This week my fabulous Rock House team and I where busy creating a new space for a uptown prominent real estate office and as the design came together with a textural palette of reclaimed brick, glass, stained cedar, alligator, stainless steel and concrete the wow amongst all these fabulous textures and organic elements is the open beam ceiling painted out with pure white, the sleek white leather furniture and opaque white glass walls.
Many designers and home owners are afraid of using white in their designs. It will feel cold, it’s sterile, it’s not four season appropriate, it will look dirty so therefore the upkeep may be too much. All of these white myths keep us from using white as our punch colour but it is time to put these myths out of your mind and go forward knowing that white is right for your space. With respect to maintenance and I am all over this personally as I live with a pig, three dogs (plus a couple of rescues that are always in our foster care), fish, a cat and a husband, I choose the right place to use white and white in the right materials. For example, I have a white leather sofa; leather is durable and easy to clean, in fact it is much more forgiving than fabric upholstery. Whether it’s a drop of red wine or a paw print it wipes right off. In my kitchen, my cabinets are a mixture of fluted and flat white high gloss doors set in to concrete gables. The white doors are easy to keep clean with a kitchen cloth so no issues here. To keep white from feeling too cold and impersonal, simply work your whites among fabulous textures, remember that texture will create as much drama as colour will and that rough raw textures create a casual feel but the most interesting spaces always mix rough raw textures with sleek shiny and smooth textures for optimal visual stimulation. White after Labor Day? Absolutely, think of the sexy white snow bunnies at your favorite ski resort. It’s back to textures again. Rough raw textures will keep your whites feeling warm. You can and should change things up as the seasons change. For example, you may put a sisal carpet on the living room floor during the summer month’s and then replace it with a faux sheep skin or a long white shag during the cooler months. Both carpets look great with the white leather sofa, my stone coffee table and distressed walnut floors.
At home, my contemporary palette is a combination of rich dark woods, concrete, grey, granite, glass, and white. White is on trend for home fashion and looks sophisticated and stylish with a multitude of architecture and decorating styles. From traditional to contemporary white is fresh, stylish and pure fabulous. Look for great opaque white glass panels and tiles to use on walls, white leather furniture, oversized resin vases and planters, white linen, silk or grass wall papers, piano lacquer tables and accents and sexy white carpets. Stay white on trend and bring some white home.
THIS AND THAT
Fill a glass water pitcher with fresh fruit and spring water and keep it in the fridge for a healthy, stylish summer drink that looks great and is even better for you.
