White Is A Color

Photo courtesy of Pottery Barn

White ~ it can conjure up cool, clean, fresh, and sterile visuals. White is usually thought of as a cool or cold color. Sometimes it's thought of as no color. Hard to figure then why paint manufacturers like Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams have about a hundred colors between them in the white family. Just like any other color, white can have other colors within it - blue, yellow, pink, gray, etc.

Many retailers are showing white with other colors, which can sometimes tame a wild color, tone down a bright color and look clean and fresh with natural colors. Using Pottery Barn as one example, look at how white is being used in their new offerings.

From dinnerware to bedding to outdoor seating white is a classic color that works with every other color. Vary the shades and tones, and you can have a monochromatic look that doesn't look stark or stagnant. Just as a crisp, white shirt is a staple in your wardrobe, a bit of white in your home can help to visually rest the eye from the other colors and busy-ness going on in a room. Whether it is white sheers blowing in the breeze or cool white sheets on a bed, white has its place as a color in our homes.

Copyright 2009 Kathy Passarette, Creative Home Expressions. All photos courtesy of Pottery Barn.

Kathy Passarette and Creative Home Expressions are based on Long Island, New York, and offer interior decorating, home staging, interior redesign, color consults and more. For more information on our services and fees please visit our website at www.creativehomeexpressions.com.