Our Review of Westhighland White by Sherwin Williams

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Sherwin Williams’ Westhighland White is a charming hue that can brighten a home exterior without being blinding. It’s a wonderful shade to freshen your façade, and since it can work well with modern or traditional styles, it appeals to different personalities as well. What more can you ask from a paint color?

Keep reading to learn all about the undertones of Sherwin Williams’ Westhighland White, our recommended color pairings, and more.

Curious about a white paint color for your home’s exterior? Our paint visualizer package can help! It’s specifically for homeowners who only need assistance making paint-related decisions and can help determine the perfect palette for your property. We can also assist with visualizing other design elements such as driveways, porches, and garages. Learn about our virtual exterior design services.

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A virtual rendering of a home painted in Sherwin Williams' Westhighland White with black windows and evergreen landscaping.

Sherwin Williams’ Westhighland White: The specs

With an LRV of 86, Westhighland White by Sherwin Williams is a bright white, but it’s not stark. (Curious about LRV? Learn more here, including why LRV is so important to keep in mind when choosing the perfect paint color for your home.)

Virtual rendering of a home painted in Westhighland White by Sherwin Williams with a black garage door, black windows, and a stone and paver walkway.

What undertones does Westhighland White have?

Westhighland White leans slightly warm with subtle yellow undertones. Yellow contributes to its creamy look for a delicate and elegant appearance. In the afternoon light, the undertones could be more prominent — but never overwhelmingly so. No matter which direction your home faces or how much natural light it receives, Westhighland White is a wonderful choice for a home’s exterior.

WE ALWAYS RECOMMEND SAMPLING AND TESTING PAINT COLORS BEFORE COMMITTING. FACTORS SUCH AS NATURAL LIGHTING, UNDERTONES, AND YOUR PROPERTY’S FIXED ELEMENTS WILL HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON HOW A COLOR WILL APPEAR ON YOUR EXTERIOR. OUR FRIENDS AT SAMPLIZE OFFER EXTRA-LARGE 9 X 14.75 INCH PEEL-AND-STICK PAINT SAMPLES OF THE COLORS WE LOVE FOR EXTERIORS. ORDER YOUR ‘REAL PAINT, NO MESS’ SAMPLES FROM SAMPLIZE HERE.

Virtual rendering of a Southwest rancher painted in Westhighland White by Sherwin Williams with gray stone cladding, a modern garage door, and black windows.

Recommended applications for Westhighland White

Our designers have used Sherwin Williams’ Westhighland White on a wide variety of home styles with outstanding results. A few of our favorite styles for this warm white are coastal beach homes, farmhouses, and ranches.

When applying Westhighland White as the central hue on a home, we recommend using lots of texture. Brick, shake siding, and stucco are good examples of cladding materials that can add dimension and depth. Our designers also like to incorporate stained or natural wood and copper fixtures or gutters for added warmth and contrast. Furthermore, this is a paint color that can also be easily utilized as an accent. We especially how it looks on large, chunky trim.

The versatility of Westhighland White is just one reason we love it so much. Keep reading to learn more about how easy it is to choose complementing colors.

Brick rancher with wood look garage doors, a blue front door, copper gutters, and a stone and paver walkway.

Westhighland White color pairings

It doesn’t get better than a paint color that goes with virtually any other color. By carefully choosing accent colors for Westhighland White, you can either tone down its warmth or enhance it. Adding brown tones from copper, wood, and paint colors like Urbane Bronze by Sherwin Williams can play up the yellow undertones. If you’re looking to cool down Westhighland White’s warmth, try black light fixtures, doors, and windows.

In the rendering of the brick home above, Westhighland White is the primary shade. We used Benjamin Moore’s Stone Harbor on the trim and kept the client’s existing blue door. The brown from the copper gutters and garage doors grounds the lighter hues. Brown tones are popular in coastal color schemes because it’s reminiscent of sand, driftwood, and materials native to tropical locations like rattan and bamboo. We think the color palette above gives off quintessential beach vibes and is a classic combination that never fails.

Victorian style home with black windows, light blue siding, and a black front door.

