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Any room that doesn't get a lot of natural light, is going to look depressing and institutional with white paint. White needs light to glow. Look at magazines and you will notice that every time a white room looks great, there is natural light.
Any room that doesn't get a lot of natural light, is going to look depressing and institutional with white paint. White needs light to glow. Look at magazines and you will notice that every time a white room looks great, there is natural light.
Good point! A white room with poor natural light will tend to look gray.
In my prior house I went from colored walls to white. White gives a clean, neat, happy/cheerful look to a room and is easier to touch up. It's also a better backdrop for paintings/prints. I particularly like white in the kitchen, since it gives a clean, fresh look.
I stick to white or ivory drapes (I used to have gorgeous velvet tan drapes...another neutral...in the living room).
I love colors, though, and use them extensively in decor. Bright colors, used judiciously. Area rugs, painted armoire, brightly colored prints/paintings, etc.
Update - my home's walls were already painted a beautiful soft mossy green, but I repainted most of the ceilings a very pale, soft robin egg blue from Sherwin Williams called "Bravo Blue." I love them so much! And wow, the trim really shows up great now.
I painted my bright white walls a neutral warm gray.
I know people make fun of the warm grays and say that gray is depressing and whatnot, but I actually really like how color “pops” (man, I hate that I’m using that word, LOL) against it. So I feel like the wood floors, artwork, and other items on the wall look more vivid in terms of the colors on those.
After 5yrs- when this thread was started- there’s definitely a shift toward “white” (throw any color of tint at it you want). Color is now in flooring, furniture, artwork, and accessories.
Working with long time client right now who bought an interior unit t’hse (windows only front and back). It was dark- a lot of the original builder color was still in-place along with vile previous owner colors of bedrooms&baths. The ceiling is now WHITE- all walls are a “white” with just a very slight hint of yellow. Several ceiling fixtures were added- cans, LED, etc. along with newer fixtures that bare more bulbs than the previous fixtures. The unit is totally electric- used LEDs exclusively.
Saying that the unit was “transformed” would be an understatement. She is now working with a base “light grey” for accessories with a punch of different coordinating colors in the rooms.
It's well worth remembering "white" comes in a million different shades and undertones ranging from the cool to warm. A lot of colors people might not think of as white but very pale pink or cream or silver or gray are actually "white" with a slightly colored undertone reacting to the natural light available.
I painted my interiors Benjamin Moore Navajo White (not the same as Sherwin Williams Navajo White FYI) and it really has warmed up the house while keeping it light and airy. It has a soft cream undertone.
I am contemplating painting one of the bedrooms a strong color for the fun of it and to offer a bit of contrast from the rest of the house. It's the smallest bedroom and has the least amount of natural light. But not sure which color (or if I will ever get around to it). FYI the quality of paint and paint job is just as important as the color.
Several ceiling fixtures were added- cans, LED, etc. along with newer fixtures that bare more bulbs than the previous fixtures. The unit is totally electric- used LEDs exclusively.
Saying that the unit was “transformed” would be an understatement. She is now working with a base “light grey” for accessories with a punch of different coordinating colors in the rooms.
What color temp are they using for the new LED fixtures?
Hell will freeze over before I paint a majority of my house shades of white. Besides the fact that I love color, paint reminds me of my rental days. No thanks.
What color temp are they using for the new LED fixtures?
4000-4500k, iirc.
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