The Right White Paint Color for Furniture
The best classic white paint color for furniture.
I absolutely love a lot of Pottery Barn Kids & Restoration Hardware Baby & Child furniture, but I’m not at all in love with the prices. It’s difficult for me to invest in pieces where they grow & transition so rapidly, but there’s more than one way to achieve the same aesthetic!
The previous owners of our Colonial were incredibly kind to gift us with a beautiful canopy bed, which is now Adalyn’s. I found a great dresser that mimicked the pattern with gorgeous brass hardware & have blended it with a Pottery Barn Kids table & chairs set.
Blending old & new not only feels more interesting, but it also elevates older pieces.
We’re now doing the same for Ani’s room – I purchased a bed on Craigslist, am repurposing a vanity that was in the guest bedroom {a thrift store find} & am awaiting the right dresser to come along.
To make it feel cohesive, I’m painting it all in the same color we painted Adalyn’s furniture. Finding the right white paint color isn’t always easy. Some are too bright & harsh & others just have too much blue or yellow undertones.
Pottery Barn Kids’ simply white furniture paint color is a soft, not-too-creamy off white. I borrowed a sample to take to Sherwin Williams and found that Sherwin Williams 7012 Creamy in satin is a nearly perfect match!
We’ve been using it for the past few years for Adalyn & Isla’s furniture. If it were up to me, I’d call it right white. It’s just the right white paint color for furniture.
Photography: Alea Lovely
You make a good point about furniture that they outgrow quickly. Sometimes a piece that they can grow with and keep for many years as they grow up is great, but other times it’s hard to resist a great table or dresser that would be great for only about a year or two. It all comes down to personal preference I suppose.
White furniture is timeless. Fits any home, whether traditional or modernized.
Love the white concept here. Creates an illusion of making a room wider. (oh, the girls are so cute!)
Thank you!
I know this is very old, but just wanted to confirm that you use Sherwin Williams “Creamy ” in a satin finish to match Pottery Barn Kids “Simply White” colored furniture? I need to refurbish a lovely older bed to match my child’s dresser and have been searching for the right color! Thank you!!
That’s correct, Anna and I LOVE it! Enjoy.
Just curious if this is the same
match to what Pottery Barn now calls ‘Vintage Simply White’.. We have a crib in that color and I desperately want to paint the room molding the same color as the whites clash horribly.
I think so, but you can always take a furniture swatch {Pottery Barn Kids offers them for a nominal fee} to match or bring a paint swatch home to make sure it matches the crib. Either way, I don’t think this color would clash. Enjoy!
Do you know if that is the same PB white they use on their home items. I have 6 chairs that I am trying to match something too. Thanks
I’m not sure – I bet if you called the store they could tell you if their white was the same as the kids’ white and go from there.
Do you think I could use the Sherwin Williams paint to touch up some minor scratches? I don’t want the touch up to be noticable but I definitely want to cover them up with paint if possible. Thanks!
Call their customer service to see if they offer a paint pen first. If not, I would try somewhere discreet using a qtip to see if you like the way it looks and only touch up the raw wood.
I haven’t used this color yet, but I’m loving the look of it in your pictures and am going to pick some up today!
Thanks, Sara! Have a beautiful day and don’t forget to come back to tell me what you think!
Would this white match the white used on the pottery barn kids speedboat bed with matching white speedboat dresser? I bought a set used and it needs a lot of touching up. I also wanted to know if anyone knows the color match stain for the older sun valley honey color?
Get a small sample test in an obscure place, but it’s pretty close! Best wishes.
Do you use any varnish overtop of the paint?
I don’t, personally and with a good primer and SW Pro Classic it should be completely unnecessary. We’ve had some furniture for 6 years and just did 1 round of q-tip touchups, which doesn’t feel too bad with toddlers. Enjoy!
Is it necessary to sand over the white veneer lightly before you paint? Is it better to spray paint in SW creamy color if you are trying to repaint the entire furniture? Thank you.
