Snow Day
Clare's coolest white, reviewed honestly: the daylight it needs, the exact rooms it disappears in, and what to pick instead.
Jessica has spec'd whites and neutrals for more than 300 rooms and keeps a sample wall of painted drawdowns in her studio. Every color review is checked against real reader rooms in the comments and re-tested when a formula changes. About the testing process →
- 1Alabaster82
- 2Simply White90
- 3Snow Day95
- 4White100
The Fast Verdict
Snow Day is Clare's coolest white, and the brand says so itself — but it is not an icy, blue-tinted white. There is just enough warmth mixed in to keep it from going clinical, so in a bright room it reads crisp and clean rather than cold. Give it real daylight or a bathroom full of chrome and glass and it is exactly the fresh, no-yellow white it promises. Put it in a dim north room with no warm lamps and it turns flat and slightly grey — the same complaint that shows up in almost every mixed review online.
Bright rooms with real daylight · kitchens and baths with cool-toned tile, quartz, or chrome · trim, doors, and ceilings under any wall color · anyone who wants a white with zero yellow, ever
Your room is dim, small, or north-facing without warm bulbs · you're surrounded by honey oak or brass and want them to glow · you want a cozy, creamy white · cool white already reads "cold" to you on a chip
- Genuinely cool, no-yellow white — does what it promises
- At LRV 95, one of the brightest whites in any deck
- Excellent with chrome, quartz, and cool-toned tile
- Self-priming, zero-VOC formula, easy to order online
- Works as a whole-house trim and ceiling white
- Goes flat and slightly grey in dim, north-facing rooms
- Fights honey oak and heavy brass instead of flattering it
- Little pigment means it depends entirely on the light
- Clare's own deck lists at least seven other whites — easy to pick the wrong one
What Color Is Snow Day, Really?
Clare built its whole catalog around making paint-picking simple: a curated deck of roughly fifty named colors instead of the thousand-chip wall at a hardware store, sold online with self-priming, zero-VOC formulas. Snow Day sits at the cool end of Clare's white lineup — the brand's own product page calls it their coolest white, with just enough warmth mixed in to keep it from going stark. That's an honest description: this is not a blue-white or a grey-white, it's a white that leans cool without losing all of its softness.
In our deck it carries an LRV of 95 — genuinely bright, in the same territory as Benjamin Moore's Chantilly Lace and Sherwin-Williams' High Reflective White, two of the crispest whites either brand sells. That kind of brightness bounces almost all the light that hits it, which is exactly why it reads so differently depending on what light you give it: gorgeous and fresh in a sunny room, flat and slightly cold in a dim one. It has very little pigment to fall back on when the daylight disappears.
Undertone in one line: cool with a trace of warmth holding it back from icy — never yellow, never pink. If your sample reads distinctly blue or grey, that's your light (north-facing, overcast, or cool LED bulbs), not a flaw in the paint.
Where It Shines
Give it a room with real daylight and Snow Day is exactly the crisp, no-yellow white people go looking for. Kitchens and bathrooms are its natural home — against cool quartz, white tile, and chrome or nickel fixtures it looks clean and current instead of sterile, and at LRV 95 it makes a small bathroom feel bigger. It also does the quiet, unglamorous job well: as a trim and ceiling white under almost any wall color, it stays neutral enough not to pick a fight, and Clare's semi-gloss trim formula is built for exactly that high-traffic, wipeable job.
Where It Fails
Almost every lukewarm review of Snow Day traces back to one of three situations, and all three are predictable before the first coat goes on. None of them are the paint's fault — but if your room matches one, this is not your white.
With very little pigment to lean on, Snow Day depends on the light you give it. Take away real daylight and warm bulbs and the cool base shows through as flat, slightly grey — one online reviewer said it ran "a little too cool" for their space, and that's almost always this exact setup. Add 2700K lamps or pick a warmer Clare white like Whipped instead.
Cool whites and warm wood tones don't fight so much as expose each other: the white looks colder next to golden oak, and the oak looks more orange next to the white. If your floors or cabinetry lean heavily gold, sample it above the actual wood before committing to four walls.
Run Snow Day in one room and a creamier white in the next and the transition reads as two different decisions, not one calm palette. Pick one temperature of white for trim and ceilings throughout, or use Snow Day only where it's fully separated from the warmer white by a wall color in between.
