I believe the white out trend has been all about a clean slate. The Color palettes we had were deep and heavy. Even as we speak I have gold and brown walls begging me to repaint them! Homes in the past 5 years have moved to a palette cleanser and a refreshing.

Enter W H I T E

The color that is not really a color but a value. The color that seems to stump every client that we cannot find “true white”. The color that is the backdrop to fabulous art galleries.

What has us going back to the very basic of color schemes?

Maybe we have gone back to a variation of whites to lighten our moods and brighten our homes.  Maybe it was to uncover the clutter and see the true value in our homes by adding “value” instead of color. Maybe the white helps us to showcase the beauty around us in architecture, fabrics, materials, and other textures that are playing out in the room.

Whatever the reason behind the trend, there is a way to pull it off.  Mixing whites don’t have to be hard.

 You can pull off mixing whites and make them work.

1. Make them all the same tone.

There is a cool and warm tone for every color palette and within that several variations. Make sure the whites you are pulling together play nice. When you put them near each other, they should not make the other white change tones. (life lessons from picking colors!!)

2. Mix up the texture

You don’t have to have a high contrast, but using warm wood floors, artwork, and lamps that have various textures only highlight the whites in the room.

3. Add a neutral color to set it off

Using a light gray wall in a room where there are several whites offer a contrast.This will add depth and keep the whites crisp.

4. Add levels of light

Lighting is everything! If this is all you did to change your room, you would be surprised at the difference. Having several lighting options such as overhead can lights, sconces, lamps, or pendants will dramatically change any space. I like to use LED to give off a cleaner color rendition. More on lighting another day. But good lighting is crucial to highlighting your white value scheme.

Here is a Kitchen that was dark before and we added several whites to the room and really brightened it up.

In this kitchen remodel we used a stacked white cabinetry by Woodharbor. The finish and color on their cabinets are amazing! We layered a white glazed subway tile for the backsplash. The texture shimmers near the cabinets.

The countertops are a beautiful quartz by Caesarstone called Calacatta Nuvo. It replicates a soft marble without the maintenance. And my favorite element to this kitchen is the beautiful Enameled cast iron apron front sink by Kohler. This one is called Whitehaven.

This Kitchen was remodeled by Hantel Kitchens and Baths. Their work is exceptional and they take great care of their clients. I am a designer for them and love working with such amazing people. You can check them out >> HERE<<

I hope this inspires you to try a clean slate and brighten up your home using the value of white. The reason why white never goes out of style isn’t just because it is classic.  it is the value that sets off all colors, tones, and shades. Even if you don’t want to mix a variety of whites, having white in a room will allow your other colors to pop.  Just like winter, the complete whiteout trend won’t be around forever. Because like spring, there will be a warming up. For now, the creamy winter whites are refreshing and pretty COOL if you ask me!

Do you have a room that needs some lightening up? Let me know in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you!