White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on television and computer screens is created by a mixture of red, blue, and green light. The color white can be given with white pigments, especially titanium dioxide.
In ancient Egypt and ancient Rome, priestesses wore white as a symbol of purity, and Romans wore white togas as symbols of citizenship. In the Middle Ages and Renaissance a white unicorn symbolized chastity, and a white lamb sacrifice and purity. It was the royal color of the kings of France, and of the monarchist movement that opposed the Bolsheviks during the Russian Civil War (1917–1922). Greek temples and Roman temples were faced with white marble, and beginning in the 18th century, with the advent of neoclassical architecture, white became the most common color of new churches, capitols and other government buildings, especially in the United States. It was also widely used in 20th century modern architecture as a symbol of modernity and simplicity.
According to surveys in Europe and the United States, white is the color most often associated with perfection, the good, honesty, cleanliness, the beginning, the new, neutrality, and exactitude. White is an important color for almost all world religions. The pope, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, has worn white since 1566, as a symbol of purity and sacrifice. In Islam, and in the Shinto religion of Japan, it is worn by pilgrims. In Western cultures and in Japan, white is the most common color for wedding dresses, symbolizing purity and virginity. In many Asian cultures, white is also the color of mourning.
Shades of white are colors that differ only slightly from pure white. Variations of white include what are commonly termed off-white colors, which may be considered part of a neutral color scheme or yellow that looks like brown.
The early Christian church adopted the Roman symbolism of white as the color of purity, sacrifice and virtue. It became the color worn by priests during Mass, the color worn by monks of the Cistercian Order, and, under Pope Pius V, a former monk of the Dominican Order, it became the official color worn by the pope himself. Monks of the Order of Saint Benedict dressed in the white or gray of natural undyed wool, but later changed to black, the color of humility and penitence.
Postclassical history art, the white lamb became the symbol of the sacrifice of Christ on behalf of mankind. John the Baptist described Christ as the lamb of God, who took the sins of the world upon himself. The white lamb was the center of one of the most famous paintings of the Medieval period, the Ghent Altarpiece by Jan van Eyck.
White was also the symbolic color of the transfiguration. The Gospel of Saint Mark describes Jesus’ clothing in this event as “shining, exceeding white as snow.” Artists such as Fra Angelico used their skill to capture the whiteness of his garments. In his painting of the transfiguration at the Convent of Saint Mark in Florence, Fra Angelico emphasized the white garment by using a light gold background, placed in an almond-shaped halo.
The white unicorn was a common subject of Postclassical history manuscripts, paintings and tapestries. It was a symbol of purity, chastity and grace, which could only be captured by a virgin. It was often portrayed in the lap of the Virgin Mary.
White was the dominant color of architectural interiors in the Baroque period and especially the Rococo style that followed it in the 18th century. Church interiors were designed to show the power, glory and wealth of the church. They seemed to be alive, filled with curves, asymmetry, mirrors, gilding, statuary and reliefs, unified by white.
White was also a fashionable color for both men and women in the 18th century. Men in the aristocracy and upper classes wore powdered white wigs and white stockings, and women wore elaborate embroidered white and pastel gowns.
After the French Revolution, a more austere white (blanc cassé) became the most fashionable color in women’s costumes which were modeled after the outfits of Ancient Greece and Republican Rome. Because of the rather revealing design of these dresses, the women wearing them were called les merveilleuses (the marvellous) by French men of that era. The Empire style under Emperor Napoléon I was modeled after the more conservative outfits of Ancient Imperial Rome. The dresses were high in fashion but low in warmth considering the more severe weather conditions of northern France; in 1814 the former wife of Napoleon, Joséphine de Beauharnais, caught pneumonia and died after taking a walk in the cold night air with Tsar Alexander I of Russia.
The White movement was the opposition that formed against the Bolsheviks during the Russian Civil War, which followed the Russian Revolution in 1917. It was finally defeated by the Bolsheviks in 1921–22, and many of its members emigrated to Europe.
