I have been wanting to paint our dining room white for a couple of years now, and decided to finally take the plunge! After doing a ton of research and trying out different paint samples – I ended up choosing Sherwin-Williams Pearly White. So today I wanted to share with you my review of this beautiful white paint color, why I picked it, and some painting tips as well. Here is SW Pearly White Review (Painting Our Dining Room Walls).
- I’ll be doing two posts soon on best white paint colors for interiors (is done) and how to choose white paint colors!
To see SW Origami White in our house, click:
- Painting our Master Bedroom SW Origami White
- Master Bedroom Makeover: Chambray Blue + White
- My Review: SW Origami White vs SW Pearly White
SW Pearly White Review
(Painting Our Dining Room Walls)
Let’s start off with what our dining room used to look like.
The back accent wall was painted Sherwin-Williams Naval, and the other three walls were painted Sherwin-Williams Silver Strand.
- And I do have to say that I have loved this navy accent wall, but I was ready for a softer look.
Before picture.
So when I decided to put my paint samples up, I made for sure to put them on both (painted) wall colors – just to compare them together.
Paint Samples:
White paint samples on SW Silver Strand wall.
White paint samples on SW Naval wall.
The reason I put the samples on both walls was to compare the different white “shades” with the existing colors that were already in the room.
This is a good way to double check that you are choosing samples that:
- work with other colors in your house (warm or cool tones)
- you can see the colors in the exact lighting (this is the room that the new color will go in)
- you can compare them side-by-side (see the other undertones)
Ok, let’s get to it. SW Pearly White Review (Painting Our Dining Room Walls).
SW Pearly White Review
(Painting Our Dining Room Walls)
#1) What color did I want for our dining room?
I wanted a white paint color that had a slight hint of yellow (or warm-er), but also wanted to make sure to rule out any gray-whites (cooler).
- Greek Villa, Pearly White, and Westhighland White – yellow-ish undertones
- Zurich White, Eider White, and City Loft – Gray-ish undertones
I also had SW Natural Choice left over from our Exterior Brick Painted White Makeover, so I used it to bring out the other undertones as well (on the navy wall).
And SW Snowbound is our trim color, so it has to be out for sure!
#2) Why did I choose SW Pearly White?
To be completely honest, I wanted Greek Villa. And boy did I really WANT to like it here in our dining room.
But it always looked more yellow – always.
And it’s a gorgeous color, but our dining room faces a south-west direction.
- That means it gets the warmest light of any rooms in the house – which brings out the yellow undertones – ugh!
Update: I’ve learned that also our SW Snowbound trim/ceiling is bringing out yellow undertones and the red-brown floors/buffet will bring out yellow undertones.
So happy we can all help one another out – so thanks for the comments everyone!
- Greek Villa is 254 – c1, and Pearly White is 254-c2.
- Pearly White is the next best color, has a little bit more gray in it, and is a “cool white” – that reads yellow – YES Please!!
Ok, more on those 2 colors below. Let’s keep moving along!
SW Pearly White Review
Review:
I don’t want this post to get too “technical” with all of the paint color mumbo-jumbo, but just wanted to share with you some tips and honest review of our new dining room paint color.
R,G,B = Red, Green, Blue (color values)
Hex code: 6-digit code that represents R,G,B value
LRV = Light Reflective Value (0-100), 0 = darkest light, 100 = brightest light
- I will do another post that goes into these values more extensively.
Sherwin-Williams Pearly White SW 7009
- 254-c2 on SW color chart
- cool white paint color
- SW Top 50 colors of 2021
-
- Red: 232
- Green: 227
- Blue: 217
- Hex Value: #e8e3d9
- LRV: 77
*** Note: Every computer screen will show this color swatch differently. So Always make sure to buy sample paints to use on your own walls.
Let’s compare the 2 colors next.
Comparing SW Pearly White versus SW Greek Villa
SW Greek Villa:
-
- R: 240
- G: 236
- B: 226
- LRV: 84
You can see from the 2 swatches on the piece of white copy paper (above), that SW Greek Villa has a little more yellow in it, and is also brighter.
I think that the:
- SW Pearly White is a great choice for our south-west facing dining room (will bring out warmer undertones with the afternoon sun), and
- SW Greek Villa would be perfect for our north-east facing bedroom (will bring out cooler undertones and help neutralize the warmer yellow tones).
Both colors look like a great fit for our SW Snowbound trim – yay!
Now are you ready to be blown away?
- Check out the difference in lighting of the SAME 3 swatches against our SW Silver Strand Wall in the kitchen!
Looks like 3 different colors – right?
Conclusion: Lighting is SO important!
Time to see how it all turned out: Painting Our Dining Room Walls SW Pearly White!
Painting Our Dining Room Walls
Painting:
I primed the navy accent wall first to help cover the darker color.
Then as it was drying, I went ahead and began painting the other 3 walls with SW Pearly White.
Priming Back Wall.
First Coat.
I always paint the top of the wall under the trim, and then the bottom of the wall by the trim first.
These areas are the most time consuming, so I like to get those out of the way.
It helps to turn your paintbrush sideways when painting the doorways/threshold areas.
- This way, you won’t make accidental brush strokes on the adjacent walls (that you aren’t painting). 😉
Painting the corners with your paintbrush will also help save time.
Roller brushes are great, but they don’t completely get those tough angles like a paintbrush does.
Just think of it as working from the outside corners – in.
Then you can use the larger roller brush to speed things up.
Below, you can see where I am painting with the first coat of SW Pearly White over the primed back wall.
If you look closely (at this picture below), you can tell how the part to the left is still showing some of the Silver Strand underneath.
