A Way with White

No matter what color the rest of your house, utilizing a crisp white paint to trim, augment, or refresh areas of your home can add that shabby chic or authentic standout farmhouse vibe. White comes in dozens of shades with various reflective properties. Here are a few areas to use white and the correct white to get your desired result.

• Outdoors: No matter if your house is clad with siding, brick or stucco, crisp white trim around the windows and doors, and even on the eaves brightens up everything. Or, think about adding a beautiful white pergola to shade your patio or a white trimmed deck. Or keep the deck au natural but add a chic white farmhouse table and benches. Let it sparkle with bright white fairy lights for a romantic outdoor evening. In the front, the porch pillars and rails enliven the whole entry.
• Built-ins. Whether they be bookshelves or cabinets, create a lovely monochromatic look with matte white walls and glossy built-ins. Let them seamless blend with a nearby white brick fireplace or pop from a contrasting statement wall. Add drama to the look with white sculptures, vases, and candlesticks.
• Freestanding bookshelves also lend themselves to a semi-gloss white for drama or a sleek satin finish to give it that ultramodern flair.
• Create a bright white sunroom in soft matte white to create a warm and cozy space. Cover windows with white voile curtains and furnish the room with shabby chic sofas and benches.
• Give an old bed a new look. Paint a vintage head- and footboard white, then scuff them up to bring on the aged look. Top it off with a white-on-white coverlet and white pillows of various textures for an edgier mix.
• If your home has alcoves, consider painting the back or sides in a beautiful flat white. The distinction of white nooks against a colored wall lets your display area make a statement.
• And speaking of display areas, paint a vintage display case white and showcase your family heirlooms.
• Consider white floating shelves above the sofa or to create a spectacular wall. Shabby chic shelves support antiques well, while pristine modern shelving perfectly captures black and white photos in frames leaning against the wall in stacks.
• In the kitchen, consider a white marble island paired with ultra-black quartz countertops. Of paint the base white to brighten up the center of the cooking area. If you are renovating cabinets, covering over the dark wood stain with gorgeous semi-gloss white makes a ho-hum kitchen into an inviting open space.
• Mix a crisp white countertop with white subway tiles, and white cabinets for a truly streamlined look.
• A different take on white, whitewash is a hint of white on wood that allows the grain to show through. Use this finish to give industrial shelving or shiplap a rustic vibe.
• Finally, use white on white to make a small bath appear larger. White tile, white counters, white fixtures, and white walls contrasted with bright details makes any bath a welcome sight.

Most any room lends itself to a white makeover, so if you’re looking for a change, try white. If you’re thinking about selling, trimming up with white could be just the clean slate your buyers are looking for, so talk to your real estate professional about it.