I decorate with a lot of different shades of white. But you already knew that.
I use the white as a background, a canvas, a shell with which to place colour. It’s not a new way of decorating, that’s for sure, I’m not breaking new design ground here, but I do find that the possibilities when decorating in this way are limitless, ageless and open to anything. Whatever the season, holiday, month or occasion.
A question I am often asked, alongside whether my name is my real name (yes, it is), is how, with two small children and a life do I manage to live with so much white and not live in one big stain.
Well, it’s been a process. With trials and errors along the way. I think that you have to learn to live with white in a way that you don’t if you were to live with other, more amenable colours, but having done it and being in the process of doing it again I can say that I love it, I would not have it any other way and I will probably do it until I die. You should probably know all this as we’re just about to start the mother of all makeovers.
Living with white, practical points…….
The Pros
You can see the dirt.
The Cons
You can see the dirt.
I used to be of the opinion that to be able to see the dirt or stains that appear on such light colours was a disaster but my need for lightness in my living space overtook all of these cares and worries. It is worth so much more to me to be able to live the way I want to aesthetically, physically, spiritually and emotionally and the colours and light in my home are such a big part of this, that keeping the space smudge free became a moot point.
It was a choice I made. And I came around to the opinion that the dirt is going to be there whether you can see it or not, it’ll still need dealing with. So I’d rather have it staring me in the face, daring me to tackle it than festering for as long as I can bear to ignore it should my eyes not actually be able to spot it the moment it happens.
There are of course some really practical ways of living with white -
- I have white sofas and chairs. Some from Ikea (the largest selling sofa in the world, the Ektorp) and some from Sofa.com. All but one of these chairs and sofas have washable slipcovers. When they get grubby or marked they are whipped off and washed. I do this about twice a year unless Robert falls asleep with a glass of red wine in his hand.
- I have a wooden table that I painted white. I used two coats of white emulsion and a spray to apply the paint. If I had wanted to preserve the paint, with no chips or markings, I would have applied a couple of coats of clear matt varnish after painting. But I didn’t. I wanted it to have a slightly beaten up look about it. It is the table in my kitchen, my children sit at it, they eat at it, they climb on to it and they draw at it. I couldn’t be precious about this particular table. I have inherited a new wooden table with the house. I intend to do something very similar but a bit more elegant with this table. I shall keep you posted and will upload the makeover when it’s all done.
- Paintwork. There are certain areas of paintwork that I like to try and keep scuff free and in good condition. Skirting boards, I find, as everybody does especially if they are near to an exterior door of some kind, that they get dusty, grimy and lose their lustre incredibly quickly. In the past I have always opted for matt paintwork but nowadays, due to how easy it is to keep clean and the fact that the paints are mainly water based, I opt for gloss every time. They are wipe clean and I often do it with the other side of a baby wipe having cleaned my kids up after a meal.
The same applies to windowsills unless the space I’m decorating is in need of something a touch more rustic. Then I’ll replace a windowsill with a much deeper piece of wood and use a much ‘shabbier’ painting technique. But this will often be left for spaces such as kitchen windowsills or even outside spaces. - Carpets. Of course this is a tricky one. But I should say that I have lived with light carpets and I’ve lived with dark carpets (in fact I have some dark carpets in the new house) and the dark ones show just as much dirt and traffic evidence as the light ones. For instance, I have a cat, she has light fur and I can tell EXACTLY where she has been from one moment to the next as most of her coat is showing up good and proper on those dark carpets. As are all the other specks, flecks and rubbish that are traipsed thorough daily. If you’re going to opt for lighter carpets my advice would certainly be to opt for something with some warmth to the shade as you’ll find that there are often flecks within those carpets that hide a multitude of sine and also, if your budget can stretch, choose one with a knotted effect. Not only are they far more comfy but they too help with hiding day to day grit that may not be tackled the moment it happens.
Robert and I have spoken a lot about the flooring in this new house. There is an area that we’d like to have dark wood boards in place. This is a bit of a departure for us but with the rest of the room being so light it can cope with it. There are also rooms that I would like to have white gloss boards in. But I’ll have to put aside about 6 months in order to tackle that project correctly so I’ll keep you posted on my progress.
I haven’t tackled every single aspect of living with an abundance of white today, just some of the main basics. But I’ve been doing it for a while now and I love it. It is a state of mind for me as well as a decorative choice. It’s a nod to the bright sunlight of California, a place I love so much and a wink towards the fabulous Danish style of decorating that companies such as Greengate do so well.
But shall I tell you what I love most about living with white and decorating and building a home around a very light palette?
It makes me feel good.
It helps me to live in the light on dark, gloomy and rainy days.
It brightens my morning to come down to a light and bright kitchen when the the sun has already been up for many hours.
Our homes should work for us in any way possible. We pay enough for them, we spend an inordinate amount of time in them and, most importantly, we need to feel good as often as is possible in them.
I want to feel good in my home so that others can enjoy it with me. And I help this process along by keeping it light, bright and simple. It’s a choice.
And that is how I live with white.
I love you and thank you so very much for reading today.
Cherry x
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I thought my living room walls were white until it snowed. When I looked out of my French doors at the snow I realised what a dark shade of white I had chosen. As for the white gloss paint, yes it looks lovely to begin with but as my husband pointed out it quickly turns yellow. I wonder why that is? The beauty of white is you can put absolutely anything with it, flowers ,jugs, lamps, cushions and they all bring it to life. A must for a dark or sunless room.