I would use a paint sprayer or roller from Sherwin Williams intended for furniture and do this. Enjoy!
Hello what color matches Sky white from Pottery barn? Thank you Sarki
I’m not sure – but you can ask for a swatch and have it color matched.
Hi Julie, thanks for all the info. but the Sherwin creamy white 7012, would that be a mud paint or chalk paint, to paint furniture? And what is the final step applied for the look of your painted pottery barn like piece
I use Pro Classic. To achieve a smooth finish like ready made furniture use a paint sprayer rather than a brush.
Hi Julie, the pro classic sherwin white 7012 is what you would use to paint a console under a black tv that is hung on the wall for a rustic white look in a great room?
Also, what are your recommendations for removing the shellac this piece has now without scratching with a sander or sandpaper?
Finally, oh boy, never used a paint sprayer! Is there a moderate one you can advise of? thank you very much
Yes, but to give it a rustic look, I’d sand the edges or possibly use chalk paint. You can read my post here to avoid sanding. I think $100 sprayers do just find for furniture. You can always use a roller, I just like to get it done as quick and painless as possibly with a smooth finish. I hope that helps, Linda!
What kind of paint sprayer do you use? Do you have one that attaches to a compressor? I am looking for one that does not have to. Thanks!
We purchased $150 sprayer from Lowe’s – kind of an all-in-one that’s easy to use for furniture.
Hi Julie, are you aware of any spray paint match for the simply white? For example rest oleum’s painters touch and if so what sheen?thanks a lot.
Hi Julie, any chance you have a spray paint option for a color match for p.b. Simply white paint color? Thanks
I’m sorry, I don’t. You could use a paint sprayer though!
This article was amazing! I used the Sherwin Williams 7012 Creamy in satin as you recommended in a pottery barn kids desk i bought second hand for 75 bucks! The desk was in excellent shape with exception of the paint. There were scratches on the top and some hard glowing color paint on the front drawers. I scrubbed the desk with a sponge and clorox cleaner, dried it, sanded it and painted it with a paint roller. The Sherwin Williams 7012 Creamy in satin as you recommended and it was a PERFECT match! It looks amazing! Now this desk looks perfect with the rest of my daughters pottery barn furniture, thank you so much for this article!
So glad you love it, too.
Hi there.
Thank you for your article. I am getting ready to pain my daughter’s bed to match her other pottery barn furniture pieces. I bought the bed second hand. I plan to sand, prime, and then paint. However, I was wondering if you sealed the piece at the end with anything. Thanks for the help.
I didn’t and when it chips (they’re rough on it), I do a-tip touch ups. Enjoy!
Can you tell me which primer you use with this? Also, you mentioned above that you don’t use a varnish/sealer on top, but I’m looking to paint a crib and I’m wondering about my baby teething on the rails. Any suggestions for a sealer that would pair well with the satin finish?
Honestly, I have no idea, but 2/3 of my girls were chewers. Sorry! I just use Sherwin Williams primer.
July, 2018. Your article lives on. Just had Home Depot mix me some up!
Hope you love it as much as I do!
Does the Sherwin Williams Creamy match PB Simply White as well? In particular I am looking at the Beadboard Bed. It seems on Pottery Barn Kids I see a lot of Vintage Simply White? SO I just wanted to be clear that we are matching the same colors here! All of these whites are SO confusing!
Yes, Simply White, enjoy!
I am about to paint a light brown changing table and darker brown tv console. So do I need to sand or use a liquid sandpaper or just the primer? Thank you so much for this post by the way we are about to welcome baby number two and need to match our old crib with some other pieces we got second hand. I am a little OCD so if the color was off my eye would twitch forever lol!
I would just use the liquid deglosser, prime and paint. So excited for you!!! Congratulations on your growing family.
Hi Julie, Do you use oil or water based paints for your furniture?
I love Sherwin Williams Pro Classic, which is a water based. It’s great for trim, too!