gray against. Like if you're, if you're holding it up against like a white sheet of paper or something like that, it almost looks like a dark gray or a dark brown.

And it really isn't like, it's really, really, really not. And I think some strength of color works very, very well in whites. It's that like when you look at like a high-end picture on Instagram or in Pinterest or in a magazine or something like that, it's not going to be a very, very pale white, very unlikely to be a very, very pale white.

It's going to have some strength to

it and some depth to it, [00:06:00] and that can be. Off-putting or kind of scary when you

get the sample of it. Um, but again, that's why you have to paint a big area of it and just

make sure, 

Kate: it always looks darker in one small swatch on a big wall. That's probably kind of like fresh plaster or maybe a white 

under color or something like that. But once you start putting it over everything and there's no paint to contrast against that, I think it looks a bit. More subtle, I. 

guess. 

Not subtle, the color, but you know what I mean.

It just looks 

less, less like dark or whatever. Less deep. 

Um, 

Jen: Yeah, contrast is important. That's true of every paint and like you mentioned, painting absolutely everything there. And that is, that's what color drenching is. If you see 

that term or hear that term anywhere, that's color drenching. Um, and it's not a trend. It is definitely here to stay because. 

The like it removing or reducing that contrast of the color that you're putting up on your walls against white skirting boards or white doors or white ceilings or whatever it might be, actually reduces the impact of [00:07:00] that color.

So like. We get this question in quite a bit on, uh, on the home squad, on news talk, and it's usually a couple, one of whom only wants to paint like a certain part of the wall or who doesn't want to go overboard, and one of whom wants to color drench. And actually their points are almost opposite. Like the person who doesn't want to go overboard, you're better off color drenching because the impact is lower because the contrast is lower, so it looks more subtle.

But if you only paint a small part or you only

paint the walls and you don't paint the backs of the doors, or you don't

paint the skirting boards or the roof, or I mean the ceiling. Then the impact is higher because the contrast is higher and it looks more dramatic.

Kate: Oh, that's it's, that is so true. And I think we have this thing in our head that, oh my God, if I paint my ceiling dark,

it'll feel like it's coming down on top of me. But actually, if you paint your ceiling a high contrast to the walls, all you see is that ceiling. 

You 

know, 

Jen: Yeah, 

Kate: that contrast draws your eye immediately to it.

Or I think in old houses people tend to paint over the picture rail in the light color 

and it just makes the ceilings feel immediately lower. So like, I think run it all the way [00:08:00] up, all the way up the ceiling, don't break that line. And I just feel like the space feels lighter and air, even though you're painting it darker.

Jen: Yeah, 

Kate: something that might be fun. I dunno what kind of time, I know we're kind of tight on time on this, but do 

you wanna go through maybe like. Some of your favorites across 

brands, 

Jen: My favorite 

Kate: that you've used for yourself or for clients or anything. 

Jen: So I love, I have subtle by color trend and I do love it. It's probably a bit more 

gray than I would go for now if I was doing the whole thing, uh, all over again. But I do, I do like it because from in my particular house with the sun coming in. Strongly from, it's like west facing. All my biggest windows are west facing.

It's a very yellow sun. And so it balances out to a more of a, kind of a brownie undertone than a, uh, gray undertone. So I love that. Uh, I love Slate li I love Lake Lime. I love, and it's not, it's not gonna be for everyone. And I'm going back on what I said about darker colors, love and darker colors, but I love arctic blonde from, uh, from color trend.

It's really. [00:09:00] It's very white, but it, it has a tiny yellow color to it. So if you were in a north facing house, or maybe you have big windows, but you're getting that kind of, you know, more morning light or more, more of a north facing light, then that is absolutely, uh, fab. That's one of my favorites. I think it's really, really, really, really nice.

Um, and then my third favorite that I really, really, really love, um, is Trig from, we had Farley and Co on on the podcast before. They're not sponsoring this one or anything like that, but they have one called Trig, T-R-I-G-G. Um, and I think that works everywhere as well because it, they managed to get in that lovely warmth to it, like a kind of, they call it like a sandy

warmth, but it's. 

Kate: It's little. 

Yeah. 

Jen: Top undertone so it doesn't bring it, it's not gray. It's more brown. It's warmer. It's, I think it's

just so perfect for an Irish climate. 

Kate: Yeah. I agree with all them except Arctic Blonde. I do

find a bit harsh, but in 

more 

contemporary environments I

totally get it. I've seen it in really contemporary, and I, I get that. If you were, if you wanted something that white. [00:10:00] I think Faren Ball, Wimborne White is a lovely 

one, 

like against, if you're looking at Arctic Blonde, also look at, at, um, at Wimborne White.