A truer blue like Debonair by Sherwin Williams also pairs nicely with Westhighland White. Together, light blue and soft white create a gorgeous pastel color scheme that’s both soothing and relaxing. To modernize the home’s façade, our designers chose black doors and windows. Brown on this home would’ve made it more breezy and coastal. Instead, the black elevates the palette and makes it a bit more stately and sophisticated.

Also, notice the cedar cut Victorian shingles under the pitch of the roof? They provide tons of visual interest and a unique textured pattern for Westhighland White to shine.

Farmhouse style home with warm white siding, greige shutters, and wood columns.

Westhighland White can also be a backdrop for a traditional look. The home above was designed with Benjamin Moore’s Aegean Olive on the door and Rockport Gray on the shutters. Both of these paint colors have brown undertones, and with the addition of wood columns and copper porch lights, they’re the perfect complementary shades.

Digital rendering of a two-story home painted with Sherwin Williams Westhighland White, with copper gutters, arched windows, and an arched portico.

Pros and cons of Sherwin Williams’ Westhighland White

PROS:

  • Looks amazing on many home styles
  • Can be modern or traditional depending on color pairings
  • Goes with just about any other color

CONS:

  • Some might prefer a truer, pure white rather than a warm white
  • Potential to appear more yellow in afternoon sun on western-facing homes

Westhighland White alternatives

While we enjoy doting on Westhighland White, we know options are always appreciated. Below are a few alternatives to explore and consider.

Rancher style home with white stucco, white windows, a pink front door, and a small porch.

Sherwin Williams’ Greek Villa vs. Westhighland White

Sherwin Williams’ Greek Villa is another very popular white paint color for both interiors and exteriors. It’s the slightest bit darker than Westhighland White with an LRV of 84. It’s not as creamy as Westhighland White, but it has yellow undertones as well. In fact, when comparing the two next to each other, Greek Villa actually appears to have the tiniest bit of green in its undertones too.

In application, Greek Villa performs just as well as Westhighland White. Our designers have applied it to numerous home styles including Mediterranean-style dwellings, tudors, and colonials. It works well as the central hue and as an accent color on trim. It looks exceptionally nice with colors like Pewter Green and blues like Needlepoint Navy, both by Sherwin Williams.

Off-whiite brick home with metal window awnings, double-hung doors, evergreen landscaping, and stained wood corbels.

Sherwin Williams’ Oyster White vs. Westhighland White

Going a bit darker, Oyster White by Sherwin Williams is an off-white that’s just as easy to work with as Greek Villa and Westhighland White. It pairs well with dark brown elements, charcoal grays, and even brighter, more stark whites. Its LRV is 72, so this would be a fantastic option if you’re wanting something that’s doesn’t read as a true or almost-true white.

Oyster White is such an exceptional shade that we listed it as one of the best Sherwin Williams exterior paint colors of 2024.

Virtual rendering of a two story farmhouse painted in Sherwin Williams' Westhighland White with black doors and a gray roof.

The bottom line on Westhighland White

Westhighland White is a beautiful creamy, soft white that is highly versatile. It can hold its own as the primary shade of a home, but it can also work as an accent color. It will never be too bright or too dark, no matter your environment. You can achieve different styles by simply changing its accompanying colors in a design, and we have yet to find a style of home it doesn’t look good on.

Ready to see Westhighland White on your own home? All we need are your answers to our short questionnaire for our designers to get started creating a custom design. We’ll even provide a shoppable resource list so getting started is as easy as clicking a few links. Get started here.

Author

Originally from Tennessee, Ami currently lives in South Carolina, which has been home since leaving the military in 2016. Interior and exterior design has always intrigued Ami, especially the styles and characteristics seen in other countries as an avid traveler and photographer. She lives for the renewal of older or historic homes that maintain their character, and regularly creates her own mood boards and virtual designs for inspiration or to help others with their spaces. Having always had a passion for design and following their work for years prior, Ami was excited to be brought onto brick&batten’s team of writers. Her writing endeavors actually started in an academic/scientific setting, then in a regulatory aspect. Writing about paint colors, emerging or current trends in exterior design, and so much more revolving around something she’s always enjoyed was a fun and welcomed change!

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