We have white walls throughout most of our upstairs (kitchen/LR/DR/foyer/hallway)--have had white walls for ages. We used BM's Super White when we repainted; mixed up in their Aura paint, matte finish (most of the pics on my pb were taken when the walls were BM's White 01). It looks very clean, and crisp, yet warmer than the White 01, at least in our house it does. We're very happy with it.

We used BM's Mascarpone recently in our FR and downstairs entryway. We like that as well, but it is much creamier, more of a cream color, which is what we wanted. While still a very light color, it gives a somewhat warmer and cozier look and feel to our downstairs spaces.

We are using BM Decorator White which has a cooler look to it. We are doing this as it is a great backdrop for our art which will be our color.

M

My designer said we should do white walls because our tastes are modern (mostly with a few vintage accents). She said the West Elm catalogs were influencing everyone. More people are trending toward the modern style than ever before.
So translated to what you have posted, I think your observations may substantiate that idea - that more white walls means tastes becoming more modern (though of course doesn't ALWAYS mean that, just a possibility).
I don't have a suggestion on the white - thanks for posting - gives me some ideas I need on this subject too.

Farmhousegirl- Do you want white walls? It doesn't really matter what everyone else is doing (you're not planning to sell right away, are you?) so choose what makes you happy and works, in your space.

While dark colors can be cozy, in the right area, I've always liked softer, pastel colors. Light yellow, leaf green, soft blue, pale gold...all these can be very nice choices...depening on your amount of windows, direction of light and overall space.

White and cream will always be popular, but as it reminds you of an apartment...it reminds me of military housing. If you have a lot of art, wood furniture, fabrics with lots of colors or patterns, etc. then a lack of color on the walls, can be very effective. If everything else in your home is neutral, you might want to consider adding some color.

And, when my mom got her home, it was all builder white...and the corners looked gray, where the light didn't reach them very well. She has a lot of windows, but still the gray corners...so she painted the living room walls a light yellow and the kitchen (with wood cabints and dark countertop) a soft, leaf green. It feels so much warmer and much more cheerful!

I used acadia white BM in our new house because we didn't want to jump the gun on paint color. I hated it. The house was too white. It was so bland. I called it my vanilla house. all doors, trim, etc blended right into the walls and gave no definition. We just had the house painted this weekened in Stone Hearth by BM and I LOVE IT! the house looks like a new house. If you're going white for temporary, fine. Permanent? I wouldn't do it. Stone hearth is a taupe, but the doors and trim and everything all look like a new house now that they are standing out.

because we didn't want to jump the gun on paint color.

Hi Briana! (wave)

You've got the best advice! I picked an off-white on our kitchen walls for the GC's painter to do for the same reason. Even with my white cabinets. I didn't want to hurry picking a color, especially since the GC scheduled the painting before the real lights went in, and before the real flooring went in.

That, plus my DH has always been skittish about color. ("Do you really want to make that strong a statement?" he'll ask me. I barely got him to agree with my cran-red dining room.) I thought that he's got enough to adjust to with how much the space changed from before that we can approach a new color later.

--Lee

Hi Farmhousegirl,

Why not post some pictures so we can see what you have to work with?
Or, are you just trying to solicit different opinions?

I have been in my house about 15 years.
It was stark white at first with white ugly trim.
Then it was beige/tan color, a BM color (not sure of the name) with the same ugly trim that was painted the same color to hide the ugly trim.
Then we replaced the trim with select VG Fir in natural finish. We painted a whitish color with a hint of grey. Very light hint. It works with the trim quite well. Because of the wood trim, I did not want to do a dramatic color. It would wash out the trim too much. We also have a rather empty decor style, which works with white color better.

If you tend to decorate in traditional style, it works better with tranditional colors that works with the fabrics in your furnishings/carpet. If you tend to have more muted/modern decor style, white off-white works a bit better, IMHO.

Colors come and colors go. In the 80s, eveyryone had white walls. After than, people had colored walls for the past 2 decades. They are tired of colored walls and going to a change.

People say that paint is cheap. Not in my book. I don't paint my house. My house is completely open and there are no natural breaks for my common space. The entire space has to be painted at once. The job is too big for me to do solo. It would take me more than a month of my free time. I budget $3000 for the paint job. This is NOT cheap in my book.

Most people do not change paint colors too often. They live with it for years. When they are ready for a paint job, they change the color...

Kaismom, AGREE!! Painting a 10 X 10 bedroom is cheap, if you do it yourself, but has anybody been to SW lately??? If you don't get a contractor discount, it is outrageous!! Painting an open living area is NOT cheap.

Not usually a trend follower, I paint whatever color I like that goes with my fabric choice. I have not had a chance to do any decorating our current house, and I am really looking forward to it in the new house......I did not realize how much I missed this creative side of myself!

Nancy

Not a single white wall in my house! My style is contempory not modern and I love color. I have golds and reds in the master bedroom and one of my guest rooms has purple walls with sage green accents. Another guest room has shades of teal.
We sold our downtown condo with red living room walls, dark green kitchen walls and bright blue bathroom walls and there was not one negative comment regarding the colors from anyone that looked at it.
So decorate whatever way makes you happy and don't worry about what is classic, or trendy or decorator acceptable.

DH really wanted white walls and white cabinets. We have paneling that was previously painted, so we went with BM White Heron and then BM Chantilly Lace on the cabinets. The Chantilly Lace is a crisper white. White would not have been my first choice but it works. I had envisioned a very pale yellow.

I like only two colors on walls - White or grey.
Why?