Room by Room
Against cool quartz, white subway tile, and chrome or black hardware it reads fresh and clean without going sterile. Satin on cabinets, eggshell on walls.
Chrome or nickel fixtures, white or grey tile, glass shower doors — all of it agrees with a cool white. It also makes a small bathroom feel brighter and bigger than a warmer white would.
Clare specifically formulates the semi-gloss trim version for high-traffic spots like mudrooms. Snow Day on the walls, same color on beadboard or built-ins, stays crisp and easy to wipe down.
In a bright, south-facing bedroom it's calm and fresh. In a dim or north-facing bedroom skip it — this is the room where the "too cool for my space" complaints usually come from.
Semi-gloss Snow Day trim under almost any wall color reads clean and doesn't compete for attention. As a ceiling white it stays neutral rather than tinting the room.
Clare sells Snow Day as an exterior color too, and full outdoor sun is the light this white was built for — it reads bright and crisp rather than cold. Pair with a dark trim so the white doesn't wash out against a pale sky.
Your Light Is the Risk
This is the light Snow Day was described for: crisp, fresh, and cool without reading cold. Whole-room safe.
With almost no pigment to lean on, the cool base shows through as flat and grey. Test a big sample before committing.
Cool and fresh at midday, quieter and slightly softer as the sun drops — it never turns warm, just less bright.
Cool LED bulbs keep it crisp but can tip clinical. Warm 2700K lamps soften it without changing the paint.
Most complaints about Snow Day are a light mismatch. Upload a photo of your actual room and see it on your walls — then ask for the same wall in north light or evening lamps before you buy a single sample.
Need It From Another Brand?
Any paint counter can custom-tint Clare PNT100-LT-01 directly. If you would rather stay in one brand's own deck, these are the closest stock matches, measured as ΔE2000. Under 2 is a difference you will not see on the wall.
| Brand | Closest color | ΔE | LRV | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherwin-Williams | UltraWhiteSW 9500 · Sherwin-Williams | 2.3 | 94 | Color page → |
| Behr | Smart White730A-1 · Behr | 0.5 | 94 | Color page → |
| Benjamin Moore | Chantilly Lace2121-70 · Benjamin Moore | 2.6 | 91 | Color page → |
| Valspar | Ultra White7006-24 · Valspar | 2.0 | 93.6 | Color page → |
| PPG / Glidden | Delicate WhitePPG1001-1 · PPG / Glidden | 2.5 | 88 | Color page → |
| Glidden | Delicate WhitePPG1001-1 · Glidden | 2.3 | 88 | Color page → |
Similar Clare Colors
The nearest shades to Snow Day within Clare's own range, ranked by perceptual color distance — useful when you want the same look a touch lighter, darker, or warmer.
WCAG 2.1: AA is 4.5 : 1 for normal text, 3 : 1 for large text, AAA is 7 : 1.
Snow Day vs the Colors You're Also Considering
Every Snow Day sample board has the same rivals on it. The numbers show the real lightness gap — then it comes down to which risk you would rather live with.
Pick this if you'd rather order online with a self-priming, zero-VOC formula and skip the store trip.
Benjamin Moore OC-65 · LRV 92Chantilly LacePick this if you want the same crisp, cool white under a household paint-store name — and don't mind its reputation for showing every roller mark.
Pick this for the cool, zero-yellow read that Simply White can't give you.
Benjamin Moore OC-117 · LRV 91Simply WhitePick this if you want a touch of warmth instead — Simply White leans warm and can flash yellow in strong sun.
Pick this for nearly the same crisp effect with a far more forgiving, self-priming formula.
Sherwin-Williams SW 7757 · LRV 93High Reflective WhitePick this if you want the single brightest, coolest white Sherwin-Williams makes — and you're ready for an unforgiving application.
Compared with Fresh Kicks (PNT100-LT-03, LRV 94), Snow Day is the warmer of the two. Fresh Kicks is a cleaner, more neutral bright white, so if you want the crispest, coolest look, it wins; if you want light with a little warmth so rooms feel softer, Snow Day is the better call. Placed side by side, Fresh Kicks will make Snow Day's cream obvious.
