We Answer Wednesday - White Walls

"I love the look of white walls, it's so clean and bright but everyone keeps telling me that my home will look sterile and cold if I paint my walls white.  Any advise or suggestions?"

Paint can really transform a room - it can make it bright and bold, dark and sultry or light and airy....we love what paint can do for a room.  sometimes picking the right colour can be a BIG challenge.  The under tones of paint can really shine through depending on the light, time of day, and surrounding finishes.  So we never recommend falling in love with a paint colour in a store - you really need to see it in the space and over the course of a day.  We are huge fans of testing out swatches on a wall and not just looking at a small chip. Some paint companies do offer large (like 8x11) chips that you can tape to the wall - this is a great option to explore! Use the small chips to narrow down your choices but get the samples or large hips to really see what the colour will look like.

 

When it comes to white - the choices are plentiful! You have warm whites, cool whites, blue whites, pink whites, grey whites etc.....Every white looks different in every space.  All white walls is a very clean look.  It can look sterile if you aren't careful.

Here are points to consider when it comes to painting your walls white:

1. Consider the natural light source. Before painting a room white, identify its orientation. Rooms that face away from the noonday sun receive gray-blue light, which is great for a summer bedroom, a gym or a studio where you want constancy. A clear white paint will optimize the light of these spaces while keeping things cool.

 The same white color, though, would not work in a north-facing family room in a cool, snowy climate. White’s visual relationship to the snow and ice outside the windows would be visually chilling. Instead, try tinting your white with red, yellow or orange or selecting a color from Benjamin Moore’s Off-White Collection for rooms where you plan to eat, socialize and linger.

 

2.  What’s outside affects what’s inside.
Rooms with a view of the ocean can be spectacular. For a summer residence, white walls can enhance the benefits of living by the sea, opening the house up and bringing the cool water view closer.

If you have already decided to paint your walls white and your home has a breathtaking view, consider painting the trim to match. Eliminating the delineation between the walls and woodwork with white paint will allow the landscape to remain frameless, expanding the view’s presence in your home. This strategy (painting both walls and trim the same), used to drop out the architecture obstructing the view, can be used with any color, but it is most effective with white because of its reflectivity.

 

3.  Reconsider the gallery look. There’s a reason galleries paint their walls and trim the same bright, white paint color: It drops out the architectural details and focuses attention on the artwork. The same method works for homes, too.

Remember white does show off imperfections - scuffs, nail pops and more...so be prepared for regular maintenance.  This is not the best option for families with young children and the pure and crisp colour is not very forgiving.

 

4.  Pay attention to history. White is classic, formal, refined and restrained in style. For your Greek revival or federal interiors, white will be expected on trim and on walls in the kitchen and third-floor bedrooms. Make the mistake of painting everything white, and your home will look like a builder’s “flip.”

 

5.  Use white to expand spaces. Rooms painted white appear larger due to the amplification of light. Shadows and edges also diminish in white spaces. When creating a palette for your home, try to keep in mind that cool white drops back in space and can be used to enlarge and open your smaller spaces.

 

We recommend making selections that you love - you should be surrounded by the looks and styles that you love.  To keep white walls from looking sterile we suggest: keeping some art, wall decor or photos on the walls - they will pop off the walls.  Stick with a white that has a satin or semi-gloss finish so you have a reflective finish (a flat or eggshell finish in white never looks rich). Take the time to pick the right white. We also love to mix white walls with texture - so look at flooring, window dressings, plants, decor accessories even fireplace mantles to add some texture and character in the space.

White walls is a great look and perfect for anyone with a great view, great art pieces and lots of texture in their space. 

Scandinavian Style

Scandinavia has a long heritage of beautiful home furnishings. Scandinavians are renowned for incorporating clean lines, using the color white like total pros, and emphasizing both function and form.

You might think that Scandinavian style is that famous yellow and blue store with 'assemble yourself furniture' that comes in boxes.  but Scandinavian style is more than that!

If you love a clean and minimal look that embraces natural elements, Scandinavian might be your style!

Scandinavian style includes...

1 - Light toned wood.

 

2 - A rug with one pop of colour

 

3 - Lots of white, and white on white

 

4 - When it comes to hardware in the kitchen and bathrooms, simplicity is key.  Clean lines and minimal to no detail.

 

5 - Invest in classics. Scandinavian style is very minimal so you will only have a few decor items, so it's worth investing in them. For example, a glass vase by designer Alvar Aalto

 

6 - Signature 'Scandinavian' pieces that embrace the Scandinavian style like the Tulip Table

 

7 - Gallery walls with a monochrome colour palette.

 

8 - Pendant lighting is essential and an important decor feature in the room.  It is functional but also decorative. Plan the room around it



9 -  Plants.  Streamlined and clean in a simple planter or vase.  But every Scandinavian styled room has a plant.

 

10 - Wood flooring.  Think wider, lighter planks with visible knots and minimal to no gloss.

 

11 - Make a point of having and highlighting the fireplace.  In Scandinavian styled homes, we often see corner fireplaces and furniture plans are often designed around them.

 

12 - Open Shelving.  For functional items like dishes in the kitchen.  It's about easy access and operating effectively.

 
 

White Hot!!!

Well, we see so much of this colour this season but often it just sticks to the outdoors but why not bring it indoors?
White doesn't have to be sterile and clinical - it can be warm, fresh and hot! there are so many different shades of white - it has range of moods just like any other colour does. White isn't boring it can be exciting but it's all how you put it together.

I personally am a huge fan of light colour and white colour walls and kitchens and bathrooms, why? Because it's is timeless but you can also make it modern, it's clean, crisp and fresh but can also be warm and embracing. White is so versatile!

White walls can really open up a space. This past summer my sister bought a cute home in a very up and coming neighbourhood but the previous owner had chosen a variety of heavy and muddy colours such as a grey-blue, mustard yellow and burgundy. We painted the home one colour and we chose a fabulous shade of white 'fossil' from the Benjamin Moore Affinity Collection. It's is so clean but warm at the same time. The colour truly made her entire home brighter and bigger.

White is chic. Think about the most luxurious boutique hotel...their linens, bedding and towels are always lush and rich in white. It is so soothing, relaxing and clean. Try to take your bedroom or bathroom inspiration from a chic hotel. If you cant achieve the entire look, add a few splashes such as white towels or a white throw blanket.

A white sofa and/or chair is so elegant but can also be modern depending on the style(OK, I know this doesn't work for everyone - parents especially) but this looks fabulous in a condo. It helps to open up and freshen up the space. Adding some colourful, patterned or textured accessories just adds more visual interest and comfort to the living room. White works with every colour so you have a lot of options to choose from.

Layering with shades of white. A few years ago I was decorating a model for a condo in West Wellington Village. The bedroom was small, but the builder was very insistent on having a queen size bed. I decided to layer the bedding with various shades of white - this kept the room looking fresh, rich, elegant and larger. I played with texture and pattern but kept everything in shades of white. The overall look was very attractive and the clients loved the feel of the space.

Just because a colour is timeless doesn't make it boring - it's about how you use it! Sometimes if you want to go in a very modern direction sticking with a classic colour is best because it won't date your room. Be sure with any sample - cabinet, fabric or paint that you test it in the actual space (as light is different everywhere and in every room) to ensure that you are selecting the right white for you!