Are Media Syndication
For a fundamental neutral, white interiors can be surprisingly controversial. White is seen as stark and sterile, impractical, boring and the fallback choice of the indecisive. But it can also be bold and striking, or serene and sophisticated. It can be warm and welcoming – even family-friendly.
Scandi-style interiors are a masterclass in liveable whites, striking the right balance between clean lines and layering, neutrality and texture, and thoughtfully curated spaces that stop short of minimalism. Learn from the masters, then wear white interiors your own way.
Nail the white look
The diverse opinions on white are unsurprising, given the range of looks you can create with this single shade. Light and bright? Yes, of course. But also cosy and nurturing, breezy and bohemian, or starkly minimalist. Before venturing down the white-paved road, pick the look that speaks to you.
Classic: Think of a rustic farmhouse-style interior, lifted from oppressive darkness by liberal swathes of white paint. This look celebrates all the bumps and imperfections of an older, lived-in home, but softens them with muted, matte white paint.
Modern: Cool whites create a gallery-like space for high-concept minimalist living, or else provide the freshest possible backdrop for creative pops of colour. If you love art, or choose furniture based on its sculptural appeal, this look shines a figurative spotlight on every piece.
Holiday whites: White interiors are untouchable? Not in this space. White surfaces and furnishings are paired with organic textures to create a shoes-off bohemian look that makes you feel meltingly relaxed.
Calm and collected: White can be a restful, grounding shade, perfect for bedrooms and quiet living spaces. This white space is curated and deliberate but with a surfeit of softness – cloud-like pillows, embracing armchairs and the like. Think Scandi-chic with a large serving of hygge.
DO:
- Use ambient lighting. Bright and fresh during the day, white interiors need pools of warm light for cosiness after dark.
- Introduce statement art and furnishings. White removes distractions, making coloured or sculptural pieces stand out as though spotlit, so choose wisely.
- Dial up the texture. Touchable fabrics, organic materials and a good mix of hard and soft gives white interiors liveable appeal.
- Lean into nature. Timber, rattan, jute and even potted plants will deliver warmth and a moderating hit of colour, without breaking the all-white scheme.
DON’T:
Dos and Don’ts of White Interiors
- Choose any old white paint. Pick the right white based on the look you want and the style of and colours within your home.
- Underestimate the power of light. Whether your room is sun-drenched or shady is the primary factor that will influence your choice of white.
- Fight to match all your whites. Using varied shades within the spectrum of whites adds interest and avoids sterility.
- Forget about undertones. White will interact with light and other colours, so a subtle undertone of yellow or blue might come to the forefront in certain spaces.
A White Interiors palette
Mastering white interiors starts with pinning down your paint colour – all whites are not created equal.
Warm whites: These have an undertone of yellow, green or subtle red, and are cosy shades that work particularly well in traditional homes. “The warmth of the white is very sympathetic to less-than-perfect walls and can help add warmth to spaces that may have smaller windows or are not as well designed to capture the sun as modern homes usually are. Warm whites also tend to coordinate beautifully with wooden flooring, panelling and trim, especially if the traditional polyurethane trim is starting to look more yellowed,” says Resene marketing manager Karen Warman.
Cool whites: Fresh and crisp, with chilled undertones of blue, grey or black, cool whites are a popular pick for modern homes. Cool whites, such as Resene Sea Fog or Black White, are the ultimate “gallery white”, providing a clean backdrop for art. These whites can be glary in strong light; to combat this, Karen suggests, “adjusting the strength you use in different rooms to suit the lighting – in a very bright sunny room, you can use a deeper variant to avoid it looking washed out in the sunlight or too glary. In a darker room on the shaded side of the house, use a lighter strength to keep the room feeling airier.”
Pure whites: Not actually straight white (which would be horribly bland), this category of whites has barely there undertones that uplift the shade while going with basically everything. Brighter than a warm white, but warm enough for sunny spaces, these whites are perfect for using across a whole home and taking it back to neutral.
Your style of home is a good starting point but doesn’t have to restrict your choice of white. “Contemporary interiors are moving away from stark whites to softer tones, more warm and almost creamy or buttery,” says Mary-Ellen Hinton from Hello Saturday Interior Design. “You can also get whites that have no yellow but are still warm,” she adds, suggesting multi-pigmented paints and citing her favourite as Aalto Powdered Wig.
