Designer Melody Palmer says you don’t have to completely overhaul your home to lighten it up.
PAINT IT!
A designer’s favorite tool to change up the feel of a space is paint! It sets the mood of your home. When your backgrounds are set, then you can have fun bringing things into your space to reflect your style.
Right now, most of us want to lighten up our spaces. There are lots of different “whites”. These are some of my favorites:
A true “white white” is Benjamin Moore’s ” Simply White”. This is a beautiful white space. It is light, airy and dreamy. It is important in our white spaces to ground them with dark or aged woods, greys, or black. Then we can use whites in fabrics to carry that airy look, and add it additional color with fabric or accessories.
My favorite creamy white is Glidden Pro Series, “Water Chestnut”. This white has warm undertones that I love. The light plays wonderfully off of this color. I love it in this space, actually we did the all of the main spaces in this home this color. It works beautifully with the aged wood of the settee, and we painted the mantle in that same aged wood look to create cohesion.
If you like the grey tones, Benjamin Moore’s “Revere Pewter” is an excellent choice. It is a light grey with warm undertones. In this space they grey is a beautiful subtle contrast to the white painted woodwork and other whites in this space.
Paint can be tricky, so always paint a good size sample of the paint on your wall so you can see it in your light. Every house is different as far as the way the light reflects in your home. Make sure the color works for you in your space before buying all of your paint!!
Don’t forget you can paint your kitchen or bath cabinets white to lighten them up as well. It makes a huge difference, and much less than new cabinets! You can also paint furniture white or a fun color to update and change the feel of a piece and bring new to life to it!
1. TEXTURE
Texture is a really important element in white spaces. It is another way to ground the space and give it interest. In this loft space I love the texture of the brick wall and some of the natural brick color coming through. It could also work if the whole wall was painted white as well. You can also add texture with a sisal rug, or other area rug with texture and or color. Baskets or old woods can give that feel as well. You want something to tone down the whites and warm it up.
2. LIGHTING:
Great lighting is critical in our homes for the light that we need as well as the ambience it can bring. It is also a great design feature. Lighting fixtures change with styles, so if you want a industrial look this will give it to you! These industrial pendants over this old wood table is perfect with the white background.
In this space, the crystal chandelier is juxtaposed to give a little glam to this rustic white look. So find the perfect fixture to create the look you want in your home.
4. FABRICS:
Fabrics play a huge role in design. The colors and patterns change often and the ones you choose reflect the mood and style you are trying to create. This bedroom is loaded with color and pattern, which is a fun change from all the white we have been looking at today. The patterns are current and vibrant in the fabric, as well as the bold modern art. Choose the ones that make you happy!
5. ACCESSORIES:
A great inexpensive way to change and update your look is your accessories. For that clean streamlined look, go for straight lined furniture, and limited accessories. We all need to limit our accessories, so take them out and get rid of the dated things. Carefully and selectively put things back in. Change your accessories often to keep your home fresh and interesting!
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