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How to decorate with white walls

This is a funny post for me to write because several years ago, in our old house, I dreamed of having an all white house.  (Yes, the whole house.)  My husband wasn’t on board (and ultimately I love color too much to make that commitment) but I did have an all white room that I loved.  LOVED.  I wrote about that room here and showed the final photos of it in that post.

Fast forward to 2018 and white walls are everywhere.  And to be honest?  A lot of the time it doesn’t look right.  This post by Maria Killiam talks about why white isn’t right in every house.  (I found Maria’s blog around the time I bought our current home and I love, love, love how practical her advice is.)  BUT if you are going to paint your walls white (which can be stunning) I thought I’d offer some practical advice from someone who has done it before on how to decorate with white walls.

white walls white couch white chairs gold coffee table gallery wall

The first key to getting white right is to layer.  Layer, layer, and then layer some more.  Because white can create a gallery effect that makes individual pieces look lonely, like they’ve been dropped into a space you have to bridge the gap. To do that you add layers like a rug, curtains, pillows, and accessories.

The next thing I recommend is to not matchy-match.  Just like you wouldn’t go full on mauve with your curtains and pillows in the exact shade, don’t do that with your white either.  Its ok to mix white with cream.  It’s even ok to mix in white on white patterns (or white on cream or even white on grey).  When you pair white and cream it creates another layer and helps it look less “I went to Ikea and bought everything’.  (FYI, I love Ikea.)

Lastly don’t forget texture.  If you have an all white pallatte make sure and add in various textures of white.  This is easy to do with pillows, blankets and accessories.  When you layer a blanket over your couch choose something with a nubby hand knitted feel.  Looking at curtains, go with a tweed instead of cotton.  Instead of a flat weave rug go with jute or a shag.

How to decorate with white walls

Bonus tip:  Contrast is your friend, sprinkle in a smatter of wood or black for a bit of visual interest.  Although it seems contrary to the idea of a white space, contrast will make white come alive, especially if you have the ability to use natural items (wood, leather, plants).

Here are some great items to help you bridge the gap when decorating with white walls:

 

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If you’re struggling with your white walls I hope these tips help.  What are your best secrets for pulling off white walls?

Best ways to make white walls work in an outdated house

using layers, texture and contrast to decorate with white walls

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22 responses to “How to decorate with white walls”

  1. Jaclyn Musselman Avatar

    I have greige walls..does that count?! ha ha! I do believe having neutral walls makes it easier to layer the room. But sometimes I struggle with having too many dimensions/patterns in the room!

    1. admin Avatar
      admin

      Your house is super cute! 🙂 I think these ideas apply to any room, not just white. I just think that it is especially important when you are playing with such a lonesome color 😉

  2. lanell Avatar

    I love your suggestions. I struggle with this issue at my office of white walls and not sure what will make it brighter and not over the top.

    1. admin Avatar
      admin

      In an office it might be a good idea to bring in lamps and turn off the overhead. White can be so bossy!

  3. Nicole Kauffman Avatar

    Awesome tips. I never really thought much about layering, but this is so true!!

    1. admin Avatar
      admin

      Thanks. The more I get into this ‘creating a home’ thing the more I realize that layers make all the difference!

  4. hadassah Avatar

    i would love to have white walls but the way my toddler is set up! lol. These decorations are so classy and chiq! love them

    1. admin Avatar
      admin

      Thank you 🙂 I will say that I honestly didn’t have any issues with the white walls and two toddler boys. BUT in my current home we have white walls on our stairs and I HATE them. They are impossible to keep clean from fingerprints and whatever else. YUCK. I think they probably need to be repainted with a different type of paint or something.

  5. Diane@worthbeyondrubies Avatar

    Great ideas! I love white walls actually (and my husband hates painting so it works out LOL) and I want to do my new house in an old colonial style so white walls are definitely going to be it for me so the contrasting with wood will definitely be something I do!

    1. admin Avatar
      admin

      Sounds like a match made in heaven, haha

  6. jenna | the urben life Avatar

    Such great tips! I’m about to start decorating our new home and I need all the advice I can get haha

    1. admin Avatar
      admin

      That’s exciting, have fun!

  7. Laura | The Yellow Birdhouse Avatar

    I’ve always been a firm believer in colour, but for the first time in my life I actually chose to paint a room white! These are great tips, I’ve got a gallery wall in the room that needs a little help!

    1. admin Avatar
      admin

      Oh me too! No matter how much I love the white on white look I don’t think I could do it forever. I just love color!

  8. Nichole Baugh Avatar

    Can I send you pics of my living room? (only kidding) I just was wondering how to combat the white walls. It’s hard to find a balance between too much white and too little. If that makes sense. Thanks for the tips. I am now headed to read more!

    1. admin Avatar
      admin

      HAHA! I’ll take that as a compliment 🙂 I totally agreed that white is a balancing act! That’s exactly why I wrote this post!

  9. Mary Leigh Avatar

    These are really great tips! I’ve been wanting to repaint our house a softer, neutral color and these things are really helpful things to keep in mind the closer to white the walls are!

    1. admin Avatar
      admin

      Good luck!

  10. Amanda Avatar

    I LOVE white walls and have been dying to try it!! These tips will help 😀

    1. admin Avatar
      admin

      Good luck!

  11. Blyss Avatar

    Oh this gives me some great advice, we moved from an apartment back to a house and now we need to fill space. It just looks so empty and we do have a few white walls that need ALOT of attention! Thank you so much! Come check out my adventures over at BlyssYourHeart.com too!

  12. furtdsolinopv Avatar

    Magnificent website. Lots of helpful info here. I am sending it to a few friends ans additionally sharing in delicious. And of course, thank you on your sweat!

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