The most important thing is to consider existing colours, says Dulux colour specialist Davina Harper. “Items that are expensive or difficult to change, such as flooring, curtains or benchtops, should all be taken into account. For example, if you have a grey kitchen bench or a concrete floor, a cool white might be a good choice. If you have golden kauri flooring or a cream benchtop, a warm or neutral white could work well.”
Go all in
White walls are just the start and there are good reasons why you might choose to dial your use of white up to 11. In villas with dark spaces, using white is a way to create more light, says Mary-Ellen. “This can also mean lightening timber floorboards using a whitewash and keeping soft furnishings neutral and with lots of texture, so white on white on white, or cream on cream on cream.” In addition to satisfying our craving for light, white is a great way to unify disparate interior elements – painting and upholstering furniture in white, and choosing white accessories, irons out the differences between pieces and makes it much easier to marry varying styles and materials.
The number one factor for a successful white interior is texture. Mix hard and soft materials for a keep-you-guessing palette that engages the senses and draws you into the room. Look for touchable textures in your shades-of-pale palette: crushed linen, polished plaster, handmade tiles, knitted throws, cool marble – whatever works with your chosen look. Layer more texture with warm natural materials, such as timber, stone, rattan, and burnished metal. Timber, especially, works to ground and soften an interior, without taking away from the drama of white.
Bringing white interiors to life
To add another dimension to an all-white room, consider playing with sheen levels. General paint guidelines suggest low-sheen paint for walls and a wipeable gloss finish for doors and trims, but playing with matte finishes can create a softer effect and reduce glare, says Karen. “For areas such as main bedrooms, you can indulge in a flatter finish, which will help the walls to feel more subdued as the light will be more diffused.”
While sticking with your chosen white, think about varying the depth of colour between surfaces. Mary-Ellen suggests this as a handy tip for adding character and depth of detail to a new build. Use tonal contrast between the ceiling, wall and floors to create more depth, rather than using the same white on all the same surfaces. The doors and trims are often a few shades darker.”
Karen agrees, suggesting that this is a good way to avoid the sterile effect of cool whites. “Use variations of the hue to keep the palette interesting – for example, Resene Half Black White for walls, Resene Double Black White for doors, Resene Black White for trims and Resene Quarter Black White for the ceiling.”
White for real life
If you have small children (or messy pets), white might seem too anxiety-inducing, but white interiors can absolutely be compatible with family life. Most paint work is easy to clean – Karen from Resene suggests easy-clean semi-gloss enamel on high-touch areas like doors and door frames, and adds, “It’s often best to have doors a little darker than your walls as this will also help to hide finger marks.”
White and off-white furnishings look fab, but Mary-Ellen says if you’re choosing a fabric for a sofa, always check the composition and if it can be washed. Bear in mind that, while slipcovers are a great solution, they usually need to be dry-cleaned.
Though white-painted floors are a chic shortcut to a Scandi-pale interior, they’re notorious for spotlighting every crumb of dirt. Instead try whitewash, which will allow the grain of the timber to show through and help hide marks.
Putting it all together
A monochromatic interior scheme should be easy to put together, right? But there are still a few tricks to getting it right. An interior designer’s failsafe is the three-colour or 60-30-10 rule, where you devote 60 per cent of your scheme to the dominant colour, 30 per cent to a secondary and 10 per cent to an accent.
This rule can still be applied to white; think about using white as your dominant hue, then introducing natural textures like timber and rattan as the secondary. An accent colour will pop out against this backdrop, but if you want to stick to a classic white look, make your accent something subtle like brushed brass or amber glass, or make it dramatic with black.
Go bold. An all-white interior gives you the freedom to be daring with your furnishings and fixtures. Introduce an oversized light fitting or a piece of statement furniture, which will stand out as a sculptural talking point against the gallery freshness of white.
Can you mix and match shades of white? The answer to this question is yes. A bit of variation in white tones will give your interior complexity and interest. “As we see in fashion, white and cream are okay, and beige and white are fine, so why is it any different in interiors?” says Mary-Ellen. Just be wary of too much contrast – very cool whites next to creamy warm whites can make the latter look a curdled yellow and the former looks chilly and soulless. But aside from those contrasts, you’re good to go.
