Which white should you use to create the most pleasing spaces? This article filled with professional color advice will help you decide. Discover the essential differences between common whites and favorite ktCOLOR whites, such as White light, China clay white and Stone white. Find the white that not only matches your architecture and you personal sense of style, but also an eco-safe product made from natural resources. It matters, because white ceilings take up as much space as the flooring. Add to that white walls, and it is clear that white is often the most important material in the architecture. The right white contributes significantly to the room climate and the atmosphere of most indoor spaces.
Topics
These topics will be addressed in this article:
Why white matters
The three most important whites
How to choose the right one
The price difference.
If you are a design professional and would like to know more about the science behind the subject, please register for my
Masterclass Light Color Architecture®. White and the brightness contrasts are important topics in every series of lectures.
White features heavily in many modern interiors. It is often the dominant hue in architectural color schemes and thus the most important color. Modern interiors in Europe tend to be painted with whites based on titanium dioxide with high light reflectance values (LRV) of 85 and higher. Vision research suggests that such high levels of brightness coupled with a light-scattering pigment in low contrast environments is taxing for the sense of vision. Surfaces lack definition, forms are hard to read and the retina is saturated with bright, scattered light reflections coming from all the white surfaces.
The color 32KT000 White light
This hallway features the paint color White light, a natural, optically gentle white made of chalk. The white on the right side is darker and seems to retreat, lending the narrow space a greater sense of depth.
Thee are four good reasons to invest time in the selection of an appropriate white:
1.
White is on most surfaces, since most ceilings and some walls are generally white.
2.
The overall brightness is a sum of the light and the white color in the background.
3.
The contrast levels between the white background and any object in the space determines its visibilty.
4.
The atmosphere - warm or cool, clinical or cozy - is heavily influenced by the play of light on the large surfaces covered with white paint.
A bright, light scattering background feels clinical, seems obtrusive, and saturates the retina with too much brightness. If you choose a high quality white background color, you orient and focus better, see important objects faster, and feel calmer and less distracted.
The three most important whites
These are RAL 9010, RAL 9016 and NCS S 0500-N in Europe; in other countries, there are equivalents with a warm tinge, a neutral white, and a grayed white. Warm, bright, or muted? We focus on commercial whites based on titanium dioxide and their counterparts made by ktCOLOR with natural pigments:
Most warm whites are made with titanium dioxide and iron oxide yellow. The European RAL 9010 has a slight greenish shade and a flat effect caused by the synthetic pigments. It is not related to any color we would find in nature, thus it seems artificial.
White light 32KT000
White light has the KT-Code 32KT000. It has a warm cast that comes from the pigments China Clay, Chalk and French ochre. The natural pigments are more luminous than any synthetic ones. Spaces painted with this have a glow to them, but only if you insist on the original.
China clay white in Kitzbühel
China clay white is not the background color, it turns the spiral staircase into a bright eye-catcher. The warm, gentle Natural gray in the background creates a perfect contrast. We feel invited to ascend to the upper levels.
Pure whites
Pure white, or RAL 9016, refers to a white with no color tone added. The spatial effect is the one mediated by the white pigment. Titanium dioxide white is bright and obtrusive. It should not be used for large wall surfaces.
China Clay white
Some architectural offices prefer a bright, clear white
without a color cast. For this purpose, ktCOLOR created China clay white, which is made from pure, white clay. The cool,
clear effect is achieved without forever chemicals and optical
brighteners, allowing surfaces to glow in the light. When lit, they have the luminosity of freshly fallen snow. Shadows look light and playful. Chinay clay white is, however, highly reflective, so that we use it only in large spaces.
Cool, muted whites
NCS 0500-N is the cool, nordic design counterpart to warm whites. The NCS code implies a non-colored white with a touch of added black. It is only neutral (the "N") in theory. The substance that goes on your walls is a synthetic white mixed with carbon black. It scatters incoming light, producing a flat, somewhat dull finish. It's not as bright as other titanium whites, but it does not even come close to the beauty of marble.
Stone white made of marble
Stone white 17KT040 is produced by finely grinding Carrara marble, mixing in some gray slate and adding the preferred binder. It is a noble, captivating white with the elegance of marble. The color cast is similar to previously mentioned NCS 0500-N, but beauty is never a question of the tone, it is a quality of a material. Titanium dioxide will never be the same as Carrara marble. While the first pigment is light-scattering and obtrusive, the marble plays with the light and cloaks spaces in an effect that is reliably soft and natural.
Stone white is natural
The color Stone white in this picture is on all the walls and ceilings in this beautiful house. Here, the white is as natural as the wood and the other materials. It does not make sense to insist on natural materials everywhere, but not when you buy the most obvious color! The fresh, luminous quality of the white surfaces is a product of the marble white pigment.
How to choose the right one
Which white will be the right one for your living spaces, or for your commercial project? Our sense of vision loves natural materials. We have an internal library of what quality looks like. When we find it, we experience pleasure. Chalk, china clay, and marble tap into this source of well-being, allowing whites based on these pigments to be wise choices. The largest surfaces in your projects certainly deserve to be high-quality, gentle to the eyes, and natural.
A few tips to facilitate your selection:
1.
White light is a classic. It matches historic styles of architecture and is often used when redecorating older buildings. If you want it to be warm and cosy, count on this luminous, chalk white with warm overtones.
2.
Our sense of vision performs best in spaces that are not too brightly illuminated. China clay white is best suited for large-scale use in large spaces, where the bright white walls will be farther away, and only if the flooring is not white, not shiny, and not black. Use it also to highlight beautiful elements, such as the spiral stairs above.
3.
Stone white is an excellent choice for small spaces and modern interiors.
The price difference
Paint costs are not high in the construction budget and the cost differences between mass-produced products and natural ktCOLOR paints are marginal. Good news, considering that your white is the most important material in terms of atmosphere! When you start planning, set aside € 2500 per 100 square meters living area as a surcharge for a white made from natural pigments. When you specify the paint work, insist on the right pigments. Control the products on site. Knocking off premium paints is a common practice. Once you have gotten your natural white, you will be delighted. Inviting, vivid, luminous, wall surfaces that change throughout the day and night time will add a layer of richness to your spatial experience.
Overwhelmed? Book a consultation!
Would you like professional support to find the best choices for your architecture? Book a color consultation with our experts. Bring pictures, samples, and plans, and profit from our wealth of experience.
