Nice Day for a White Setting

I love color – most any color! Admittedly, I gravitate toward certain tones and hues, but I love them all, and respect a good color story. And yet one of my favorite colors to decorate with is simply white: either as the main event or as a main accent color.

When I use white in design, I use it as a color – either on the walls or in the furnishings – to enhance objects, accessories, furniture, or art. Many people say that decorating with white is actually the ‘non-use of color’, but I’m here to flip this concept on its ear and show you that it can be done. Technically speaking, white isn’t a color; it’s the combination of all the colors of the visible light spectrum. In society, it’s not a gender specific color, it’s pure and flawless, and is often considered the color of moral goodness, innocence and virginity. Psychologically, it’s perceived as clean, or even cold. And yet, what I love most about white is how, when combined with another color (either bright or neutral) it always adds sophistication to the design scheme.

Let me show you… Bathrooms, to me, are beautiful when they are pure white, accented with neutral earthy tones, like brown, beige, sage, ochre, etc. Any wood in the space needs to be neutral as well, such as weathered gray or espresso brown. Once the palette of white and neutral are set, you can accessorize – in a color or two, like grass green or rich purple – or “Tiffany” blue and beige (latte, mocha, and other warm, food or beverage related colors). If it’s textures and tactile you crave, go for things nubby and comfy, like rugs and mats that have a rich pile. The room should give you a mildly stimulating, but spa-like sensation; using white as the main color with a pop and dash of bright eye-catching color and texture should do the trick!

ne of my favorite rooms to decorate is the bedroom, the haven for all humanity. The bedroom is the sanctuary of the body, mind and soul at the end of the day, the comfort room during hardships, and the recovery room during illness. The bedroom has such an important role in the home, so for my designs I like to incorporate white as a color against a backdrop of rich warm tones. I tend to do this mostly with the accessories, such as bedding, lamps, pillows, and window treatments. Throw in a bit of color here and there for a fun, whimsical feel; or accessorize the room using a different colored bedding set that compliments the overall neutral theme, without shocking the senses from white to fright!

When a bedroom is free of busy, attention-stealing color and ‘tchotcke’, i’s always easier to gain a sense of peace and tranquility in the room. My own bedroom is just such a place: I designed it to feel like I was staying in a Hotel W, complete with lounge and reading area, desk space for my laptop, and an unobtrusive flatscreen TV/DVD combo for those sick days in bed. I had a great time pulling it all together, using a chocolate milkshake color for the walls, espresso brown furniture, usually white bedding and also white accessories. As a result, I feel like I’m being pampered in some trendy, boutique hotel, and I love it!

You can take this similar decor concept and use it in nearly all your rooms, though I’d recommend doing it sparingly. Most houses are not of the ultra modern design, and may only be able to accommodate the white setting in one or two rooms (in many older homes, you have to be respectful to the space; it was there long before you came along. If you want to spend tons of cash on an architectural renovation, you are free to do so. But for the rest of us that are looking for ways to work within the given framework, be kind and not try to overwork it). So give white a try, and take your space from out of the dark and into the white! I guarantee you’ll be seeing a whole lot more beauty in a color that some people say is “not really a color!”