Oh hey, guys! I’m excited to open up a big debate here today! So I just listened to the new episode of Young House Love Has A Podcast (one of my favorite podcasts, by the way) where I was a guest, and my mind is BLOWN. Let me explain…
When they asked me to be on the podcast, I was very excited, and when I heard that the interview I was giving was about white walls, I kind of shrugged. White walls ain’t no thing to me. I paint all my walls white. It’s my go-to.
But when I listened to the full episode, I learned that 1. Some people think white walls look good in photo but not in real life (shocked), and 2. A lot of people paint walls white and then see them as unfinished, cold or boring. (whut?)
Argh! This was a crazy discovery to me because I am exactly the opposite. The few colored walls I’ve tried out in my house never last long, and I end up painting everything white because it FEELS right to me. And colored walls (or even grey or black, etc…) are more photogenic, but I often feel like I like them better in the photo than in person.
Now, I haven’t always loved white walls. I remember the days of apartment dwelling (ever lived in a beige palace, anyone?) where living with someone else’s paint color choices felt like the death of me.
And this one time I had an apartment where they let me paint two statement walls, and I chose crazy bold turquoise and crazy bold orange and was so thrilled. Then in Jeremy’s and my first space together, we painted and painted and painted… never white.
But then four years ago, when we moved to our 1890s house, we went almost all white and never looked back.
You can listen to the podcast episode here:
Here’s our white bedroom with blush ceiling.
And maybe the ultimate sin? Our natural stone fireplace that we painted white.
So, I love a good debate! Here’s my side.
I love color. All kinds of color. But when it comes to my home, I find it very cohesive to stick with a simple color scheme anchored in white, with mostly white walls. I love the way it feels in person.
I do think it’s photogenic because it’s so reflective and soft, but I personally think colored walls (or patterned walls) are MUCH more photogenic because they have a stronger catchiness factor.
Like if I were decorating a room for a magazine photoshoot, I’d pick colored walls, but if I were decorating a room to live in, I’d probably stick with white.
I love how white walls feel. And more than anything, I love a room that’s light and airy with textures as the statement.
I’m curious if in ten years I’ll read this laughing from my colorful-wall house. Probably. I see trends coming and going ALL the time. I love trends, but I also tend to be someone who will drop it when I feel it’s “played out” and never touch it again.
I feel nowhere near that phase with white walls. If I moved again next week (definitely, definitely an imaginary scenario, you guys), I would buy more white paint.
OK, I’ve rambled long enough! And I’m sorry if I am annoyingly passionate about my love for white walls. I loved hearing what John and Sherry and Katie had to say about white paint on the podcast.
I want to hear what YOU think! Do you like white walls? Do you feel the trend is dying? Does it feel better to you in person or in photos? Would you, or have you painted white walls in your own home? xx -Elsie
C
Where did you get the chandelier that is in your white bedroom?
Hi Anna! It’s from West Elm- http://rstyle.me/n/b5wdwhnr5e
i know this is a little late but do you know where the top blanket on the bed is from?
Hi Zoe,
It’s from Anthropologie. xx
Please, please, please do a grey post!! Soon-to-be first time home owner and grey is the only color my soon-to-be hubby seems to like!!! 🙁 #WhiteWallsOverEverything
He is a guy so it doesn’t really matter. Men should never be included in making decorating decisions. I learned this the difficult way. And so will you in time. But if you must compromise give him a man cave and paint it gray 🙂
I’m new here…but this post is about one of my passions : white. I love the color white. I love it on my walls, on my trim, on my clothes and sleeping in crisp white bedding. I have a white dog! My husband and I are renovators. We’ve painted every color and gone with so many trends and white is always always what I come back to. I live in Wisconsin and find the white bright and uplifting during long winter days and energizing and fun during sunny days. I use Ben Moore super white on walls and simply white on trim. Bright white trim is not my thang. White goes with every single color I could ever want or need to decorate with.
Now, I do agree that in rooms lacking natural sun light it can look a bit drab. That’s when I add just the lightest hint of color. The lightest gray or blue or green. Whatever works. Right now I’m thinking about bold wallpaper and…black…walls…in our powder room. I should say that my doors are blacK. That is always a beautiful thang.
Thanks for the post!
I have been wanting to go all white for some time now but I was afraid to go white white…so we just finished doing our living room in Benjamin Moores Swiss coffee and now I want my entire house this shade of white.. it just feels so much cleaner. It’s so bright! I seriously thought that my house didn’t have great light until we went white…shocker, it does. Once you go white you never go back. That’s what I say.
