Not-so-blank home canvas
Plan carefully — there's a lot to get right when choosing white, say Colin and Justin.
To some, white scale decor is perceived as cold and sterile, yet to others it's considered fresh and welcoming. But what is white? And what, precisely, does it represent? Scientists explain that white is the result of observing all colours at one-time, with black being the total — and literal — absence of colour in a space denied illumination.
Decorative semantics and light refraction aside, it's fair to suggest white is a useful component in many schemes, though it takes a little understanding to make it properly perform.
Just as there exist many shades of every colour, white is merely a starting point, yet it's one with copious variants. Certain whites play well together, but those with a pink undercarriage may fight with pebble-toned options, while bone-inflected iterations work well with whispered soft grey and linen options.
So, will a snowy-toned palette work for you? Although potentially lovely, maintenance can be an issue. For starters, you might as well ditch the vin rouge in favour of vin blanc, because, well, you know the rest. Butterfingers. And if you have pets or small children, you'd better be on standby with an armory of cleaning tools and stain-busting products.
Similarly, if you live in a neighbourhood where dust issues prevail, white scale could prove challenging, though a little give and take will help: if you long for creamy carpet, a white tiled floor and a washable white rug could well provide a serviceable compromise.
Regardless of white choices, attending to textural matters will help pull focus and amplify the touchy-feely quotient. A linen sofa played against a white oak chest, for example, or a white pottery lamp teamed with an open-weave neutral shade, may indeed share a collective hue, but it's their various textures that impart depth.
In a previous C+J guest bedroom, we dazzled with snowytoned painted floorboards and an assembly of retina-challenging white linens, white light fixtures, white artworks and mirrored furniture. Hmm: it was, upon reflection, a little too much, a scene from which overnight guests would stagger, complaining of snow blindness.
But of course that was then. Spool forward a couple of decades and we've honed our craft, mindful that different spaces need different treatments. In a north-facing room, for example, white can appear grey, even listless, whereas in a south-facing room, the same shade can truly energize. In short, brighten specifications where natural light is limited, and restrain where illumination is strong. Mother Nature will do the rest.
As far as artificial light is concerned, incandescent globes generate a yellow hue, halogen bulbs a much fresher white light, and fluorescent tubes a range of cool blue tones. Before choosing paints, fabrics and finishes, view everything under all applicable light forms to properly understand what you have.
Delicate whites with a suspicion of yellow will help suffuse a relaxed atmosphere, and look great when teamed with natural wood. Those with a whisper of grey perform well in kitchens (to compliment stainless steel, shiny ceramics and glass), beige whites evoke an altogether cosy vibe, and those with a hint of blue help freshen, especially in bathrooms. Our go-to white, for the record, is Chantilly Lace by Benjamin Moore: every bit as “expansive” as pure white, it has the vaguest hint of cream, which softens every scheme it touches.
Mixing whites, though, can be tricky. Cotton sheets from one manufacturer can look dirty when placed with pillows from another. The same problem applies with baths, sinks and toilets from different sources. Before starting any project, assemble swatches and samples to ensure the proposed inventory marries well.
When pairing, always consider the “whisper.” If a particular grouping doesn't appear comfortable, chances are it's because the undertones are neither the same nor complimentary.
In whichever way you decide to proceed — and however much white you opt to include — one thing's certain: played properly, your “all white on the night” decorative landscape will perform just as well at any time of day. It's simply a matter of balance.