As cozy season begins to deliver earthy cozy moments all around, I say BRING IT ON. And. Also. All the while, I shall leave plenty of space in my heart open for slower living, hushed, serene moments of contemplation and understated white country decor. Some favorite creatives celebrate quiet white wholeheartedly, and today’s parade peeks at such whispers.
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White Country Decor
French Country White Decor Ideas
Pamela Pierce (and her shining star, MILIEU) embodies the wholehearted quality of which I speak and always gets white right.
It’s not a small thing to artfully deliver the goods with restraint and a reverence for white.
Is your preference a less refined, more rustic, tumbledown white look?
White won’t hem you in! I have learned to listen to a home’s whispers about WHICH whites to celebrate in a given context…
Below, I chose Benjamin Moore OC-151 for trim, polished venatino marble for a backsplash, and Viatera Minuet white quartz for counters.
Sometimes a pure, snowy white paint freshens the mix.
But white paint is merely one layer. A mix of white decor and neutrals cozies the composition.
In other settings, blush undertones in white paint make all the difference. The white in our current kitchen provides all of the evidence I ever needed to preach this gospel.
Leanne Ford’s Signature
She has always transformed her world, one gallon of white at a time.
I have personally held a paintbrush dripping with white in my hand since the mid-1990s, and such a stance just doesn’t grow old.
Talk about a clean slate!
White painted floors are underrated!
But so are raw, bleached wood floors!
Wondrous Ways to Live With WHITE
Even when you narrow it down to white country decor (modern or traditional), there are worlds within worlds of WHITE.
Will you choose to warm it?
Will you choose high contrast or low?
What textures appeal?
Fifi O’Neill’s Serene Whites
Source: CICO Books, 2021; Author/Styling: Fifi O’Neill; Photography: Mark Lohman
Editor, writer and stylist Fifi O’Neill knows her way around serene-dream interiors.
This gem and kindred spirit from Paris produces features for magazines including Country Living.
In Shades of White: Serene Spaces For Effortless Living (CICO Books, 2021) with photography from Mark Lohman, a wide world of white decor is surveyed.
Fifi’s ROMANTIC PRAIRIE STYLE bestseller romanced us more than a dozen years back, inspiring a legion of decorators, country-loving homebodies, and white country fans.
Far ahead of social media trends, it took many years for marketing terms such as “modern farmhouse” and “cottage-core” to catch up or captivate TikTok-ers. (Is it just me, or does Tik-toking with “a long o” imply imbibing and an experience beyond scrolling? Hahahahaha.)
2021’s Shades of White feels timelessly fresh and relevant. One of my favorite tours in the book takes us into a Seattle home where vintage style sings harmoniously with country French charm.
White Paint Color Ideas
Curious about the paint color on walls of this home?
It’s Secluded Beach (Valspar) which has a light reflectance value (LRV) of 62…
And even though the beautifully warm, greyed-white color has been discontinued, it’s quite similar to this neutral…
Balboa Mist is truly a versatile color for interiors and exteriors, and we looked at this shade of white across a variety of settings in THIS.
Another possibility with a similar LRV?
Accessible Beige is a bestseller for Sherwin-Williams for good reason.
Serene White Simplicity
Isn’t the simplicity and sea of white in this kitchen a sort of quiet sanctuary?
With a soothing backdrop, it’s easy to imagine how the seasons can be savored and celebrated in a very natural, no-fuss manner.
Shades of white make their own magic and can dial down the formality even while they elevate the humble.
Somehow, a mix of various delicate whites feels far more sophisticated and interesting than a singular shade or two.
What could easily come off as too frou-frou is balanced with natural design elements, rusticity, and earthy humility.
Fifi O’Neill’s Shades of White
And such attention to detail requires an artist’s eye!
This painted dresser captured my attention, and should you need one in your life, you are destined to find unpainted contenders online. In my region, they are plentiful with friendly price tags.
Wondrous White
If you knew how often over the years I have received comments on my channels of the sort “of course it’s white, the homeowner is boring, soul-less, and playing it safe.” I always want to ask the commenter to send over photos of their own masterfully designed colorful spaces!
The truth is (and Fifi O’Neill and I have discussed this thoroughly), white opens up a world of peaceful possibilities and eclecticism. There’s a particular democracy and optimism white embodies.
White is frequently misunderstood as absence as opposed to a doorway or escape into spaciousness.
White is slow to boast. It’s the friend who doesn’t clutter every pause with commentary.
White flows with quiet elegance, generous and willing to recede.
White rarely shrinks from the shadow side of things. (Which is maybe not a small thing.)
White’s light is both reflective and restorative…
while also soothing and meditative.
Full of possibility and hope, shades of white suggest child-like wonder.
Fifi points us to a rainbow of whites; to evidence that its calm can stretch wide as a shelter for souls.
Resources for White Country Interiors
…do consider more titles, including The Soulful Cottage we toured here.
Peace to you right where you are.
-michele
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Did you see that Pamela Pierce’s guest room photo above has been redone? In the newest Milieu magazine. She is using a lot of browns in her home now which is not appealing to me.
Author
I did see it in this current issue – wouldn’t be surprised if it is already white or something else after publication. 🙂 I love how she is willing to try a new look but also won’t hesitate to immediately change it to something else! 🙂