A Bit of all White/Inspired By White

Guest Post by interior designer Greg Kinsella

White rules! According to the Rohm & Hass Paint Quality Institute, contemporary houses still use more gallons of white paint than any of the other colors available. It is no wonder that white remains so popular since it creates such an airy, light sense of space. Use it decoratively to make sure you won’t wind up with a clinical or monastic atmosphere, but instead create a clean, crisp decor that invokes scenes of peaceful snowy blankets and fluffy clouds.

White Walls

Image: Modern art museum “Pinakothek der Moderne” in Munich.  Credit: Klinger

Any great museum or gallery knows the importance of white walls for showing off their collections, and you can take a hint from their techniques. Try different glosses of white paint in a room to add a sense of depth and mystery that makes plain white walls intriguing. Using white trim to make shadow boxes on white walls also creates a dramatic effect. Speciality lighting with colored bulbs can transform a plain white wall into a subtle decorative feature.

White Furniture

Image: Domino White Living Room. Credit: Coco+Kelley

Nothing lightens up a room like white furniture, but don’t think that choosing white limits your choices. Sleek modern sofas and chairs with frames made out of polyurethane plastics instantly set a cosmopolitan tone. For a more romantic mood, delicate white wicker tables and chairs soften up the atmosphere. Modular white built-in shelves and computer stations give home offices a professional polish. On the patio, white wrought iron chairs, tables and benches hold up remarkably well to the elements.

White Lights

Image: Cloud Suspension Lamp by Frank Gehry. Credit: Unica

Frosty white glass fixtures installed on the ceilings and walls provide a soft and subtle light source. Some designers like Frank Gehry have taken the concept of a “cloud light” to new heights and have actually designed suspended light fixtures that resemble puffy clouds, and contemporary lamp designers are following suit. Akari is another popular artist who creates fascinating white freestanding lamps with long washi paper shades that stretch to the floor like Japanese fishing lanterns. Imitations of these lamps are available, but only the original Akari designs have such delicate yet strong features.

White Rugs

Image: White Shaggy Rug. Credit: Janeen

A well-placed white rug can do wonders for a room, but of course the position is the key to keeping it white. These are not rugs to put at the entrance or back door, but rather to place under glass tables or next to a favorite reading chair that is out of the path of normal household traffic. Big fluffy white shag rugs can give a whole new dimension to a room. Vintage white rugs with base relief patterns woven into the design can add depth to lightly furnished occasional room. Impeccably clean white rugs also look wonderful hanging on walls or suspended as room dividers.

Here’s a bit about Greg….

Greg Kinsella is an interior designer who works from design studios located in London’s Chelsea Harbour. An innovator with a flair for original design, he describes his work as classical contemporary and is particularly inspired by the art deco style of the twenties and thirties, on which he put his own modern stamp. Greg works with a wide range of clients in the commercial, corporate and hospitality sectors, as well as individual client’s residential homes.

Thank you very much Greg for sharing!  I love to get other’s ideas and visions.  Be sure to visit his website to see more beautiful images – Greg Kinsella.   And now we know where all the white paint has gone! ;)  Any comments readers?