white

First of all...

thank you for all the sweet comments and emails about my new studio!

I'm so glad you love it too!

Now...

Let's talk white.

I have a little obsession with white.  Okay...a not so little obsession.

I'm over the moon crazy about white.

I love it

on my walls, 

my wood furniture, 

my kitchen cabinets and shelves, 

my mantle, 

my bed, 

and even my patio.

It has become the foundation for my decorating palette.

And here are some of the reasons it works for me:

1. A monochromatic scheme is easy on the eye, and gives a peaceful, airy vibe.

I am, by nature, a visual person.  My mind puts things together through physical and mental pictures.  When I look over a room, I enjoy seeing a sense of fluidity and cohesiveness, where all of its pieces flow together.  This doesn't mean that everything needs to be matchy-matchy or mathematically placed.  On the contrary...I love texture and whimsy in a space.  But I also need to feel that visually, everything ties together in some way.  With whites and neutrals, items in a space easily flow together, and feel tied to one another, giving a room a completed, finished look, for a calm, fluid feel.  Visually soothing.

2. White makes a space seem larger and more open than it actually is.

Look at my kitchen before we moved in:

And now: 

When we bought the house, we had new flooring put in, and I painted the cabinets white.  (Benjamin Moore's White Dove in oil.  Oil paint is painful to work with...long drying times and tricky clean-up, but I'm glad I went with it, as it holds up well in a kitchen area.)  The white on the cabinets brightened everything up, and made the kitchen and eating area seem more open and roomy.  

I recently painted the walls white as well, which brightened everything up even more.  (See the former blue/green walls here.)  For the walls, I used Benjamin Moore's Moonlight White in a Regal satin finish.  It's the perfect warm white--used also in my studio and living room in a matte finish.

3.  White is a blank palette, inviting any array of accessories and textures, while maintaining a clutter-free feel.

I love beginning with white walls, and adding accent colors and pieces.  It's much easier than trying to match everything in a room to the color of the walls!  And I think a room looks cleaner and less cluttered, when collectables, art, and furniture are up against a white background.  This is very helpful for me in our relatively small rooms...I feel like I am able to fit more into a room, without the room feeling too crowded and cluttered.

For example, the storage space in our kitchen is limited, so I store much of my stoneware, dish collections, and other items on open shelving.

  

I think the white dishes blend in with the walls, and make it seem as though I have fewer items on display, with a cleaner feel.  But really, with a neutral background, any color dishes would look great!

We also keep vegetables and fruits in baskets on our butcher block unit.  These add color to the kitchen, but do not look too busy or clash with surrounding features, because of the neutral palette.

Even a stash of not-so-attractive cookbooks lined up on the counter blend right in:

And how about a black vintage mirror?  I think it's a charming contrast to the white walls and the bright window light.

So, in a room that's necessarily crowded with lots of dishes, supplies, books, art, knick-knacks etc, go for a neutral backdrop, and it will feel much less cluttered.

  

Even when a room's utilitarian accessories need to be family and farm-friendly...

like this old pail, which holds leftover food for the chickens and goats:

And these boots and lanterns, which are big players in morning and evening animal chores, and must be easily accessible.

(Note: messy floor and baseboards not included in design scheme, just a by-product of the living that inevitably goes on in designed spaces...in case you were wondering!)

4.  A neutral palette is easily freshened up with seasonal attire, or new accent colors.

Since I love to change my surroundings with new colors now and then, a neutral foundation makes it simple.  When I want a new look, I can sew up a few new pillow covers for the sofa, add some curtains or a pretty rug, or display seasonal accent pieces around the house.  New textures, fabrics and colors will always fit right in, without changing the entire space around.  

( I needed to put this one in writing--I have been know to change a room's entire layout and color scheme on a whim, in order to add in a new piece of furniture or accent piece.  I'm purposefully counting on that waning a bit, with the newly arranged furniture and freshly painted whites all over the house.  I hope my dear hubby reads this--surely he has his fingers crossed, after this recent fury of painting and remodeling!)

So, there you have it.  Why I'm digging a monochromatic design scheme in my home.

What sort of design palette are you loving in your space?  Leave a comment and share!  

Soon, I'll show you a few photos of the other rooms I've recently freshened up around here.

But first...

I'll introduce you to our brand new baby farm friends, currently residing in the garage, under a heat lamp.  Cute little things!!!

See you tomorrow!