When photographer Jordana Nicholson and her husband walked into the new main bedroom in her rental, she immediately knew that she wanted to upgrade the dull grey hue to white bedroom walls. “We really wanted to brighten it up and we felt that the current color was limiting our décor options,” she explains. So the couple went to their landlord to plead their case—and since they were looking to change it to a fresh, bright white paint, it wasn’t an issue. Here’s how the couple made this main bedroom feel like home:

Choosing the Perfect Color

“We wanted to brighten up the space while giving the room a fresh coat of paint, that’s why we went with Whipped. It’s not too cool and not too warm, it’s the perfect shade of white. Plus, since we weren’t opting for a crazy, polarizing color, our landlord, who is a friend of ours, was totally game to let us revamp the space. White bedroom walls were a nice little upgrade for the room.”

Why Zero VOC Paint

“I’m big into natural, non-toxic living so it’s really important to me what I introduce into my home. The fact that Clare takes safety so seriously, I love that the paint skips a lot of the unhealthy ingredients that are found in other formulas and that Clare’s paints are all zero VOC. This was a major selling point for me. Plus, I didn’t feel like I was sacrificing on color either, there’s plenty of beautiful options but Clare’s selection doesn’t feel overwhelming.”

Priming to Perfection

“Taking the time to do the prep work right really makes all the difference. Primer helped the painting process go so much easier and faster; we were able to complete the entire room in an evening! It really helped the paint go on so much easier. We also gave the ceiling (which a lot of people tend to skip) a fresh coat of paint and it made the white bedroom walls feel cleaner and brighter.”

Decorating With Neutrals

“You can keep it interesting even if you’re decorating with neutrals—the key is to vary the textures. We wanted the room to be a calming retreat that didn’t feel busy. So we kept repeating soothing neutral tones like cream, light wood, rust, and tan. So things like the Moroccan wool rug and the linen bedding and curtains feel lush without overwhelming the space.” 

Adding a Pop of Color

“A pop of color doesn’t need to be an actual color, here we repeated the color black as a way to ground the space and tie everything all together.” Using a color to move the eye throughout the room is a design technique called triangulation, it helps to unify the elements throughout. Here your eye moves around from the frames, to the sconces, and then to the mirror over the dresser. It’s an easy design technique to try in your own home. 

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