Choosing a white for lime plaster

A white that looks right on a paint chip can look grey on a north wall and pink by late afternoon. Lime plaster adds a second problem: it dries several shades lighter over three weeks.

Test on the wall, not the board

We ask the plasterer for three sample panels, each about two feet square, on the walls that matter most. Then we leave them for a full week before anyone decides.

Look at them three times a day

Morning, noon and after five. Santa Barbara light is bright and warm late in the day, so the whites that survive are usually a little cooler than you expect.

What we usually land on

A bone white with a trace of yellow for rooms facing the garden, and a slightly greyer white for rooms that get the afternoon sun off the ocean.