How to Make White Walls Work in Every Room
It's all about the texture.
If you haven’t been following Megan Schlachtenhaufen and her husband’s gracefully paced renovation journey, on the blog Undecorated Home, then you’ve been missing out. Their DIY approach and professional-level results offer tons of inspiration. But there’s one specific characteristic of their decorating that really resonates with us: all white walls. It’s an unlikely choice for a lover of vintage with eclectic taste in home décor but it offers a lesson in why white walls can actually work in every room. Peep Megan’s buzzed about home below and learn just how to make shades of white work for you too.
Image courtesy of Undecorated Home
If There are White Walls, Add Black Trim
Nothing says look at me like high contrast colors and in the case of black and white decor, the contrast also evokes a feeling of drama, elegance, and edge. To add a focal point to her foyer, Megan painted the door frame in Blackest Trim by Clare. The dramatic black paint acts almost as a picture frame showcasing her beloved two acres of nature beyond. The layers of complementing textiles tone down the backdrop of bright white paint so it feels airy and clean opposed to antiseptic.
Image courtesy of Undecorated Home
Anchor the Room with Different Shades of White
While it may seem counterintuitive to count on the lightest hue in the room to ground your space, shades of white paint and décor do just that in Megan’s dining room. Starting with the cool and wintery Snow Day by Clare (an unintentional nod to the local Wisconsin weather), all of Megan’s main pieces of furniture, except the table, echo the white walls. Sheer white curtains hung high soften the setting making the making the cool shade of white paint on the walls seem practically cozy.
Image courtesy of Undecorated Home
Limit Your Color Palette
White walls will feel right at home next to other simple, solid colors. Limit the actual colors in a room to three and avoid heavy use of pattern, just as Megan did here. The green, pink, and blue are reminiscent of nature (Megan is a gardener after all), so the organic hues work well with soft and delicate white paint colors like Whipped, a warm white paint that's our best-selling color. The lush green hanging plant and vintage Karastan rug add small doses of bolder color to keep the solids from feeling boring.
"The color is so perfectly soft and warm and the paint itself is outstanding!" – Megan Schlachtenhaufen
Image courtesy of Undecorated Home
Pile on the Texture
With so much texture and layering in this space, you barely notice that the living room’s white wall paint. From sheepskins to pillows and throws, Megan uses textiles to refresh older, less coveted furnishings as a way to hold off until she can afford some of her dream products. (Don’t you love this idea?) Underfoot the rug creates a soft base layer of more texture that warms up the space. However, the real distraction from the white paint color are the multitude of tassels cascading down one of Megan’s original, handmade wall hangings.
For more white paint inspiration check out more images of Megan's stunning home below and shop our expertly curated shades of white paint here!
Image courtesy of Undecorated Home
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