Go pale and interesting with white interiors

Whether you want to create a blank canvas or give your home a laid-back, beachy vibe, white can be totally transformative

White creates a feeling of light and space, uniting disparate elements while subtly highlighting original period features such as floorboards, fire surrounds and plasterwork. It’s easy to live with, calming, cool and clean and it never goes out of fashion. No wonder it’s the go-to colour for walls and floors in many of the most stylish and sophisticated of homes, and is so often favoured by artists, designers, architects and stylists.

Of course, white is hardly ever just ‘white’. The ancient Indian language of Sanskrit has specific words for the white of stars, the white of teeth, bright white and the white of an autumn moon. Similarly, white paint comes in a plethora of hues, from greenish whites to greyish and pinkish tones – and the white you choose to use can have a huge impact on your space. Finding ‘the right white’ for a room can be tricky. Samples and swatches look different in particular light, in differing spaces and at various times of day. White spaces can easily feel too harsh and cold, especially in a north European climate, where the sun is low for most of the year.

The key to the enduring appeal of white is that it creates the ultimate backdrop, upon which you can style and restyle your home as your look evolves over the years.

Floors

White-painted floorboards can hide a multitude of sins in an older property, brighten up a gloomy room and lend a breezy, almost coastal feel to even the most dingy of spaces. They’re a great way to bring character to a newer home, too. Painted floorboards are slightly high-maintenance to live with – it’s true that you can see every cat hair, ball of fluff or muddy mark – but they’re super-easy to clean compared to carpets and can be repainted to refresh them when the chips in the paint start to look more shabby than chic.

If you don’t want to commit to painted boards but still want a whiter, lighter finish, you could consider sanding back, bleaching and oiling your boards with a lye and oil system. This is a great way to remove unwanted pink or yellowy tones from floorboards and creates a calm and soothing, Scandinavian-style interior.

Walls

When choosing white paint for your walls, it’s important to first assess the aspect – whether it’s north- or south-facing, for example – and the light levels of your room. Darker rooms can benefit from a slightly warm white, such as Wimborne White from the Farrow & Ball palette which contains a tiny amount of yellow pigment. Rooms that are flooded with natural light can take cooler whites, such as Shirting No. 129 from Little Greene’s range, a ‘pure’ white with a slightly greyish undertone, based on natural minerals without optical brighteners, to give a pleasingly heritage look.

Don’t be afraid to use several different shades of white in the same scheme. As long as they are complementary, or varying depths of the same white, you can use different whites on walls, floors and woodwork for a more layered effect than if you use the same colour on every element.

Texture

All-white interiors can sometimes feel a bit flat, so it’s crucial to introduce plenty of texture to give your look layers of interest. Woven rugs made of natural grass fibres or sheepskin can instantly warm up a white room, while textured accessories such as cushions and seat pads made from vintage grain sacks can also help. Knitted throws, reclaimed wood elements and objects with rustic, imperfect patinas are good choices, too. The aim is to avoid too sleek or clean a finish.

If you plan to paint a piece of furniture, or have done so already, consider distressing it afterwards using sandpaper and wax, to give it a more interesting finish that looks time-worn and textured. If you live in a newer build or your home is lacking interesting textures, you can introduce free-standing elements to create the same feel – a pair of old shutters with peeling, flaky paint look chic leant up against a wall, while an old mirror with an ornate, white-painted frame can also add interest.

White flowers in simple clay jars or glass jugs look lovely in all-white rooms. Get a luxurious look for less by gathering cow parsley from verges or growing white hydrangeas in your garden.

WORDS: ELLIE TENNANT