Using White

GETTING PSYCHOLOGICAL WITH ACCENT COLORS

The use of a large black painting gives color and serves as an accent in the all white room, picture the room without the painting... And now see it with the painting.  The white seems whiter with the black painting while picturing the room without the painting results in a washed out room.

I think that the majority of the masses believe white to be not a color, although to have any hue at all including what the masses believe to be the absence of hue, white, is a color. And while most people might say that white is not a color, here are a few spectacular, beautiful, stunning and unique ways to establish white as the main color of your home or room. Boring?... Hardly!

One of the easiest ways to draw the eye to notice white is using accents, you may think this absolutely absurd because the whole point of using accent colors in the home is to draw attention to the accent color. Actually, one can use accent colors to cheat the brain of the viewer by giving the viewer a color to compare (via contrast) the white to, hence the white will seem whiter and the viewers will see 'that yellow wall in the all white room'.

In conclusion, using a color accent in a counter-intuitive manner will draw attention to the white room, this kind of reverse psychology play with the use of colors goes for all colors and not just white, although I find it to be most intriguing with white since it seems to have the biggest affect- POW! 

The black accent wall matches the dark wooden dining table as well as with the other small black items in the room. The white rug, pendant lamp and floors stand out from the accent wall thus showing us the importance of white in the room's decor.

The natural redbrick wall between the windows is being smartly used as an accent wall.

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Another way to use accent colors is through the use of the floors, in this case the kitchen floor is black and white checkered highlighting the white everywhere else.

WAYS TO USING A SECOND COLOR THOROUGHLY

The large use of earth tones, in this case wood, highlights what isn't wood, which is white. By evenly dispersing white in lieu of the wood gives the white within the space notice although there is just as much as wood. White is also a brighter color than wood, hence the eye is deceived by thinking white is the main color even though there is obviously more wood tones in the space.

There is no better color to highlight white than black as it is its extreme opposite, however, there is a risk of black taking away the notice on the white, black is a powerful color afterall. Using black trim for white walls is never-the-less a very chic way to go while keeping your white walls.

PLAYING OFF THE FLOORS

The white flooring that extends to the walls creates an illusion of lightness, the black highlights the lightness while the gray takes the edge off the stark contrast of the black versus white. The white however easily overcomes and overtakes the black accents in the room due to the white flooring which keeps the room bright, light and airy and the notice on the white in the space.

Floors matter a great deal, they take a great amount of space in the house and because of this one simple fact (although probably not the only one) makes floors something to be respected, noticed and regarded when creating the interior style for your home or room.

The white against the brown wood floors accented with green creates a very delightful, cozy and familiar space. The white walls together with the white bedspread creates a very stark white affect against the wooden floors which can be taken notice through the smart use of green accents which can be viewed as being an accent color for both the white and the wooden floors, hence the green accent serves as a type of middle ground or bond between the wooden floors and the white in the space.

The light pinkish-nude tones of the flooring is taken into consideration via the framed picture above the bed which also exudes the same tones. The paleness of both these two different white tones is use congruently to create an ethereal effect that is light and soft, the theme of this room.

USING NATURAL LIGHT ON DIFFERENT WHITE TONES TO CREATE ILLUMINATING EFFECTS

The absence of any other color in the room together with white walls that holds more warm tones when lighted up creates an ethereal effect that is fantasy-like and heavenly.

I have a Marmalade orange office that looks dark orange in the evenings and very orange during the day, this change in color due to the changing natural light occurs with all colors, including white. While many try to pick colors as accurately as possible keeping in mind natural light and its affects on the colors of the walls many do not think that this affect is also interesting to play with. However it can be quite beautiful and smart when used to your advantage.

Some whites will have more blue tones in which case the room will appear to be more bluish when the light hits. The overall appearance of this kind of illumination has a cool (colder) affect which is most often exhibited in the modern uses of white, in this case the modern illumination in white is kept grounded and earthy by the wooden floors and the large wooden living room table which also serves as the center pieces of the entire room.

DIFFERENT STYLES FOR WHITE

White and modern (futuristic) seem to go quite well together, hand-in-hand actually, modern interior styles is built off the characteristic of simplicity; a modern quality. Hence there is no other color better than white for this style of interior decor, and when used for modern purposes exudes a type of pureness of modernity that is lacking when using any other color.

Using white for contemporary spaces is always interesting to see and quite hard to achieve since white gives off the impression of modernity (futuristic); there is a thin line between using white in a modern style and using white in a contemporary style. The handles on the cabinetry, semi-polished wood flooring and exposed storage rack all combine to create a more contemporary look in the white kitchen; the distinction is very subtle but there.  Look closely at the modern kitchen above and the contemporary kitchen, notice the slight differences that make one contemporary and the other modern.

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One of my favorite ways of using white is using it to highlight a rustic interior style. In combination with distressed pastel colored furnishings and a rustic wood-topped island center piece the white is used to highlight these attributes though white is itself a highlight in color in the kitchen. The use of a white with more blue tones also gives off a more cooler atmosphere that works well with the gray distressed cabinet and the other white tones in the room, this tone of white also gives a bright overall appearance that adds a bit of modern brightness to a very rustic interior decor, an intriguing combination that results in an unique charm.

USING DIFFERENT MATERIALS TO ACHIEVE THE WHITE

White hanging lights, white marble top on a white island, white marble walls with white trim, white countertops on white cabinetry. The white is then highlighted by the wood and the black and white striped kitchen rug that is connect to the rest of the room by the matching white and black striped glassware on the counter. The results is a kitchen that  is fun, light and eccentric in character.

One mustn't forget other materials that can help you achieve the white room, this will also add different textures to the room which can be quite satisfying. Sometimes all white rooms with lack of textures from lack of different materials present can result in a washed out interior style, in other words, boring. Then again, sometimes this is exactly what the doer wants- which is fine if that is the overall look you're going for.  I find that while it may be more difficult to use different materials in the living room, dining room, entry and bedroom the kitchen and bathroom are two spaces where using different materials is quite easy, all that countertop, sinks and backsplashes are all just asking for it aren't they?  And the end result is always so charming.

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The counter to ceiling subway tile walls is absolutely charming. The dark grout between the subway tiles matches the black accent of the island and the countertop. Note that the countertop is also white&gray marble and the brass fixtures give the kitchen a class all its own.  The many different materials of white come together to create a wholly white kitchen with black and brass accent, absolutely lovely.

DINING WITH A BACKDROP OF COLORS AGAINST WHITE

FAVORITE!

The combination of the contemporary dining table with a backdrop of colorful books and things against the forefront romantic large chandelier results in a romantic and eccentric atmosphere. The colorful backdrops keeps the room fun, grounded and also keeps the dining area from being overly-romantic.

There is nothing like a rainbow of colors to serve as your accent wall to remind you that you're surrounded by white.  

REMEMBER THAT OTHER COLORS GO WELL WITH WHITE TOO

The use of purple with white is very romantic and unique.

Many seem to jump to black or brown when highlighting white, black probably because it's the exact opposite of white and everyone likes stark contrast to make a statement.  Brown is often used as well most likely because everything goes with brown and also it's a very good way to keep things grounded and earthy if that is the kind of style you gravitate towards. But I'm here to tell you that there are tons of other colors that go well white... like every other color, I mean this quite literally.  Many believe that white is the absence of color, this actually is not true- black is the result of absence of color, white is the exact opposite; white is the result of the combination of all colors, hence my theory that white goes well with every color.

The use of yellow results in a fun and quirky atmosphere that screams "easy going!"