All-white interiors make a room feel bigger - if it's done right

There’s a viewpoint in home interiors that with financial prosperity we go for stark, minimal living spaces, and in recession we opt for colour, pattern and texture to comfort us through frugal times.

No question, we’re awash with colour in the last few years, and it continues to be touted in every interiors television programme, enticing us to indulge in decorating projects that apply everything from deep gem colours to pale pastels to our surroundings.

For all that, the white interior has not faded into oblivion as there are some who cannot live in anything other than white walls.

But diehards have taken it a step further by having absolutely everything white, including furniture, soft furnishings and accessories.

On one hand it runs the risk of being stark and not altogether practical enough to withstand the energy of children and pets and where a less than fastidious cleaning regime is the norm.

It will, however, make a room feel bigger, brighter and airy, but abandoning colour completely won’t guarantee you a room you can live with all year round.

Stark white interiors which are so cool in hot and clammy climes, can be far less successful in Ireland, as the downside of living in a country so far north on the planet, and almost perpetually under the threat of rain clouds, means having a light quality that tends to be cold and slightly grey.

Unless we enjoy more sunny spells.

Choosing the right white needs the same level of attention as choosing any other colour.

While there are supposedly forty shades of green, there are at least as many again of white, with none of them, thankfully, coming anywhere close to beige.

Start by gathering sample paint pots, including a brilliant white, a cream white and something in between, to find the one that feels right in your room.

For walls, it isn’t necessary to confine yourself to paint.

White wallpapers offer designs that range from embossed patterns to three dimensional effects that look like wooden panelling, all of which add the illusion of texture and something to help focus the eye when there isn’t colour or pattern to draw attention. After that, layer your whites with upholstery, soft furnishings and accessories, to lift any possible blandness and to ground the room.

With the fashion for decluttering, I’m loathe to say bring more stuff into the home, but to make your all-white arrangement less of a refrigerated box and more a cosy stylish nest, you need texture.

Choose cushions and throws spun in cable stitching and outsized yarns in a winter white, which is slightly warmer and flatters the skin, and works especially well in Irish light as a counter to the cold effect of brilliant white.

Textured rugs with deep knotty pile will not only feel great under foot but will also add visual interest.

Above all, there are two things that make the all white room a year round success: metal and art.

Metal’s reflective quality takes the edge off the whitest of whites, especially warmer metals like copper, gold and brass which are now on-trend.

But my favourite is copper which is the warmest of them all, especially when it’s introduced in overhead pendant lightshades and table lamps. Combined with a little touch of palest grey to the surroundings, they’ll ground an all white space.

Whichever metal you prefer, deploy it in a selection of small accessories — a lamp stand, bowl or picture frames. Think about upholstery too, as cushions and chair coverings can be finished in glazed cotton for a metallic style effect.

Art or photography will give the eye somewhere to rest. Make sure the subject matter is a topic or theme you love, and any photo reflects who you are so your personality is present in the all white room.

Once the room is complete, it won’t stay white for long once you start living in it, and if little ones see it as a blank canvas for unsupervised art projects.

Family pets, and even grown up activities that result in red wine spillages require vigilante-like stain and scuff spotting, so do yourself a favour and get removable, machine washable chair covers, or at least Scotch guard the fabric and rugs.

Or just do my version of the white look and take it no further than white walls.