How to decorate a room with white walls – try these 8 ideas for neutral spaces that are far from bland – LivingEtc

A living room with whitened walls might not sound like the most inspiring of spaces, but opting for a simple white lick associated with paint for your living space provides you with ample design opportunity to turn your space into something spectacular. In fact , white is the perfect living room color idea , creating a blank canvas on which your decor can really take center stage, where wall art and furniture can definitely shine.  

‘I personally love featuring white walls in my interiors because of the beautiful range associated with different ways you can style them, ‘ says interior designer, Nina Magon. It’s a flexible shade too, adapting to any kind of inside design you may want to go for, through Scandi-inspired in order to maximalist, white is the perfect foundation. Read on for the interior design experts’ thoughts on their favorite ways to decorate the white-walled area.  

Oonagh Turner

Oonagh is a content editor for Livingetc. com, bringing her experience in writing on luxury properties and an enviable little black book of designers to offer professional advice. Here, she asked designers how they make sure whitened walled schemes don’t underwhelm.

How should you decorate an area with white walls?

1 . Use bold wall art in order to elevate your walls

White wall space in the family room provide the best background to showcase your own collection associated with wall artwork , exactly where a patterned wallpaper or bolder color on the particular walls might distract from the art itself. In this project, by State Studio , designer Laura Arledge added interest to the space along with pieces of art that spoke in order to her tastes, and found that white walls allowed for the girl to display artwork in varying heights throughout the room. ‘I sprinkled in layers of art stacked on the floor to make the area feel more like a rotating art gallery, ‘ the girl says. ‘We also have a low wooden tray next to the coffee table stacked with espresso table books and then we used the fireplace hearth to stack magazines and lean art up against the stone. Starting low and working high helps to keep your eye moving around the space plus keeps things interesting with unexpected placements, ‘ the lady says.

Keep things interesting by mix and matching frames, all shades and tones will work against a white background, plus textured walls hangings also add a nice softness in order to a white wall. ‘In the family room, we worked with the local weaver, Sarah Neubert (opens in new tab) on a weaving that will climbs up our vaulted ceilings so your eye is also drawn upward. ‘

2. Create a foundation for neutrals

One drawback of an all-white scheme is that it can often look stark and cold, along with cooler lighting casting blue tints that need warming up. Look to the particular color wheel for inspiration. ‘To balance coldness, and to add warmth to a good all-white space, I like to feature neutral earth tones with regard to a neutral color scheme , ‘ says Nina Magon (opens in new tab) , who used a spectrum of beautiful rich brown tones in this scheme.  

Layering off-whites, neutral tones from a white foundation may really develop a beautiful palette of pale and muted color. Think beige, light browns, light shades associated with pink, plus creams on top of your white base to take away from the coolness of the white colored. This may be in the particular form associated with furniture, or even accessories like cushions and rugs, but also think about the materials you might want to use too.  

Natural hardwood can bring warmness to the scheme plus will appearance really gorgeous when paired against light walls — think hardwood flooring, timber beams, wood worktops in order to embrace the color palette and the natural components will really shine.

3. Create a color contrast simply by painting the particular ceiling

By its very nature, white goes with everything and every thing, so it’s a great foundation from which to build the pop-colored colour scheme – as well as the good news is any kind of color may work on top of white.  

Why not go for a bold look and paint your ceiling , keeping the walls white-colored to really highlight the colour choice. ‘The ceiling always get overlooked, yet it’s the  fifth wall structure, ‘ says Denise Davies, founder of  D2 Interieurs (opens inside new tab) . ‘You can use a different colour in any room on the roof, especially in the living room, dining area or master bedroom, it adds interest, depth plus warmth. Keep the walls stark white for extra drama. ‘

This scheme is through Natalie Papier of Home EC (opens within new tab) , who has gone all out with white walls combined with the bright green ceiling, adding cheer and playfulness in order to the plan, and helping balance the particular grandeur of the home’s architecture.  

‘With keeping the walls white throughout, the particular painted ceilings add an element of drama plus fun to the formal structures, ‘ she says.  

‘I  am a color lover but to keep the open flow of our home from becoming too overwhelming, I chose to incorporate bold color on the ceilings in two from the downstairs spaces. This keeps the walls cohesively  fresh and whitened throughout the main, public spaces. ‘

4. Let the furnishings do the particular talking

Crisp, white colored walls offer up an excellent opportunity to let your own family room home furniture shine, so decorate your white-walled living room by accessorizing with key investment pieces. ‘White walls become a lovely blank canvas to add a dose of drama via furniture, ‘ says Nina. ‘Color is a great way to liven upward an all-white interior simply by featuring an exciting pop of color in the lovely sectional. ‘ 

As well as standout colour pieces, a statement piece of furnishings that is fascinating for different reasons really can stand out when placed within a room along with white wall space – creating a dramatic centerpiece.   Think an elegant curved sofa, a marble coffee table that steals the show with incredible veining, or a beautiful Persian or Kilim rug. If it’s a piece of home furniture you’ve invested in and you’re proud associated with, use light to let it be the main focus of the room.  

