Thursday, August 18, 2011

White Trim Exceptions~!!!!

Wow, wasn't I just so opinionated yesterday about white trim, so opinionated that I made my own rule!
This was not my intention~ my intention was to have you think about the decision of white trim in a very mindful way, not as a default.. I realize that I have found, in my journeys through peoples homes, many situations where white trim is perfection.. even in small urban homes.
For example: If you have 3/4 of the way up the wall of wainscoting and your home is full of dark wood and you feel oppressed and dark and depressed like we like to do here in Seattle, than by all means paint that shit white! But before you do, take a deep breath and notice there are at least 500 whites to choose from, yikes!

The shelter magazines and design shows like to boast about knowing the designers secret to the
"p e r f e c t" white from such and such brand or 'you must use' the one from the so and so fancy brand in Los Angeles. It may true that their whites are just like the insides of an organic coconut from utopia, or feel like the breath of a angel baby. But, duh, they are missing the point: each one of our homes requires a white that fits our unique house, and each paint requires a specific sheen for the specific surface that the white will be painted on, whether it is cabinets, trim, walls, ceilings, floors: or whether it is to be laquered or bone dry flat or sprayed in oil to make it look like an eggshell or antiqued to look very aged... Phew there are so many particulars.. in fact you  could do your entire interior in whites, many whites and many textures and feel extremely happy and very modern...
With all that being said, let your white shine. Just make sure it is purposeful and not lazy.
Malina's house is a breath of fresh air, main design element: White Paint.
There I go judging you again.
historic homes always are great with white trim

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I was feeling a bit snubbed! Our 1925 house, though not so pleasingly "historic," is like the one above with Curry walls (and some Paprika)and warm white trim in the living room. It works for the north-facing side of the house. I'm stumped as to what color to paint a naturally dark bedroom beside it though (there's Wasabi in the dining room adjacent, inline of sight you see all three rooms)...

anne said...

Jane, Send a pic to havenart@me.com, let's pick a color!!