White is the new black, darling
Why white? It was said for many years that we should avoid pure white on our walls in Ireland, but there has always been a large camp of designers, decorators and architects in the British Isles who would use nothing else. The prejudice against white has its roots in the years before central heating, when homes were considerably colder.
And it’s also prompted along by paint manufacturers, who have little interest in us taking to all white rooms. The addition of white to an overcast day and chilly house, would certainly not have helped the real or perceived comfort levels in a stone house, shrouded in heavy curtains with little insulation in the structural envelope, in 1975.
Flip through a tour of most interior designers both here and in the UK, and the vast majority favour a foundation of pure white walls, warmed up with soft textural fabrics, and interrupted with snapping fireworks and glittering explosions of colour in accessorising and feature walls.
They know that white is in fact as dramatic as the deepest of other colours, pushes back space effortlessly, bouncing it into every available centimetre, and a perfect canvas for playing out other colours.
It’s also the most spiritual of colours and non-colours. Cheap by the litre, always edgy, airy, fresh and perfecting any dings and waves in the plasterwork, unsullied white is the most obvious choice for most rooms.
Anything but neutral, an all white house has an unmatched flow where the architectural sings out, but if you want to start in one room, try the bedroom where it will quieten the noise of colour in a restful, serene experience.
There are whites and there are whites. With very generous glazing in an open-plan, small barn of a house, I’ve been comfortable with an all brilliant white house stem to stern, where the wood flooring reflects a golden tone back to the walls.
If you have a home with largely north facing living areas (don’t worry too much about including utility rooms and bathrooms), limited natural light due to small openings or homes over-looked by buildings and trees, there are choices you can make.
First, go as flat as possible with a chalky finish such as Little Greene’s Slaked Lime or Farrow & Ball Pointing Estate. Going further, try out samples of off-white with the faintest warm ochre or pink undertone.
Subtle, tinted off-white will counter the celebrated cool Irish light which has a slightly green tinge on all but the most sparkling day. Examples would be Benjamin Moore’s Cloud White, or Lily of the Valley, Dulux White Cotton and Farrow & Ball New White.
Do large test areas on the intended wall as it’s so easy to slide into cloying pinks and creams.
* Fresh white linen, as flat-sheets, mattress covers and pillow cases, add a delicious layer on layer to the white walls and will look fresh with any colour choice for duvets, quilts, blankets and a fabric headboard.
* The frame of your bed and every piece of furniture will sit up proud against white walls, so celebrate those beautiful lines.
* Fancy white soft furnishings but don’t dare? Woven white curtains can do the work. Use a strip of colour at the base to protect floor length pieces from stains and abuse.
* An antique bedstead will seem slightly more modernist sitting in a white room, and this is true for your other pieces which are curated into a gallery import by lack of distracting colour and pattern as a backdrop. Clear cut-glass looks nothing short of fantastic floating in a white room as a chandelier.
* Colour-wise, you are free to add whatever you like as accents, and by changing the curtains and bedding, just about everything in your ‘white box’, can be rediscovered or redecorated by season.
* Want to be on trend? Take grey to white and kick up your colour here and there with pops of anything from pink, to a 50’s orange or a blue based green. Contain the volume and complexity of colour you add and it can be changed in an afternoon.
* As you’re not bound to one colour, anything goes. Pull some unappreciated furnishings from other rooms — a single chair with a fabulous print, an oversized painting. Lay an oriental rug out across the bedroom floor. (To dull the design of an old or new oriental while keeping the print, flip it over to the rough side).
* Texture is vital for warming up a white room. This can be as receding as the grain on timber or sit up in the toe swallowing luxury of a goatskin rug. nThe bed is an obvious choice for sensory pleasure, but take yielding fabric in weaves, knits, furs and satin soft finishes to seating and floor coverings too.
* Layering white on white is highly theatrical, White with texture on a flat white background works best. As a first attempt, paint up some old picture or mirror frames in white and place them on a white wall. A carved frame that sits up with a range of shadows in the relief-work can be fabulous.
* Warm tones in wood flooring with white walls will simply never date. Accent with rugs for comfort and style. White floors are a brave choice, that work best as genuine white-washed planks with a bit of age and warp to them, again providing texture. Stark white linoleum or vinyl is just too cool and clinical for most of us.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