So, you guessed it….. time to paint a second coat.
So much better – right?
Always safer to do the second coat 😉
Well, what do you think?
Have a great weekend!
Love & Hugs 🙂
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Sherwin-Williams Color of the Year 2023 Redend Point (+ Color Forecast)
Painting Your Exterior Brick: The Ultimate Guide
Our White Painted Brick House Makeover (Before & After Pictures)
15 Best White Paint Colors For Brick Exteriors
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19 Comments
Thanks for sharing! I’m thinking of pearly white for my bedrooms which are east facing. Hopefully it will work out 🙂
Hi Kimia! Yes, it will be beautiful in your bedrooms – can’t wait to hear how it turns out!
hugs – jael 🙂
Hi, looks beautiful! I’m considering pearly white for my main color and this post really helped me lean closer toward it!
Is the ceiling snowbound too, or what would you recommend for the ceiling?
HI Cindy! Yes, the ceiling paint is SW Snowbound. I would recommend SW Pure White for the ceiling. I don’t mind the snowbound with the pearly white, but it does show the pink undertones at certain times of the day- just a fyi. Pure White will have more of the yellow/green undertones similar to SW Pearly White. Just do a paint sample of each to try them out!
Have fun – hugs 🙂
jael
Hi I have Snowbound for my trim color. Im trying to pick a white wall color to go in a south facing bedroom. Im looking at Greek Villa,Alabaster,Pearly White and Elder White. I don’t know what to do.
Hi Robbie! I would suggest taking Alabaster off the list – these 2 colors (Snowbound + Alabaster) just don’t work well with each other.
Greek Villa and Pearly White will have “warmer” tones (think soft cream or hint of yellow), whereas Eider White will have “cooler” tones (think soft gray with hint of pink/purple).
Since it is a south-facing room, it will bring in more warmth (bring out more of those yellow undertones) of Greek Villa & Pearly White, whereas it will “warm up” the cooler tones of Eider White.
I would buy 3 samples of each of the colors, and put them onto the wall in your bedroom. Then leave them up for a day and night- so you can see how they look on the wall. If you put them side by side, you should be able to pick your winner – lol!
Hope this helps!
Hugs – Jael 🙂
Hello,
What color is your entryway? I like how the reflection of entryway shows in the dining room mirror and looks like a soft blue.
Thanks!
Des
Hi Des! The color in the entryway is Sherwin-Williams Tinsmith, SW 7657.
I do love this paint color, and it seems to go with any accent color that I add also.
Thanks and hugs –
Jael 🙂
can i go celling with the exta white and body with pearly white, do you think that 2 tone will go good together and they will show out the 2 tone
HI Gina! Yes, the Extra White would go great with Pearly White. Extra White is a brighter, crisp white and will help neutralize the warmer undertones in the Pearly White walls.
Hugs – Jael 🙂
Thank you! ☺️
Thank you for this post, Jael. Seeing the colors side by side is so helpful particularly as you showed them as they really are and not with filters as some bloggers do. Like you I am deciding between Greek Villa, Pearly and Zurich white. I have read many descriptions of Greek Villa which has been described as a light beige, but boy did it read yellow on your walls; not the look I want at all. A lot of designers wax over Zurich White and I thought it would be the one. No one mentioned the pink undertones….not sure that would work either. Thanks again from sharing the benefits of all your hard work. Your dining room looks lovely.
Hi Claudia! Glad this post could help out a little for you – I know choosing white paint colors is not easy.
I think if you can put the GV, PW, ZW samples side-by-side on your walls – you’ll see which one works best in the room you want painted.
Things that will make a difference will be room direction (N,S, E, W), your trim color, and your floor color – those will be the main three components that change how the paint will look on the walls.
Hopefully, you’ll fall in love with one of those samples.
Also – I have loved the Origami White that is in our bedroom now (even more to confuse you – lol)!! It is very neutral, but beautiful.
Hugs – Jael 🙂
Hi Gina I am looking at Pearly White also but the biggest difference for me is I have a white/tan wash pine bead board ceiling so I can’t have the white ceiling for contrast and was also thinking of doing my kitchen cabinets and trim all in same color but different sheens. I am also east facing with a covered porch over sliding glass doors so there isn’t a ton of light after 10-11 am. Any thoughts are appreciated!!
Hi Jeannie! This one is tough because I don’t what undertone the tan ceiling is.
I would recommend looking at swatches close to the ceiling, but also close to your flooring (because that will matter more).
SW Pearly White is a cool white (and could work), but I would also look at SW White Duck & SW Shoji White (farther down the color swatch), and then SW Alabaster (creamier tone for cabinets) and SW Pure White (more universal color for cabinets).
Hope this helps!
Hugs – Jael 🙂
Hi- the reason the Greek Villa looked so yellow to you is not the light, but rather the undertones in your trim which is surrounding it! Your Snowbound trim has a pink/purple undertone that really comes up when you place anything with a yellow undertone next to it. The Pearly White works well with it because it also has a pink/purple undertone. You just don’t notice it because it matches the trim. 🙂
Thanks for clarifying Lauren.
Hugs- Jael 🙂
Hello. Enjoyed your post so much! I have decided to paint my entire small condo pearly white. The main living space faces west so I think it will be lovely. Do you think painting the ceiling and trim in the same color( pearly white) in different sheens will look nice? I have low 8 fr ceilings throughout. Thank you!
Hi Liz! Yes, you could definitely paint the ceiling/trim in different sheens. If you want any contrast, try SW Pure White or SW Reflective White for ceilings/trim.
Pearly White is a beautiful color, and you will love it!
Hugs – Jael 🙂