All white everything. You have my vote. So cute. Any recommendations for combining your stuff with your man’s? I’m going to be doing this in a month for the first time and want to be fair to him as well as myself and make sure we are both happy with how it turns out.
www.throughmyowneyes.com
It’s so fun to read your take on white walls after hearing you on the podcast! And it was such an honor to be a guest with you…it’s funny how we all have different views on the same thing and I love that we get to celebrate such a fun topic!
xo – kb
We painted our previously easter-egg colour ( pastel in every room) 195o’s home almost entirely white after recently updating the old laminate floors to dark hardwood. It was a bit of a ‘modern trend’ move, but because the house is so quirky ( odd curved door frames, plaster walls and fancy ceilings in only 2 rooms, no shower just tub), the white seems to simplify it and make it feel cozy. I wonder if white in brand new homes feels more unfinished because they don’t have the same character as older homes? I don’t think all-white interiors is as fadish as everyone thinks….people have been painting their homes white, or ‘white-washed’, for centuries 🙂
Please recommend a lovely white paint colour. About to paint our bedroom. What’s the paint colour you used? Thanks
Love that bedroom! Where is the blue pillow and pink throw from?
I think everyone in blogland discovered that white walls photograph really well at the same time (+minimalism exploded errywhere.) Design Sponge even wrote an article that said 90% of their submissions are all white walls, so it feels overdone/boring rn because the internet is saturated with examples. I think it looks nice in photos, but it really doesn’t feel clean to me in person because every little mark shows. Maybe I’m the only one who is a lazy house keeper 🙂 But in theory, all white walls are nice and very modern art museum-y, it would just be nice to have more variety in inspiration.
Ever lived in a beige palace, anyone? <--- Ummmm, YES. It's absolutely the worst. Especially when you can't paint the walls. I used to live in a darling 1920s apartment complex that was under the historical foundation and nothing could be changed. Such a same. However, living in those those homes really help you appreciate and shape the future of your home. White walls are so photogenic. Such a great post! - Allison
I’ve been on the cusp about painting the walls white in my house. We live in a Frank Lloyd Wright inspired. The builder studied under FLW and built our house to live in (in 1970) and is a well-known architect in our area. We have several beautiful real wooden walls & the sunken living room has a wooden ceiling (not paneling). I don’t want to paint the wood walls or ceilings, but have considered painting the walls white. I’m just not sure if they would look too stark against the wood. I guess the only way to find out is to jump in and do it! I absolutely love the way you have transformed this home and your last one. Beautifully done!
Well, this is timely since I’m planning on changing our interior walls from gray to all white. I just discovered your blog, so you may have already answered this question…but what is your go-to white paint color for white walls? I’m leaning towards BM Simply White. Thanks… and your bedroom is swoon-worthy!
Wall color, or lack thereof, is a very personal thing. I like have a few white walls, usually a warmer off-white shade and then have the rest of the walls in various colors- but that’s just what I’m comfortable with. Our decor is primarily jewel-tones with some lighter and brighter shades thrown in. Our house is also a work in progress, we haven’t re-painted the Master bedroom yet, but it’s near the top of my to-do list because it’s a deep burnt orange and really isn’t a relaxing bedroom color to us. The kitchen is first though, the accent wall is a slightly sickly looking yellowy green that we are changing to a pink toned candy apple red. Then comes the living room, which the previous owners painted completely bright blue (read: all four walls!); it’s not as jarring with our photographs and artwork up, but still…
All white walls can seem cold or sanitized to me, but those are my personal feelings on the subject. I have seen it done very well and it can seem very tranquil and soothing, but it’s just not my cup of tea.
In this house we used Marshmallow by Sherwin Williams.
xx- Elsie
Personally I like to do my trim whiter and shinier. So usually I use un-tinted bright white in a gloss for trim. However in this house 95% of it was already painted white so we just matched it because obviously it saved a ton of work.
xx- Elsie
Hi Elle!
It’s from Room & Board. Last time I checked they still carry it. It comes as a steel color but we painted in white when we moved here (we used Rustoleum oil base white paint by the way).
xx- elsie
Marshmallow by Sherwin Williams is what I mainly used int this home. It’s very close to white but just slightly warm only because I didn’t want any blue tint.
xx- Elsie
I love your bed. Where did you get it!
Where did you get your bed?