At the end of the 19th century, lead white was still the most popular pigment; but between 1916 and 1918, chemical companies in Norway and the United States began to produce titanium white, made from titanium oxide. It had first been identified in the 18th century by the German chemist Martin Klaproth, who also discovered uranium. It had twice the covering power of lead white, and was the brightest white pigment known. By 1945, 80 percent of the white pigments sold were titanium white.
The absoluteness of white appealed to modernist painters. It was used in its simplest form by the Russian suprematist painter Kazimir Malevich in his 1917 painting ‘the white square,’ the companion to his earlier ‘black square.’ It was also used by the Dutch modernist painter Piet Mondrian. His most famous paintings consisted of a pure white canvas with grid of vertical and horizontal black lines and rectangles of primary colors.
Black and white also appealed to modernist architects, such as Le Corbusier (1887–1965). He said a house was “a machine for living in” and called for a “calm and powerful architecture” built of reinforced concrete and steel, without any ornament or frills. Almost all the buildings of contemporary architect Richard Meier, such as his museum in Rome to house the ancient Roman Ara Pacis, or Altar of Peace, are stark white, in the tradition of Le Corbusier.
If you think white living room ideas are only reserved for ultra-modern homes, think again. Surprisingly, a white living room scheme will work regardless of your style of home.
Evoking purity and cleanliness alongside confidence and sophistication, white is a wonderfully versatile color for the main room in your home. Our white living room ideas(opens in new tab) will give you all the inspiration and advice you could need when decorating with white.
Decorating with white is a fantastic way to perfect a pared-back palette. Elegant and timeless in their simplicity, white schemes are a stalwart in the world of interiors. Evoking purity and cleanliness alongside confidence and sophistication, white is a wonderfully versatile color for interiors.
But decorating with white can be a minefield. Get it wrong and your white room ideas will feel cold and impersonal. But get white right – with the help of our tips – and white can feel sophisticated, ethereal, inspiringly light-reflective and space-enhancing.
There are so many ways to decorate with white – and many of them are quite surprising. Use these techniques and paint ideas to get your white scheme just right.
Texture in interior design(opens in new tab) is vital, especially if you want to avoid a stark or clinical aesthetic. Quite simply, without texture, a white living room space will fall flat. It’s crucial to look at the room as a whole and bring an area together with mixed materials for vibrancy and warmth.
‘Texture in interior design is all about creating tactile moments that invite touch,’ says Tiffany Leigh of Tiffany Leigh Design(opens in new tab). ‘It refers to the feel, appearance or consistency of a surface or material. Textures help to keep a space from feeling flat or one dimensional.’
Here, the addition of rough and coarser textures like reclaimed wood, leather and terracotta have ‘visual weight’ and create a cozy, rustic aesthetic in this otherwise predominantly white living room.
White living rooms can work equally well in traditional and modern properties. Here, Katie Harbison of property development and design studio Banda(opens in new tab) achieves an elegant mix of classic design and mid-century modern living room(opens in new tab) inspiration in this scheme.
The white paint on the walls allow the room’s beautiful proportions and original mouldings to sing out. Every piece in the room is individual, but together they create a sense of harmony – thanks to the white walls.
Inspired by the timber-clad summerhouses of Scandinavia and New England, this relaxed decorating scheme, which echoes the delicate shades of nature, has been designed to blur the boundary between indoors and out.
Keep colors cool, but use lashings of natural textures and raw materials for an authentic look and feel.
If you think pure whites are too stark, think again. They work wonderfully in a dark living room(opens in new tab). But what colors should you pair with this clinical color?
The color wheel(opens in new tab) is your friend when it comes to choosing accompanying shades. For a soothing feel, taupe or olive green living room(opens in new tab) colors are perfect partners. Soft brown and beige living room ideas(opens in new tab) add elegance, while dusky pinks will add subtle vibrancy.
White is a more complex than most people think. As well as providing a clean neutral background, it’s a great color for highlight unusual or visually striking architectural features. As there are no distractions every choice becomes critical.
Unique color combinations can create either a visual tension or harmony – both are equally beautiful. Neutral living room ideas(opens in new tab) don’t have to be boring.
If you love decorating with white, then introducing architectural features such as alcove shelf ideas into a living room is a great way to add form, depth and interest without relying on color, as demonstrated in this space by Four Brothers Design + Build(opens in new tab).
