The perfect White Paint Colour for your home! Interior Designers top paint pick!

Jil Sonia Interior designs - Ina van Tonder Photography

Hi,  I'm Jil Sonia McDonald of Jil Sonia Interior Designs,  I am thrilled to guest post for Maria while she is vacationing in the land of the Tuscan sun. I have been a professional interior designer for the past eight years, and I live in beautiful Chilliwack, British Columbia. My aesthetic is clean and streamlined, which I love to mix up a bit with pops of colour and lots of texture. 

I am absolutely passionate about interior design, and it gives me great joy to create dream homes for my clients.  I love what I do! 
Please read along with me and see my answers to Maria's insightful questions.

Jil Sonia Interior Designs –Ina Van Tonder Photography

1.     What’s your favourite colour? Why?

I have to say my favourite colour is Simply White OC-117 by Benjamin Moore.
It is THE perfect white for walls. Not too creamy, not too gray, not too pinky. Using it allows me to change up my accessories with clients, and even at home, whenever the mood hits me. (As other designers will tell you, we love updating our own home and work spaces.)

When using white walls, we have to add texture to the room, such as this lovely distressed wood coffee table or this rattan end table. When we use all flat, smooth, finishes, white paint can look like primer – definitely not what we want.

Simply White walls, Jil Sonia Interior Designs –Ina Van Tonder Photography

2. What was your biggest colour/design mistake? 

I work with a 15 Step Design System that doesn't leave room for mistakes, but sometimes it’s the little things that really make a room. I once decorated a client’s home, and it turned out beautifully. The client was thrilled, but the home didn’t have anything with 'meaning' in it. 

Now, I always try to add something that is personal to a client, such as a great, great grandmother’s silver cutlery (below). Our client had these beautiful heritage pieces , and now they are a wonderful conversation point – brilliant idea! 

Simply White walls, Jil Sonia Interior Designs –Ina Van Tonder Photography

3. What is the most important colour lesson you’ve learned? 

When I started out as a designer, I had no idea about undertones in colour selection. I thought a beige was a beige. Maria’s training program taught me that there are many undertones of beige – pink, yellow, and green, to name just a few!  She taught me to compare colours so that we, as designers, know exactly how to give our clients, or ourselves, the PERFECT colour. I cannot recommend this course highly enough. Such a great professional development experience that you can add to your role as an interior designer.

Grey Owl cabinets, Simply White walls, Marble counters Jil Sonia Interior Designs –Ina Van Tonder Photography

4. When it comes to colour, what’s hot?  

Gray is still hot – but I see white taking over more and more! Clients are all asking me for light and bright. White walls with pops of coloured pillows, throws, and accent trays, as pictured below. I just love it!

Simply white walls and trim. Jil Sonia Interior Designs – Ina Van Tonder Photography

5.  Which colour do you think is timeless?

I think a grayed blue is timeless. I strongly recommend you use a very grayed blue --- so grey looking that on the paint sample chip itself, it looks gray, not blue! Colour appears twice as bright on your walls as on the chip, so we always need to select muted gray blues unless we want in-your-face baby boy blue. One of my favourite grays with a slight blue undertone is Stonington Gray HC-170.

Stonington Gray walls – Painting by WarlinePainting.ca

6.  Which colour trend would you love to see disappear? 

If I had a magic wand, I’d banish the world of pinky beige carpet. I’ve discussed this with carpet manufacturers – they were blissfully unaware! Pink beige can clash with so many other colours, especially yellow!

It’s one of those non-descript, all-pervasive colours that doesn’t give us the fresh, bright effect we’re all yearning for today. Often, builders who don’t hire professional designers think it’s a neutral colour, but it’s far from that!

Here, a client’s dog, Bella, shows off her timeless medium brown flooring – isn’t that much lovelier than pinky beige carpet? 

Jil Sonia Interior Designs – Ina Van Tonder Photography

5. What do you think is one of the biggest mistakes homeowners make with colour?

The biggest mistake homeowners make on their own is trying to select a paint colour first. Really, we should be first selecting our hard finishes, and in the following order: countertops and tiles, flooring, furniture, draperies, pillows. Paint comes last.

We have thousands of paint colours to select from. It is absolutely vital that homeowners choose wisely, with the help of a great interior designer. Paint colours should be a beautiful backdrop for the other items we have selected, unless the paint finish is a beautiful metallic or lacquered finish.  
Here, we've added a darker, grayed blue table, which just pops against the Simply White walls. 

Simply White walls and cabinetry, marble counters. Jil Sonia Interior Designs – Ina Van Tonder Photography

6. Which part of participating in Specify Colour with Confidence™ created the biggest breakthrough/aha moment/insight for your business, and how did it help you move forward?

I realized just how important it is to compare colours. It is almost impossible to determine the undertones unless you compare samples side by side, with a pure white background behind them. A simple piece of white poster board is such a great tool to have on hand when choosing colour.  

Now, I meet all my clients with absolute confidence. I know that I will help them choose the most amazing paint colours, fabrics, tiling, and more, making their home perfect!

Jil Sonia Interior Designs - Ina van Tonder Photography.

For more great tips, interior design insight, or to see more photos of my work, please head over to my blog at www.JilSoniaInteriors.com/blog. I’d love to see you there!

Maria, thank you for this exciting and amazing opportunity to guest blog. I'm eternally grateful for all the colour instruction that I've received from you.  I've just not found this instruction anywhere else!