Consequently, if you want to achieve the appearance of true white in a south-facing room, it's best to err on the side of cooler tones which will balance out the warmth of the natural light.

I have fairly simple taste. Interior magazines etc I love the white/light wall, wooden furniture look. Don't like fuss. Our old house (modern box) I just did in Natural Calico. I loved the colour - in that I did not notice it, everything went with it, wasn't too yellowy or pinky. Very Livable. Each room had it's interior feel added by art, soft furnishings etc etc. (These were not as dull - bright splashes of colour) The lounge has recently been carpeted but when we bought our cottage we inherited a beautiful, yet deathly-cold slate floor. With the strong dark grey tiles, I felt I needed a white with a very slight grey undertone for the walls and set out to find the perfect chalky winter white. Eventually I settled on Sail White Emulsion from Crown. The lounge is multi-aspect and I’d say the room looks a lot cosier in the afternoon sun than in the morning. It’s not stark by any means but definitely looks better in the west-facing part of the room. Farrow & Ball Cornforth White is also a good shout if you’d like a more distinctive greyish white. Soft White White Clay, our most popular selling white, is balanced and traditional. Not as harsh as a brilliant white, it flatters all decors, and both north and south facing rooms.' When choosing a white, always try and get a feel for its undertones, particularly when using with another colour' says Dominic Myland, CEO of Mylands. 'A clean white such as our Pure White No. 1 consists of white pigment only, so it is wonderfully uncomplicated to use. When used overall in the space, it will give a very peaceful feel – a visual palette cleanser – or it can complement any colour on the spectrum.' I don’t have any snaps of two of the most recently decorated areas in my house but if you’re after a hard-wearing mellow, creamy white (without a yellow tinge) then you could consider Dulux Timeless. This colour has been around for yonks and was apparently one of Dulux’s best selling shades for a while. James has recently used the Endurance version to cover our hall, stairs and landing and I’m loving the results. It’s a dark area with very little natural light but Timeless has warmed it up a treat as the colour seems to reflect the oak doors and skirtings around it.Because south-facing rooms are generally the brightest in the house, a brilliant white paint can often feel quite harsh, bouncing that strong light around even more. After all, no-one wants to have to wear sunglasses in their white living room idea! For this reason warm white paints with undertones of yellow or red are generally recommended for north-facing rooms, where they'll look a lot less 'creamy' than they would painted in a room with a south-facing aspect. For a modern look, you can also move away from the traditional white ceiling altogether and paint the ceiling a statement colour – this could be the same as the walls for a really cohesive feel, or a different tone.' Ruth Mottershead at Little Greene adds, 'Many choose to use bright white in small rooms assuming white will the room appear larger, however light neutrals and soft colours used in a tonal scheme will have the same effect whilst not appearing too stark or cold.'

Emma at YesColours adds, 'A south-facing room will need a cooler white to counteract the warm glow of natural daylight, any white with a hint of blue or green is ideal.' These undertones are amplified by the type of natural light a room gets, and can even be affected by the contents of a room which will reflect onto the walls and change the appearance of the paint hue, something worth thinking about when looking into white bedroom ideas. We are having to make Soooo many decisions kitchen/flooring/plumbing/doors etc etc I am feeling overwhelmedOur Colour Scales collection provides a wonderful solution for creating a light fresh design scheme that gives the illusion of space, ‘Masquerade’ works beautifully alongside ‘Masquerade Mid’ and ‘Masquerade Light’ to create an elegant and welcoming scheme in a small space.' My goal for the lounge is white on the 3 plain walls, and then bring in some ivory or soft white seats onto the dark imbuia sofas with some blue and white cushions. PLEASE HELP! Matt and flat matt finishes hide a multitude of sins so it’s a popular choice for walls and ceilings. Satinwood and eggshell finishes work beautifully on woodwork, particularly skirting boards and doors that need a little extra coverage. A south-facing room gets a lot of natural daylight and can often be bathed in golden sunshine for a lot of the day. This means any underlying warm tones in a white paint - like yellow, red or brown - will be amplified, making a seemingly innocuous pale ivory white suddenly look decidedly yellow once on the walls. Probably the most well-known white is Pure Brilliant White, a staple of new homes everywhere on the planet,' Marianne goes on to say. 'Pure Brilliant White contains optical brighteners which make it reflect more light and so it’s perfect when you want a super bright white as a blank canvas for your walls and ceiling.'