Decorating in White

Decorating your home with white doesn’t mean you home will look dull.  White in essence has plenty of benefits and has a clean appearance for your home.  Many people, when thinking of decorating their home want colors that are either warm or cool.  But white is a favorite among many people when thinking of colors to decorate their homes with.  A lot of times, people will get so frustrated because they just can’t decide on which colors to use that they will just give up and stick with all white.  You can’t go wrong with white.  But there are shades other than just plain ole white such as off-white, eggshell, ice white, snow white and bright white.  Now if you are going to use different color whites in the same room you need to be careful because matching whites with whites can be just as challenging as matching mauve with yellow.  

Another consideration when decorating with white is that you need to understand that white will show dirt, dust and pet hair more than any other color.  So if you have kids or pets you may want to choose another color than white.  If you have no pets and your kids are off to college, then by all means, go wild with white.  

Whites can actually being other colors out.  The perfect scenario in this case would be your living room.  Picture this:  You go out and purchase a plush white couch.  Then paint the walls and ceilings white.  Hang some green plants and some spectacular artwork around the room and the white furniture and painting will actually bring out the green in the plants and the colors of the artwork.  So when guests visit, they will actually be drawn to the plants and the artwork before the white couch.  

If you don’t want the color white to take over the entire room, try just a few touches here and there of white such a white tulips in a vase on the windowsill in your bedroom or a white picture frame with a family picture in it in your dining room.  

When decorating white with white, the best and easiest thing to do is to head to your local paint or hardware store and get different swatches of white.  Take them home and try taping the swatches to your wall first to see what it will look like.  What works when pairing white with white is to use a variety of tones, shades and textures to make your room look beautiful.  For example, a home office with a white, woven shag rug with white ceramic lamps and a chair upholstered in eggshell with a cream throw pillow will make the room look radiant. 

If you are dead set on using white, then you want to make sure that you choose fabrics that are stain resistant.