Art looks best on white walls or grey walls. Paintings, tapestry, carvings, photographs, drapes look best against these two colors.

Same reason I like white dinnerware. Food looks best against white.

We've had "museum white" walls for years, ostensibly to set off all the framed pieces hung on the walls. But it's time for a change...I'm cruising for color ideas!

White is the new hot color now.

When we moved into our house it was almost all white because the elderly p.o.s probably paid someone to whitewash it to sell. They painted over bad sheetrock and wallpaper. It looked ok at first glance, but one of the best parts of doing the reno was to finally have some color.
If a house is white for a scheme, it comes off better than if it is white because it is easier to paint the walls and trim the same color. You can tell the difference.
I think if you want a light neutral and don't want the creams and beiges that have been very popular, I'd try a pale yellow. It looks great with wood floors and antiques and mixes well with a full range of decors. We painted an apartment in our first house and even though we had male tenants over the years, they all commented on loving it. It works best if the trim is a pure white to have some contrast. It gives you color without hitting anyone over the head if you go very light toned. I have used it when recommending to builders and flippers what to paint for the main rooms because it is cheery and subtle.
Blues come in and out of fashion and beige and cafe au lait have been big for a while, so will be on the way out soon. Greens can be hard to coordinate if you want flexibility (although I love a nice green). Pink and peach take real commitment, and a thick skin if used outside of a child's room, and a pale lavender is also one that can limit the materials used with it (no maroon or reds work well with it, IMHO).
White can actually be harder to match because of the many tones to white. When I used a pale yellow in my house, I made sure that nothing of any significance in the room was yellow, so there'd be no clashing. It worked as a back drop for the stronger colors of the antique furniture or white wts. It is the prettiest color to put alongside oak floors, to me.

Yes, I'm a soft yellow fan too, Dinalo. s I love yellow houses too (exterior). I think a mix of really soft colors work well. Right now we have a soft yellow, soft green, and a biscuit color (Lighthouse Landing-Benjamin Moore). Everyone comments on the Lighthouse Landing. It looks very nice next to yellow rooms it adjoins. I also have BM French White in my kitchen. It's similar to Lighthouse Landing...a little less gold in it. Taking a risk with white-white is probably too scary for me, albeit I admire the look when done well.

My favorite neutral-ish colour that I am currently in LOVE with is BM Elephant Tusk. It has a yellowish/warm undertone, but does not read too yellow. I love how fresh and clean it is, and how it changes in various lighting conditions. Almost my whole house is painted Elephant Tusk, and I get tons of great comments. It works beautifully with my BM Marscapone kitchen cabinets - layering and giving depth while still being tone-on-tone. I LOVE IT!

Beth

We just painted the living/kitchen/hallway areas of our house BM marble white and I am very happy with it. In our house it reads as a very warm white with a hint of yellow undertone. It also looks quite nice with the oak wood floors and wood trim.

Beth - I was tempted to go with BM Elephant tusk but thought it would be too dark to use throughout the house. I would love to see your kitchen if your up for sharing - it sounds lovely.

I originally thought that I wanted to go for a more dramatic color, but then when I looked through my inspiration photos, realized that most had whit/off-white walls and a more serene look.

trilliumgreen ~ I have been meaning to take pictures of my kitchen and post them here. The materials are all a mix of inspiration kitchens I found on this forum. (and a few magazines :)But, I have yet to find a time when it is clean and uncluttered and I also have to learn how to post pictures lol. Unfortunately, I did not find GW until AFTER our layout and many other decisions had already been made, so I am a little hesitant to share for fear of all my mistakes showcased amongst the experts here. lol

I do LOVE Elephant tusk - it is not dark at all in our house, but we have an eastern exposure in the back family room/kitchen so it gets quite a bit of natural light.
Beth

Yes, I'm a soft yellow fan too, Dinalo. s I love yellow houses too (exterior). I think a mix of really soft colors work well. Right now we have a soft yellow, soft green, and a biscuit color (Lighthouse Landing-Benjamin Moore). Everyone comments on the Lighthouse Landing. It looks very nice next to yellow rooms it adjoins. I also have BM French White in my kitchen. It's similar to Lighthouse Landing...a little less gold in it. Taking a risk with white-white is probably too scary for me, albeit I admire the look when done well.

Beth, I am in the same boat when it comes to discovering GW (the kitchen forum at least) AFTER the layout decisions were made. I don't think there are any fatal flaws in layout (though the kitchens not done, ie road tested yet) and it is certainly an improvement over the original, but its not perfect.

Farmhouse girl, I agree that white-white can be quite stunning when done well, but is hard to pull off. I think a lot of texture helps. Your current colors sound very nice.

Paint is an easy and inexpensive in comparison to other update changes... New paint, especially a new color, can give a room and even its furnishings new life and new personality without construction costs or the cost of new furnishings.

White to me says hotel, office, or builder's spec house. No white for me, no matter the style of the room...at least right now. Contemporary can look great on gray or grayed/muted colors, IMO, and so does art and my natural fir trim. Those things can look great on strong color too.. My son chose a deep red for his room, and it's striking with his handmade guitars and photography work on the walls, as well as our fir trim. Color doesn't have to be overwhelming if you don't want it to take over, but I find some level of it more fun, that it gives more depth, and more warmth.

I know this is just my opinion, and based on previous exposure to white walls. ;-) And I do love my white dishes! But because I can put color all around them.. Whatever, whenever, and however much I choose.

All that said, I still wish the person who was doing the kitchen in varying shades of white, from the floors up (Amberley?), would come back and show her space, because she gave me a new respect and excitement for white.