Decorating with White - Light and Bright!

Decorating with Crisp Whites (and punches of other colors)!

This weekend, my husband and I took a drive to take advantage of the early fall crisp blue sunshine to drop off a set of chairs for a long-time customer.  This was my first visit to her lovely home and she proudly showed me not only her sweet new daughter, Jane, but also the pieces she had previously bought from me - a colorful chaise for her older daughter's room, a chair and ottoman for the family room, and a set of her own heirloom chairs she had me redo.  What a joy to see my "babies" in this lovely setting.

But the main focus of this discussion is the great vintage chaise I purchased on our way through Flowery Branch, a sleepy town near the Lake Lanier area of northern Georgia.  I am having it redone in a wonderful bright white textured fabric that I picked up earlier in the weekend at a designer's estate/moving sale.  This got me thinking about using white and white with other colors in decorating.  I am talking about snow white either as the primary color or as a crisp background.

I found a number of great articles and photos on the subject and picked up a couple of quotes including tips for decorating with bright white:

Crisp whites combined with punches of bright colors immediately transport you to the coast.  

Southern Living Magazine

When Glenn and Barb Timmerman built their Door County, Wisconsin, retirement home, they knew what the dominant color would be: white. Barb is crazy for white, outfitting all her past homes -- regardless of whether it was considered fashionable at the time -- in white, white and more white. 

Don't use white to be safe. Make it a deliberate part of your decorating scheme. Why?

1. It has importance. It highlights unique architecture, but also can add contrast and significance to nondescript trim 

2. It's bright. It expands space by reflecting light. 

3. It unifies. Disparate design elements come together on its uncolored backdrop. 

4. It's versatile. Varied whites mix easily in a room, as long as they're on different surfaces and textures. 

5. It's timeless. Use white for walls and furniture, and when trends, seasons or personal preferences change, just swap out colored accents. 

6. It can transform. An old piece of furniture can become high style with a coat of enamel white. 

7. It's practical. Dust doesn't show (though scratches might). A slipcover can be easily bleached to look new.

 Midwest Living Magazine

Decorating with White

Loveseat and Chair with Crisp White Background (chair sold) 

Sherrill Chair in Snow White

Vintage Chaise - White Woodwork (sold)