Painting white walls can be called boring or maybe contemporary, or actually trend setting. Having all white walls is loved by many people. They love the starkness of the color, the clean look, and the way it goes with anything. After all everything matches a white wall.
When choosing color we are often over whelmed with all the choices...it is no different when choosing this color. Do you realize that there are hundreds options. Some have deeper colors like brown or gray or green added, others have cooler colors added like blues.
One great use of using white walls is when displaying artwork; you never see art galleries with any other color. That is because they want the artwork to stand out not the walls. It is very effective so if you have a lot of beautiful artwork this is the color to use so that your art makes the statement.
The most effective use of choosing the color white is to go all white, and use different textures for interest in the room. Example use a different textured for the curtains, another different texture for throw pillows. This can all be pulled together with your large pieces of furniture like couches and chairs make sure they have an all white or all neutral look and feel.
Something that can give white painted walls a different look is the sheen you use for the paint. A flat paint will not bounce color around; it will just absorb the color. While a paint with a shinier sheen will help the light bounce around the room. Don't be afraid to even create an accent wall with one wall using an extremely shinny sheen and the other walls having a duller sheen.
It is a lot of fun to create illusions with this color. When you use a slightly darker or lighter hue of it and paint either a stripe, or stencil, or even just sponge it on the wall, it gives a new subtle depth and interest. Remember you are just looking for the illusion of another color or design, nothing overwhelming so keep the colors very close together. Always practice before you start on a wall, and live with the sample through a couple days of light changes in the room. This gives you a good way it see how it will look when you are done with the entire room.
Before you start any interior design project like painting, be sure you have done your home work. Take pictures of inspirational places and use picture from magazines to give you a better understanding of how the colors you want will look together.
