Like a breath of fresh air and the scent of sun-dried sheets, whites and neutrals used as the main colors for your decor create an atmosphere of calm and tranquility.
I remember hearing about a decorator who worked with color all day long for her clients. Yet, her own home was decorated using neutrals and shades of white because of her need to escape the drama of the colors she worked with all day.
How one chooses to decorate his or her home can be either welcoming or unsettling. Clutter, funky odors, and garish color combinations can carry subliminal anxiety for many. Neutrals and "the shades of white" add an airy appeal to spaces and gives a calming, serene feel to a space.
My bedroom is my sanctuary of rest, repose, and meditation. A large white chair beckons me to read or sit and enjoy the golden light of late afternoon through western facing windows.
After a long day of working, running around, and doing stuff one's home can and should be a sea of calm; a balm to scattered senses. Whites and neutral colors are expansive and add a sense of airy tranquility to ones spaces. There are many shades of white and they mix well, too. Go to the paint store. You'll notice that whites may have subliminal tints of gray, green, blue, pink, or yellow. Some are "cool", others are "warm".
Whites and neutral colors are also a frugal choice because one only needs to add that punch of color using a few accents in the form of pillows, throw rugs, and art. Using this recipe, redecorating needn't be expensive by having to replace large costly items such as sofas and chairs, new carpeting, or repainting rooms simply because one tires of the saturation of a particular, once-loved color.
Chairs and sofas may be expected to give decades of service. Changing them out because one tires of color or pattern may be avoided by choosing furniture in neutral colors.
In neutrally-colored rooms one needs only to swap in accessories of a different color for a fresh look or a seasonal feel.
I used to think that because I lived in the country surrounded by fields and all the accouterments of farming (read "lots of dirt") and animals that I couldn't decorate in light colors. I solved the problem by making sure that my whites were washable - canvas, cotton, white denim were my "go to" fabrics.
White, ivory, ecru, pale grays and greens are considered neutral, too. They aren't dramatic and we don't tire of them as easily as colors with more saturation. If neutrals form the basis for floors and carpets, sofas, chairs, and wall color and we instead rely on accent pieces to add drama, we can swap in and out those items inexpensively and easily.
I love red! The entry/dining room of my old farmhouse was painted a dramatic red. It made a stunning entrance and it was a room I used only when entering the front door or entertaining guests, and as a pass through to other rooms.
The rooms I spent the most time in - bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, the converted attic, and sitting room were all done in neutrals. It was a look and feel I happily thrived in for many years. My present home - my condo - I decorated in all neutrals perhaps because the rooms are smaller and the ceilings eight feet instead of ten. Small accents such as the seat cushions in my dining room have a small amount of red...an echo of former days because I used fabric leftover from my old dining room chairs re-do to cover those presently in my condo dining room.
White and neutral colors were the basis for arranging my condo living room. Most of the furniture was brought from my old farmhouse except for the rattan sofa in the foreground.
This wee, slip covered love seat is nearly 40 years old and now resides on my condo's covered balcony to create another comfortable "room". I slip covered it in a washable cotton duck commercial slip cover that I purchased on line and tailored to fit (see link below). The cushions are covered with matching drapes that I also purchased and re-purposed as fitted cushion covers.
My old farmhouse was decorated in a shabby chic style relying on mostly white and neutral colors.
This table awaits luncheon guests. White dishes and bowls, vintage salt and pepper shakers, and silverware in canning jars is both welcoming and charming.
White or ivory-colored dishes of mixed styles and shapes - but of the same composition be it china or earthen ware - adding both the vintage and the casual make for easy and elegant entertaining.
I hope these few ideas on using whites and neutrals will inspire you toward living your own easily elegant lifestyle!
Link to how I tailored a Sure-Fit slip cover to fit a wee loveseat:
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For several weeks we're going to leave the current theme. You're invited to come along on my last car camping trip of the Season before Winter clamps down hard. I'll be sharing some places, my "spaces" in my SUV, ideas, and techniques for comfy car camping/glamping, as well as that often wondered and whispered at "potty challenge" (how to accomplish this feat neatly, daintily, cleanly, and discreetly all whilst living and traveling in my car!).
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