by Laura Lee Winger

Created on: August 26, 2010

White is the ultimate neutral color.  In many cases, white can look unfinished (or un-started), drab, boring and "blah."  Use it effectively, however, and it can look welcoming, sleek, sexy and "wow!"

Constrained by White Walls
White walls are the designer's synonym for blank canvas - they are not usually considered an effective color design.  But sometimes we find ourselves in living situations that require our walls to be white and we aren't able or allowed to paint them.  To give the rooms interest and contrast, hang large paintings, artwork, and curtains with big, bold graphics and colors.  Scale is key here; putting a small painting on a big white wall will not do anything for the room.  Try to find (or make) the biggest pieces that will fit on your naked walls. 

If you can't find something you like, make your own.  Simply go to your local art supply store with your measurements and buy a canvas to fit the space and a few acrylic paints and paintbrushes.  Acrylic is really easy to work with for detailed and large-scale graphics.  Paint the background a focal color - something to really contrast with those white walls.  Let it dry for about 24 hours, and then paint anything you want on top of the background color.  A few strokes, well placed, can look like expensive modern artwork.  You can paint simple, one-tone flowers, or geometric shapes.  Another idea is to copy Chinese or Japanese characters (for example, search the Internet for your name in Japanese and draw those characters nice and big). 

Once you have the walls covered in big, contrasting artwork, you can make the white color on the walls look intentional by bringing in white accessories.  Don't be afraid to spray paint things you already have to do this, especially if they are not all that important to you.  Distribute the white accessories around the room so that the color makes the room warm and finished, but the white accessories make it pop. 

Not Your Grandma's White
Walls aren't the only places white can pop up - white sofas and chairs have a fabulous, clean look to them and can really make a statement in a room full of rich color contrast.  Black and white are easy to pair up, but deep colors like purple, blue and orange can look absolutely amazing with white.  If you're going with white furniture, consider putting one of those colors on the walls.  For a fabulous, glamorous look, you

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