I just used BM Simply White. A bright crisp white, but not stark. Seems to be quite popular if you search for recommendation and photos on google. BM has the slightly larger chips that are 3x5" and they have several whites in the display. The larger chips made the difference in the whites really obvious, which didn't really show up in the smaller chips.

Benjamin Moore Cloud White...a designers favorite (here in Canada anyways) It's a lovely creamy white and not too stark. I've used Cloud White in previous homes, but in our current home chose BM Snowfall White-more crisp than Cloud White.

Other good choices that are not too stark (all Benjamin Moore): White Dove, Mayonnaise & Simply White.

Good Luck...I know white is a hard one to get right so it's worthwhile to purchase some testers pots and give top picks a trial run:)

I would seriously consider using ADVANCE the new oil/alkyd paint from BM. Moldings get really heavy use and this stuff is very close to the old true oil IMPERVO. My moldings are atrium white, which has been around for years and is still in the color charts. You don't really want a stark white and AW or a similar shade is perfect in my 1937 colonial.

I think your hunch about not using super crisp white is on the mark. In my mind, the wall colors you gravitate to are what should drive the trim color. And the style of the house (as well as inherent lighting) will drive the wall color.

I have been very happy with Mascarpone lately. It is warm but clean. Not crisp and not dirty.

We just painted our trim SW Alabaster. It is a crisp white, but not stark. Remember to consider the color of your switches/outlets/HVAC, etc. Ours are white, so I didn't want the trim to be too off-white because I didn't want it to look dingy. Check out this thread which helped with my decision. Best wishes!

Here is a link that might be useful: white trim thread

We also have SW Alabaster on all the doors and trim. It has a touch of raw umber and deep gold in the mix so it is not stark but just a bit creamy.

Benjamin Moore Vanilla Ice Cream. To me it's the perfect creamy white. Hasn't failed me yet.

Try Pratt & Lambert Silver Lining...it is a good creamy white that doesn't yellow. It is the only color I use for trim and I have used it in several (3) houses in the past. It looks good with any color.
HTH
Capegirl

Our builder suggested atrium white, and it's the biggest regret I have from our remodel 6 years ago. I literally hate it. It obviously works in some homes, but it has a pink undertone that really shows up in some light in our home and lacks any crispness against our walls painted wheat sheaf. I'll definitely watch out for that undertone in the future and avoid it.

We had BM White Dove in our last house, except the finished basement where the painter recommended Linen White. White Dove has a bit of a gray to it and was lovely with my walls which were mainly yellows, Powell Buff, Stone House and Gray Wisp; Linen White was definitely more creamy/off white and it gave a nice warm feeling to rooms that were 50% below grade (wall colors were Elephant Tusk, Camouflage and Soothing Aloe).

My parents have Atrium White in their 1940's Colonial and it looks lovely in that house but looked pink in a swatch against my walls and furniture. They have a very different palette than me - blues, cream and pink/rose are the dominant tones in their rooms and furnishings.

When I moved into my last house there was a room that had medium-deep green walls and very white trim - I kept thinking it looked like a highway sign, lol.

I'd try some good-sized swatches next to your stuff and with your wall colors and see what looks best to you.

Good luck!

We used Valspar Cream in My Coffee (creamy white) on all our baseboards. Most wall colors are earth tones, and I wanted more coordination than stark contrast.

Jamies will you use a semi-gloss or high-gloss?

We used BM cloud white on all our trim work and raised panels. It is a very soft bright white. I think it looks great.

I appreciate all the personal recommendations. I plan to gather samples in as many of the colors mentioned as I can and take them over the house.

Lake_Girl, the shiniest I would go would be semi-gloss. How does that impact the decision process?

I won't be using strong or saturated colors on the walls.

My usual pattern is that I think I want clear wall colors, but then they always end up feeling candy-like or something and I need to move to muddier or grayer shades in order to be comfortable.

Janelalexa, I'm so glad to be unconcerned about the switchplates and electrical outlets! I think the outlets are black and if they bothered me they'd *really* bother me.

Jaysmom, I thought I was going to get a free gallon of ADVANCE. Somehow I wandered onto a page where they were asking me for info so I could get the free gallon. Took me a while to figure out it was for contractors only. Darn. That would have been my biggest win of the day!

A free gallon would have been a great score, don't you know a paint contractor who could get one for you? Interesting about Atrium white. I've used it for years in my house and read on the boards about the pink undertone, but I still can't see it. I would still go for a creamy white, I used AW latex in my bathroom and it came out too stark for me, I like the mellow tones in an older house. And satin would be the finish for me, I don't like the gloss finishes. Good luck, have fun and post pics when it's done. We want to see!

We used BM's white dove. I really wanted a nice crisp white w/o beige undertones.

I should have asked did you contact BM? And mention that the discussion came off the GW board (although we have discussed it over on the HGTV board. We have more buying power together than some contractor in a small town somewhere, can't hurt to try.

Last month we had all our painted trim done in BM Simply White semi-gloss. It's a crisp white, but not harsh. I see no undertones to the Simply White, it goes well with warm and cool colors as I have both in my home. Good luck in your search.

I painted my baseboard trim BM White in a semi-gloss finish and I wish I went glossier since my walls are BM Bone White in a Pearl Finish which to me is not shiny at all. I wanted to go with SW Extra White or BM Super White but my painter picked up the white and it is nice. I like whites with no undertones when going with lighter walls to make the walls have more of a color. My client liked what I did so much that she changed her idea of BM White Dove on the walls and trim in different glosses and tried my combination ad is very happy.

We have a 1920's house and used SW Dover white on all the trim and doors - it works in our house with the lighting both during the day and at night. . When it came time for new cabs, I had them painted Dover white too since I knew it already worked - every house has whites that work - good luck!

Sherwin Williams West Highland White is a gorgeous white - not too stark, with no obvious yellow, gray, or pink undertones.

You guys have given me so much to think about. Here's a pic of our living room: Some things are different, but the walls, bookcase, couch, and big pieces are the same. The photo doesn't show the trim colors well at all, but I wanted to give you a general idea of the room. Here's my question: The window frames, sills,doors,and baseboard are a crisp white. The bookcase, which is on both sides of the fireplace, is really the biggest feature in our small room. It and the cornice boards (there are three more cornice boards on our huge view windows on the other side of the room) are painted BM Aspen White, which is the color our walls were when we first built the house. DH bought some expensive paint for the bookcase - a high gloss which will keep the books from sticking - in a crisp white. It's going to be a huge job to paint the bookcases and cornice boards, but the Aspen white looks a little "dirty" to me next to the crisp white. And how about the high gloss aspect? The doors, etc., aren't a high gloss. I've been going back and forth for a year about whether I should repaint all the Aspen. What do you think, should I make everything the crisp white? I'd love to hear your opinions. An artist friend (a color expert, I'd think) says the Aspen is a softer look, and to leave it. The walls are SW Sagey, more green than gray in our light.

Thanks very much for any advice you can give me, and happy holidays to you all.

With your paint color, I recommend BM Simply White, which I have in my 1920s house.