5. Decorate with bold houseplants

Bring a touch of the particular botanical in order to your white-walled living room with some bold houseplants. This will bring bold green color and give your house a lived-in feel, undoing any starkness from the white walls. The good thing about white-walled rooms is that light will bounce off the walls, which means plants stay happy and healthy as well.

‘Bringing greenery into any kind of home adds a layer of character and beauty and a way to exhale. From a design point of view, it’s the stunning item, ‘ states Bridgette Romanek (opens in brand new tab) . ‘However, a person can’t buy any tree you see, you have to learn about the tree’s needs – the particular light it needs, the planter size to ensure it will certainly grow properly. Keep in mind the sunlight, height, watering requirements. ‘ 

Pick three plus dot them spaced out throughout the space. Keep points varied and choose one tall plant that provides height : a fiddle leaf fig tree or money tree make stunning statement indoor trees – perhaps a trailing grow that doesn’t require much maintenance like devil’s ivy, plus a pink houseplant that might bring a bit of color like a Medinilla rose grape.

6. Add texture

To counteract the coldness emanating from your lack of color, texture is essential inside a white colored living area. Color will be often the first thing we turn to when our living room needs a helping hand, yet texture is an equally powerful tool, adding attention and supporting the room feel cozy.  

Textural elements range from accessories like cushions to curtains. ‘I like to add textural elements through textiles, rugs, and accents, ‘ says Nina. ‘It creates a good inviting and cozy aesthetic which is also light and airy. ‘

Layering soft furnishings, accessories and materials is key to producing a cohesive scheme that is usually full of depth, where a simple white-walled space might feel lacking in level. Think about the different materials that are tactile to the particular touch — velvets to boucle, or perhaps a shaggy high pile rug. Don’t be afraid in order to go for various colors too, but keep your color structure to three different colors at most plus always look to the color wheel to see which 3 colors work together. Texture also doesn’t necessarily mean fabrics and materials, and may mean raised paneling upon the walls, made from wood and painted white-colored.

7. Paint the wall trim

If you have white walls but are looking to refresh plus decorate with a touch-up of color, look in order to the trim on your wall space for motivation. Wall trim is typically painted white, but painting your own trim, through crown molding to crown roses, from dado rails to baseboards, is a simple addition that doesn’t need much work and can create a really neat border around your living room. If you’re fortunate to have these kinds of architectural details in a living room, after that celebrate all of them with the bold colour pop.  

‘I love to use whitened on interior walls, but it can be quite kampfstark and put a lot of pressure on large artworks to add heat, ’ states Cortney Bishop of Cortney Bishop Design (opens in new tab) . ‘Colorful trim is a great solution as this brings curiosity along with a sense of playfulness and approachability while maintaining the freshness of white colored walls. ’

When it comes to the best color for walls trim , look to your own key pieces of furniture for inspiration. Go for a subtle, muted colour that complements the tone of your couch or area rug for example , or even go strong with dark greens or yellows popular. Black may also help to make quite the particular statement, as seen within this area painted in Benjamin Moore paint.

8. Don’t forget illumination

Last yet by no means least, good quality, layered lighting is definitely your best friend in the white living room. To counteract the starkness of the white walls, lights through varying sources help bounce light around the room and create a cozy feel that will a white-walled room might be lacking. The number of lights for that living room will greatly vary based on the particular size associated with the space, but typically, you want a family room ceiling lighting , wall structure lights, and a floor gentle or desk lamp. This is a good starting point that in order to build, should give you ample lighting for darker evenings and help create a cozy feel.  

Go regarding a chandelier or statement fixture in the center that gives focus towards the room, a floor light that will bring elevation and matched with a beautiful color, and consider a pair of sconces for the wall lights : maybe light to encourage the yellow/golden glow.

What floor color goes best along with white wall space?

If you’re thinking about living room flooring , a white-colored scheme looks beautiful within the living space with hard wood flooring. Not only can be it comfortable and hospitable, but it also has a huge variety of practical benefits, is long-lasting, and sure to withstand the test of time. Hardwood is priceless and can be stripped back, varnished, or colored if a person really want to change the tone of the room. In a small white dwelling room, go for a light ground that will help the room feel well-ventilated and Scandi-like – think light oak with a light polish. Alternatively, go more dramatic with dark wood or even varnish, or even think about painting your floorboards – jet dark can look quite striking, although dirt does show up quickly on black.

Consider environmentally sound techniques like engineered wood or vinyl which can give a pretty convincing wooden feel.