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For space and style, just add some white

By ELIZABETH BETTENDORF
Published January 7, 2007

A few years ago, painting your walls white was so passe that design shows and magazines were actually advising renters to roll their walls in accent colors.

That was bad news for me, a child of the '70s and modern design, and a firm believer since college in using white to make a space look bigger, cleaner and more elegant.

Lately, white seems to be making a comeback in home design, both in contemporary, art-filled interiors as well as in crisp "modern country" homes that rely on white as a backdrop.

I recently noticed that the editor in chief of Metropolitan Home Magazine and one of the keynote speakers at South Florida's Design Center of the Americas Winter Market in January will address the subject of white with a panel of respected architects and designers, including Alison Spear.

And after a year of mulling wall colors for my small 1970s-era condo, I've finally decided that a pure white honestly works the best in just about every room except the bathrooms.

Jay Tenuta, who owns LaBella Interiors in Odessa, says white is "clean, crisp and always stunning if done well."

Tenuta explains that white is friendly with all colors; add warm red, golden yellow and deep blue "and you have a relaxed, fun, put-up-your-feet feel." Add some maple-wood accents "and that just ices the cake."

Throw in black, deep gray, or earthy browns with chocolate and cherry wood, he notes, and you can create a look of "sophisticated, understated urban elegance."

Tenuta points out that there are many shades of white, and that most produce different moods.

His favorite? The classic Sherwin-Williams "Dover White" because of its pure white base with a hint of burnished gold.

"It's clean and crisp by day, and moody and sexy by night," Tenuta says. "Add candlelight, and, wow, let the party begin!"

Once you've settled on white as your backdrop of choice, it's hard to know where to begin choosing the right white. There are several factors that should be considered when choosing any paint color, explains Sarah Fishburne, manager of innovation and design for the Home Depot.

Here are some questions Fishburne advises anyone to consider when choosing the perfect white:

1. Are you working with existing white furniture?

2. Is there a core item you want to design around?

3. What is the flooring or lighting that you are working with? (Fluorescent lights cast a blue-purple tint, while others will have yellow shades.)

4. Are there a lot of windows? Whites are reflective so they will take on colors that are adjacent to them.

And yes, Fishburne adds, white does actually make a space look bigger, but be careful, because it can create a glare that's hard on the eye.

The best way to warm up a white interior, Fishburne explains, is by "adding texture and warm woods to break up the stark white."

The options are almost endless when decorating around whites and introducing accent colors.

[Last modified January 7, 2007, 02:19:49]