Tuesday, July 31, 2012

When you love white….

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I love white.

(If you follow me on Pinterest you will notice how much predominately white rooms attract me.)

I love the look of white furniture, white plank or beadboard walls and white painted floors.

It all looks so neat and clean and fresh.

But I know me, I know my Hubs, I know our family…I know that unless I lived alone, a mostly white decor would be a constant battlefield of me against the mess.

I take that back, it would probably not work even if I lived alone.

So, I use a lot of white accents and white trim throughout the house, and soft pale gray on most of the walls.

Then the other colors you will also see predominately in my home are blues, reds and warm wood tones.

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In our living room we have a navy blue leather couch and chair.

It was a good quality investment and has worn wonderfully for over a dozen years.

A couple of times a year I clean and condition it with products made especially for leather furniture.

The rest of the time I just wipe if off with baby wipes!

The pine flooring, light gray walls, white curtains and white accents here and there keep the room from looking too dark.

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(Just because it sits next to the leather chair, I thought I'd show you this huge vintage tin I bought at a yard sale for $4.

I saw one just like it selling on ebay for $79!)

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Next to the couch an old wooden ladder leans against the wall and holds a vintage grain sack and other linens.

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You can see what I mean when I say red, white and blue are my go-to colors.

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My old blue dresser sits against the wall between the couch and chair.

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in most of my rooms you will also see a touch of green.

A living plant is a breath of fresh air, visually and literally!

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Another touch of white has been seen on my table all summer long in this white and gray tote, sitting atop a white and blue cotton towel.

The tote has had many changes in content, however.

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When fall arrives, I have a darker wood tote that will take this one's place.

All of the furniture in the dining room is wood, the table and benches, the dish cabinet and the Restoration Hardware knock-off shelves.

With the touches of white accents and the light walls and curtains, things still look light and bright.

Queen Anne's Lace 4.jpg

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In my kitchen we painted the oak cabinets white two summers ago.

Unfortunately, the painter only primed and painted and didn't do any pre-sanding, so we are going to have to redo some of the doors and drawers where paint has chipped.

Other than that, I love the light and bright look.

Here you see my red and white "curtains" made from cotton kitchen towels.

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Touches of red and white are seen here and there throughout the whole kitchen.

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So, I love white, but red and blue and gray too, with a touch of live green plants here and there as well.

Are you an all white decorator or do you have other go-to colors?



Still following,

Elizabeth


Shabby Art Boutique




13 comments:

  1. I love white, too, but we are not people who can live well with white everything. We need to have colors that hide 'living' a bit! I've starting lightening things in our home - adding white here and there and going toward colors that are soft and gentle.
    ~Adrienne~

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  2. I love white! especially in the last couple of years! but then I love earth colors too...browns, orange/rust

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  3. I'd love white, too. But, yes, the husband, son and dog would have to go. :)

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  4. I love your ladder and the displayed linens. I've got to get me an old ladder!

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  5. I love white too. It is classic and always looks beautiful. Thanks for sharing at DIYbyDesign.

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  6. Hi Elizabeth, Your home looks so welcoming! I'm loving your ladder with the linens hanging from it. And your blue vintage scale - I think I need that!
    Mary Alice

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  7. I love white and vintage, aged looking whites as well. Sage, brown, yellow and blue are my go to colors. I like little splashes of color, especially in my kitchen. I LOVE your dish towel curtain and the towels on the ladder. Just lovely! ~ Jamie

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  8. I love white mixed with the warm wood tones. I also love to add in a little aqua and even more red and blue recently.

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  9. Hi Elizabeth,
    I like the way you decorate with white accents and a touch of colour.
    I have wooden wall covering in my house because Hubby and I couldn't agree on colours. We have used light blue and pale apricot shades for doors and cupboards because our house is FULL of books and ornament collections. We are both collectors and hoarders.
    Have a good week
    Barb from Australia

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  10. Hi Elizabeth,
    My home is white too, and even thought we have a dog, it doesn't seem to me so difficult to mentaine this clean neat look :) I like your white touches and the vintage atmosphere of your home! The wooden ladder and the linens are perfect !!! A red tone is always energizing

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  11. I am a color girl - a primary color palette in all rooms. But, I just made white slipcovers for the sofa and chair in my living room and I love the crispness. I went and bought some Annie Sloan Chalk Paint to change a cabinet in the living room to white and I swapped out 2 different vignettes in the house from color to white. It's fun to make changes.

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  12. Lovely photos of your home. I too like rooms with lots of white but with family and a dog I also use lots of neutrals (black, beige) and woodtones, with blue.

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  13. love the ladder ... looking to add one in my home as soon as I come across the right one at the right price!

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