‘White doesn’t have to be boring or sterile. If you have the right mix of textures, shapes and natural light it can feel cozy and inviting. Here I think the structural coffered ceiling and arches help to ground the room and provide a visual scale which can feel much more comfortable than an empty white box,’ says Sondra Zabroske, AIA, Architect + Team Leader at Four Brothers Design + Build.
As spaces in frequent use and in which we entertain guests, living and family room ideas make a brilliant place for decorating with art, and keeping the foundation white is a great way to showcase colorful, statement pieces.
‘If you have a large sofa with a blank wall behind it, then think about hanging a large landscape artwork as this can add height, depth and a focal point to the room,’ suggests Helen Armon-Jones, founder, The Art Buyer(opens in new tab). ‘For rooms with very high ceilings, try hanging portrait format works, ideally as a pair or even a triptych. Not only will this draw the eye up, but it’ll help to ground the space whilst adding that all-important balance and a sense of scale to the room.’
White living rooms are also wonderful spaces to furnish with sculptural pieces. In this scheme a bespoke Lohja pendant light by Cameron Design House forms a piece of functional art which pops against the white walls, while a curvaceous sofa and shapely 637 Utrecht chairs create sculptural focal points beneath.
‘This season we’ve seen a growing trend for oversized fixtures and fittings, particularly pendants and lamps. Statement lighting adds a wow factor and in the case of pendant lights, helps to draw the eye up to create a feeling of space and luxury,’ says Helen Pett, design ambassador at Arteriors Home(opens in new tab).
There’s an enormous array of whites, from bright brilliant whites to warmer shades, plus they will look different depending on the light and orientation of the room, so be sure to take this into account advise when choosing white paint for a living room say the experts at Mylands Paints(opens in new tab).
‘South facing rooms with plenty of light can take cooler whites with their undertones of blue or green, like Greenwich Time™ No. 8, but we recommend warmer whites for darker, north-facing rooms. We always advise testing paint choices in situ first to see how they appear in different lights throughout the day,’ says director Dominic Myland.
When it came to choosing paint for her own living room, Julia Lindquist, head of brand and marketing at Mylands explains how she wanted ‘a simple, calm look,’ so opted for Maugham White No.2 – a soft white which ‘works well with lots of different colors but feels slightly greyer in the evenings.’
‘Some people think that any white is white, but that’s definitely not the case – at Mylands we have so many shades to choose from and the variation of it can make a huge difference to the space depending on the play of the light,’ adds Lindquist.
The beauty of white is that it will go with just about anything – and everything.
There are a few things to consider before painting your living room white, which could prove vital in helping you choose which of the many white paints on offer to go for.
A south-facing room gets a lot of natural daylight and can often be bathed in golden sunshine for a lot of the day, which means any underlying warm tones in a white paint – like yellow, red or brown – will be amplified, making a seemingly innocuous pale ivory white suddenly look decidedly yellow once on the walls.
North-facing rooms tend to get a lot less sun throughout the day, so are naturally darker and prone to shadows. This means they can reflect back a greater amount of blue and grey tones, so using a pure white or cool-toned white paint can result in the shade looking a lot darker when it’s on the walls – and potentially a bit dismal.
If you’re debating whether a white living room is a good idea, a key selling point is its timeless and versatile nature.
The biggest plus point is that white will act as a blank canvas for elsewhere in the living room, enabling splashes of color to be added, perhaps in the form of a couch or soft furnishings – making it easy to incorporate a mix of materials.
As interior designers know, a white room painted entirely in one solid shade can look flat and featureless. Instead try combining subtle variations on walls, woodwork, cornicing and ceilings to enhance the proportions of a room. Use the brightest white on the ceiling to give an impression of height, and slightly darker shades to pick out interesting details.
‘Identify which colors you are drawn to, then simply work your way up your chosen palette to find an off white tone with a hint of your chosen shade,’ advises Jenny Luck, color consultant at Little Greene. ‘This will give contrast to the wall color whilst having a soft transition from the walls onto woodwork and ceilings. It is also much softer and easier on the eye.’
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