I think I would always go a shade or two deeper than that. So my old house was all shaded white, quite a green undertone, but I really loved that. Um, another one in Far Andal that I love as well is old white. Especially if you're an old house, like the name 

suggests, it's kind of works well in old houses.

I had schoolhouse white all over this house before we renovated and it was a color matched one, so it wasn't perfect. So the yellow came out a bit too much, but Schoolhouse White is a really nice, kind of, almost like a white that's been there for years, just like an antique 

kind of white. Um, I think that's a really good one.

Um, and I tested all these in my house currently before I picked Slate Lime, and they all just showed up a bit too yellow on mine. Uh, 

in little green. I said I've gone slated lime everywhere, um, mid and deep and I actually went dark in our bedroom. It's not actually that dark, but you know, it's just a bit 

more 

enveloping in a bedroom. I like a kind of deeper shade in a bedroom. So slated lime is a really good one if you have a lot of [00:11:00] south facing light and everything's showing up yellow 'cause it. Definitely has a toy, but slightly gray undertone. Maybe it might be a bit 

too gray if you have a north facing room or something. 

Um, and then another one that I was really close on picking was color trend powdered shell, really 

similar to 

Jen: Oh, I love that. 

Yeah. 

Kate: It's not in the standard booklet, it's in the 

kind of swatch strips if you're in one of the shops that have the 

kind of the full, um, the full catalog there. So that, I think that one's really nice.

So they're 

Jen: one

that's more 

top that has that, that's a, it's a really good color to look for because I think like there's a reason. There's a reason that kind of gray 

was popular for a while because it is nice and there is some depth to that color that's

really, really nice. But I think the, the key.

Maintaining that without having a gray house is moving from gray

undertones to top undertones, and that's just a great word, I think to look for in a lovely, 

Kate: it's a bit softer, isn't it? 

It's a bit 

Jen: it's softer and warmer. 

Kate: That great undertone that we're so used to seeing. 

One that, um, a lot of people recommended to me when I was looking at whites as [00:12:00] well as soda, bread by color

trend. 

That's 

another nice kind of off white that's nice and soft.

I 

haven't used it, but I got the sample and it was lovely. It was one that I was close to getting. Um, 

but they'd be a lot of the ones that I'd kind of reach for. Again, again, school has white, maybe shadow white, which is a shade deeper 

windborn white for a real crisp white, and then the slated lime that I used this time I.

I'm, I'm so happy with them. Actually, the slated 

limes, 

there is no 

yellowness, no matter what the weather, but it's still kind of soft 

enough that it's not harsh, you know?

Jen: Now, one quick one before we wrap up, because there's loads there. Uh, outdoor. Have you painted any of your, the exterior of your house or walls or anything like that in white? And if so. What you pick. 

Kate: Well, we have a render, which is tinted on our garage room and 

our 

kind 

of, um, the new part we'll say of the house that we built and skimmed, and it's a, it's kind of one of those kind of tinted renders. I can't remember the shade, but I will say it definitely shows up the cooler undertones 

outside, I think, than inside.

But also inside you [00:13:00] have to be, you'd have to watch your bulbs, right, because you could be testing everything in daylight. 

In your, you know, renovation when the builders are in, and then when you move into the house, you put in a load of warm white bulbs and it changes the tone 

altogether. 

Jen: It's only your house 

is like bright yellow. 

Kate: Yeah. You have to watch where 

your lighting and your, the color of your bulbs, your Kelvin's as well.

Jen: That's a great point. Um, my outdoor, my, it's not much, but the front of my house 

and the back of my house, uh, is painted in Designer White by Fleetwood. Um, and I love that. I think it's really, really nice for an external

paint. Um, it's 

a 

nice kind of 

crisp pipe,

Kate: to go a shade deeper. Do you think you can afford to go a shade deeper outside? 'cause obviously there's more natural light, but 

I found on window frames they don't show up as kind of dark maybe as the swatch looks like.

Jen: Yeah. Yeah. Uh, I I dunno, I always, pretty much, always, I prefer kind of darker frames than what the house is, so I like the house a little bit lighter than what I like the, the window frames

in, kind of just like dark [00:14:00] frames. 

Um, so can you afford to go darker? You can. It depends for, it just always depends to me on what you're, what you're painting your frames in. 

Kate: Yeah. 

Yeah, yeah,

I just found when I painted my window frames off white in the front of the house, they look very stark white. I

could have afforded to go a shade or two deeper,

I think. 

Um, but anyway, that's my favorites and things to 

watch 

out 

for. Look for the undertones. Look at all the 

swatches. Test, test, test.

Jen: Yeah. And be careful with the light bulbs.

Kate: Yeah. Yeah. 

Jen: Thanks for your questions. Get more into us. You can email us at RipItUpearlyBird@gmail.com, or you can send us a voice note on Instagram at RipItUp_Podcast_official. We'll pop that in the show notes. 

See you next week.