Desig House: White Room Ideas

White room ideas that buck the trends. Living rooms, bedrooms and more from the archive that are both pale and interesting

The white room - almost ubiquitous now thanks to a cornucopia of factors, not limited to but including - Marie Condo, Instagram and Kinfolk. As Grace Bonney from Apartment Therapy writes, the last 5 years have seen a proliferation of that look - 'Kilim rugs, lots of house plants and a carefully curated selection of found/salvaged objects.' So how to steer clear of the monotony and create white rooms that won't end up looking like a decorative cliché? We found lots of wonderful examples in our archive; from the central London flat of landscape architect Kim Wilkie, whose white walls and uncurtained windows give a sense tranquillity that is weighted by dark Arts and Crafts furniture, to the interior designer Harriet Anstruther's Sussex farmhouse, where neutral paint feels at once modern and cozy, without detracting from the cottage's higgledy-piggeldy charm.

In small spaces white paint can make a room feel bigger and brighter - especially when cleverly paired with mirror. In large or open plan rooms, use white in different tones to create optical illusons that subtly make proportions feel more friendly (see our guide on how to use white paint for more on this). Another preconception is that a white room spells minimalism (which, of course, it can) but a white base also allows you to use multicoloured fabric on upholstery and curtains with wild abandon. Plus, it's a fabulous backdrop for hanging art - there's a reason why galleries use it, after all. Buck the trends and learn to use white paint with personality.