I can’t WAIT to move house to start all over with ‘white’ – one dayyyy…!!! I love, love Lilacs – they remind me so much of my lovely mum
Beautiful photography Cherry 
xx
I think you’re really on to something. I live in California and the house drives me crazy. It faces the north, with the biggest windows on the south and none on the west. It’s depressed me since the day we moved in. The kitchen cupboards and paneling in the family room are very very dark. I can’t believe I never made the correlation before. I’m taking your cue and finding me some white paint! I love your sofa, by the way.
Oh! I thought I had convinced myself that white sofas were a bad idea once and for all and now i’m back to thinking that we should have them. We had curtains made for our bay window and I spent F-O-R-E-V-E-R looking at fabric samples after allowing myself to be convinced that white was a bad idea. In the end, I realised that I kept coming back to white (which of course was where I started), and that was obviously what I wanted and so now, we have beautiful made to measure pure white curtains and I love them. I think I might have more of a challenge getting husband to agree to white sofas, but i’m definitely going to give it a go now! Thank-you.
Take care, Bex.x
I have loved peeking into your beautiful homes and just love your take on decorating for sure! Here in Canada, though, we live with white from about November until at least April and sometimes have had a freak snowstorm into May and June – this year is for sure the exception to the rule! We have had very little winter and in March had weather such as is usual in June and July!! So for me, a white interior would a difficult thing to live with – the snow storm would feel as if it was never going to end
I will have to enjoy the beautiful pictures of your home that you post. And congratulations on all your GREAT news this year! Looking forward to all the publications!
Cherry, I work in a decorator’s merchants and I do have solutions (particularly primers) to some of the decorating queries, but I wouldn’t want you to think I was advertising. If you ever want to contact me for answers, you know how! But I would also like to say, the single best decisions I made during our recent total refurb were to use the same slightly off white emulsion and eggshell throughout the house, with occasional feature walls dropped in here and there. There is more continuity and “flow” and only one shade to dip into for touch ups.
Cherry I just love your photography and you have captured my total attention about living with white.
You have such a gift my dear. Lots of love to you
There are so many shades of white aren’t there? I have quite a few in my home because I like to keep a certain amount of warmth and it’s so easy to add deep coloured warm cushions etc. But I have to say I always stare at pure white rooms in magazines and they fascinate me. So last year I insisted on a white entrance hall and I have to say, I love it.
Totally agree, Cherry. Over the past few years (with inspiration from your blog) I started going “white” also. I love the light and airy feeling. Only downfall, makes you want to paint all dark furniture white or replace it with new shabby chic beach cottage white. But that’s okay with me…working on it one piece at a time.
Oh yes we are in love with living with white too! My hubby initially thought it would be too stark and sterile, so we comprimised and settled on cream. After a few years it looked ever so tired and yucky (because you couldn’t see those little areas of dirt that should have been dealt with) so when I broached the subject of white again, it was met with a happy yes! For a few years now we have been all white walls and wood floors and we couldn’t be happier.
Morwenna x
Cherry, I could not agree more. At my previous I went colour mad, thought white was for the magnolia brigade. Dining room was Moroccan style in burnt orange and aqua ceiling, spare bedroom was every girls dream, Barbie pink, kitchen was lime green. You know what, it gets boring, nothing goes with the colours, people think you are either mad or a hippy dippy type. Soooo I am a complete convert to white, my present house is completely white, walls, paintwork etc. and I just love it.
You’ve just about convinced me about the positives of white, especially as a background to those amazingly beautiful flowers. Breathtaking!
Love the cover of your book – will be buying. xx
We love white also! !!! Hope you have a great day! ! We are glad your back more now! !!!
totally agree. We used to have a lot of colour in this house, but over the past few years all rooms have been toned down. I still have colour, but it’s pale blue, pale pink, pale grey, creamy whites, and of course, versions of white thanks to F&B.
Our sofa is a creamy white, and after a year, we’ve only got one choccy splodge on it (thank you The Girl!). Nothing that can’t be removed once I decide to actually get on and give it a clean.
Last week I painted the legs of the dining table a crisp white. Love it, looks so much nicer. So yes, I love white, in all it’s glorious shades!
Beautiful lilac.
x
This is great timing as have been renovating a house for a while and just about to start painting. I wonder if I can pick your brains a bit more. When you paint a room white do you do the ceiling with the same paint or a different one? Do you do all the rooms the same white or different shades of white? How do you decide what shade of white? There are so many and I am finding it all a bit overwhelming. xx
I’ve just painted my kitchen / dining room all white and I so love it. Used to have a large feature plum wall but much prefer the white and how much brighter and bigger and warner it looks..
I love white on white! I am so glad that our rental property is white rather than magnolia. I would have had to pull out the paintbrush LOL
Lush x
Beautiful photos as always!
Are these in your new home? It’s already looking cosy
I am so looking forward to all of the before and after photos and makeover posts!
I also live surrounded by white walls, white furniture and pale carpets, my Mum asked me if it feels like I live in a hospital and I tell her I make it cosy with textures instead of colours
Sue x
Hi Cherry,
Question: Painting so many bits of furniture in the past, particularly your kitchen table, have you had any problems with the yellow stain from pine or other dark wood stain coming through water based paints like emulsion? I’ve been trialing the Annie Sloan paint on my pine dresser and even when I used a recommended shellac to do a base coat with it still has turned yellow. I to love the crip white and my whole home is white. I do not love however, the murky yellow which I keep getting.
Thank you. Sx