Timeless (PNT100-LT-04, LRV 91) sits much closer to Snow Day in both brightness and warmth, so the two are hard to tell apart on a wall. Choose between them by sampling; the difference is subtle enough that either can serve the same rooms.
Classic (PNT100-LT-12, LRV 82) is the clear step away. It is noticeably deeper and grayer, so it works when you want a soft, quiet neutral rather than a true white. Reach for Classic in rooms where a bright white would feel too fresh.
Snow Day Coordinating Colors
The rule for coordinating with Snow Day: stay cool or neutral, and let a true black or navy carry the contrast instead of a warm brown or bronze. It pairs cleanly with chrome, nickel, and matte black hardware, and with cool-toned stone and tile. These are the partners that keep it looking crisp instead of stark:
Snow Day on Exteriors
Clare sells Snow Day as a dedicated exterior color, not just an interior white repurposed outdoors — and it makes sense: full daylight is exactly where a cool, high-LRV white performs best. Outside, expect it to read bright and clean rather than the flat grey a dim interior room can pull out of it.
The pairing matters most. A dark trim color — a true black like Iron Ore, or a navy like Hale Navy on the door — sharpens the edges of the house and keeps the siding from washing out against an overcast sky. Avoid pairing it with warm honey-toned wood accents or brass fixtures outdoors for the same reason they clash indoors: the temperatures fight instead of agreeing.
Snow Day With Wood Tones and Metals
Metals are the easy call: chrome, brushed nickel, and matte or gloss black all sit naturally against a cool white. Warm gold and unlacquered brass can still work, but they read more yellow next to Snow Day than they would next to a creamier white — that's not a flaw in either one, just two temperatures meeting.
Wood is where you need to look at the actual floor before deciding. White oak, ash, driftwood-grey finishes, and painted or ebonized wood all agree with the cool base. Strongly golden honey oak or orange-toned pine is the one real mismatch: the wood tends to look more orange next to Snow Day, and the paint tends to look colder next to the wood. If that's your floor, sample big before committing to four walls.
Three Ready Palettes Built on Snow Day
A color is never alone on the wall. These are complete combinations in the 60-30-10 pattern, with the reason each one holds together. Every one opens in the visualizer.
A true neutral black doesn't fight Snow Day's cool base the way a warm black would — Iron Ore keeps the whole kitchen reading modern and clean instead of mixing temperatures.
Try this palette in your roomChrome or matte-black fixtures are the natural partner for a cool white; Onyx has no undertone to argue with, so the bathroom stays crisp instead of picking a fight.
Try this palette in your roomFull sun is Snow Day's best light, and black trim sharpens the edges of the house instead of letting the bright siding wash out. The navy door adds one warm-cool contrast note without arguing with either neutral.
Try this palette in your roomSnow Day FAQ
Is Snow Day a warm or cool white?
Cool — Clare itself calls it their coolest white, just with a touch of warmth mixed in so it doesn't go stark. It never tips yellow, but in a dim or north-facing room it can read flat and slightly grey.
What's the difference between Snow Day and Clare's other whites?
Clare sells several whites at different temperatures; Snow Day is the coolest one in the lineup. Clare's own site points people toward Whipped as the warmer alternative if Snow Day tests too cool in your light.
Is it good for a kitchen with warm wood cabinets?
It works better with cool or neutral wood — white oak, ash, painted cabinetry — than with strongly golden honey oak. Against heavy warm wood the contrast can make both the cabinets and the paint look off; sample it above the actual wood first.
How bright is Snow Day, really?
Very bright — our deck lists it at LRV 95, on par with Benjamin Moore's Chantilly Lace and close to Sherwin-Williams' High Reflective White, two of the crispest whites on the market. That brightness is exactly why it needs real light to look its best.
Does it work with cool LED bulbs?
Yes — it's built to hold its crisp character under cool LEDs rather than graying out, which is unusual for a white this bright. If the room feels too clinical at night, swap in warm 2700K bulbs; the paint doesn't need to change.
Can I use it on an exterior?
Yes — Clare sells Snow Day as an exterior color, and full outdoor sun is the light it performs best in. Pair it with a dark trim color so the bright white doesn't wash out against a pale sky.
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