apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

The statement I generally find that much white making is, "I have far too much money, so I need to throw it at professional carpet cleaners."

and that "children, pets, and people who ride the subway are not welcome in my home"

I like the look and feel of a white room. I gives me a real sense of calm. I think if you see these rooms as univiting it isn't your style and nothing needs to be said. Some however would thrive in this enviroment.

white hot.

I love and desire a white room ... However my lifestyle doesn't permit, maybe when my kids have their own houses but for now they still need me for diaper changes:)

i love my apartment, but if i had my choice [unfortunately, my boyfriend has a say in the decorating :) ], my apartment would be all white and chrome... white resin floors, etc.

i just find it very bright and peaceful. contrary to what people think, it does not show dirt. i have dark brown floors at present... now THEY show dirt.

I really enjoyed seeing this one architect's apartment on the Upper West Side on that show Small Space Big Style that was on HGTV for a little while, where he did a poured floor that was white. Since it wasn't a white carpet, it made a certain kind of sense.

Some people find that what makes a place feel like home is being able to customize it however they want and color and paint are among the most visible ways to do that.

But everyone seems to have a slightly different ideal of what they want their home to be -- as escape from various other kinds of onslaughts, and in some cases, if you're overstimulated by color in your job, then you might want to escape color, so white could seem like it's own kind of refuge.

Statements from all-white? Don't forget "I never, ever open my windows."

I don't know; when I want tranquility, I don't want the color around me, or even the absence of color around me, to be a statement. I want it to be soothing. Most of the white apartments I see in magazines are too aggressive for that. They make me think of a hospital in a movie - so white they feel sterile.

I've tried white (BK--before kids). I think the lighting when you have a white room is incredibly important. In a north-facing room, the white just felt cold and washed out. In a south-facing room, it glowed.

All white rooms? How about adding some padding to the walls for that complete "institutional" look.
I don't like rooms dedicated to one sole color (white, or otherwise) because then you become a slave to that color. If you find a decorative item, a piece of art, a cool antique...whatever, it HAS TO BE that color and that just stinks!

i much prefer the look and feel of a predominantly white room with very minimal accents of color. i find it spacious, calming and peaceful so i appreciate the nod to white in this post.

personally, i'm exhausted looking at homes full of rooms painted in every spectrum of the rainbow in this contest. to my eye most of them, not all, seem to use bright colors just for the sake of color. it's not my cup of tea, but clearly the majority of people posting on this site don't go for white either. everyone has their own thing.

Oh, BB, you'll change your mind about the majority here when Smallest, Coolest rolls back around! Because it's the Colors contest, we're being smacked upside the head with rooms in red-orange and peacock blue... but when it's SC time, white-white-white is the color of our decor!

I like white as a base - white walls, pale wood floors, white furniture - and then I like to add a few select colorful pieces (a painting, a blanket, a sculpture) which all of a sudden pop when surrounded by white.

I think this looks pretty great:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8706919@N05/1287318303/

I love white, but not so much in the ultra modern style. I'm more of a shabby chic, retro kind of person who likes decorating in white. Still, I think too much of white would bore me... like Sweet Pea said, you become a slave to the colour and I'd rather rooms be flexible and whimsical.

Anyone remember that 'controversial' White and Black episode of Trading Spaces? Whenever I think of all-white or all-black rooms, i think of this.

Definitely! I've been high on the old white for a while now :) I think the key is adding a little bit of color or slight contrast.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/liquidstereo/634684280/in/set-72157600195882099/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/liquidstereo/1463949986/in/set-72157600195882099/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/liquidstereo/634684280/in/set-72157600195882099/

I really need a paint/color suggestion though. I want to get rid of the camel color beneath the brick work. Its visible in this photo but it runs along the entire loft/wall.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/liquidstereo/491232587/in/pool-99179493@N00/

Robyn: The price thing really isn't a factor. Maybe it is with "white carpets" but with an epoxy floor its not an issue.

Mella: I once dated a woman who schooled me on cleanliness. I was fairly clean before but she really did a number on me. When she saw me sit down on the bed she said "you've been out all day, sitting on lord alone knows what, and you're going to bring it to the bed, where we do our stuff." After that I got into the habit of changing into "home clothes." These are not sweats or anything like that but rather, they're clean clothes.

The children thing is another issue. I think white is feasible only when they are are few, i.e. none.

BB: I'm with you on the calming. Two years ago I was on sabbatical in Zurich, CH, and the apartment I had was completely white. Its effect on my mood and outlook was indescribably good.

I agree with the comment that it's all about how a white room is lit. Look at all the light streaming through those windows! In greece, with oversaturated sunshine-- a white room is stunning. it's hard to make it look dingy, even with dust, dirt, etc. In New York, I think it's much harder to make it work-- even with artificial lighting. It just ain't the same.

SeanG,

love the epoxy floor. I would pain the wood baseboards white though.

You could add some rugs or sheepskins (real or faux) to give a little comfort and warmth to the place, especially during MN winters.

I wonder what is behind the drywall below the brick wall? Most likely brick? Maybe tear off the drywall and paint the entire brick wall white?

I love the photo that Vanessa in New York posted.

I think it shows how a white canvas accentuated with one or two colors can look like a seasonal painting. The room reminds me of fall with just a little bit of green holding on and it reminds me of a snowy winter, reflected by the naked tree just outside the window.

SeanG:
I know this is kind of off topic, but those floors are GORGEOUS!
Do you know where I can find out more about the process? is it spendy--do you know how much per sq ft?

MCinDC: I did the floors myself. It was/is very easy. I got the materials from Epoxy Coat - http://www.epoxy-coat.com
It comes as a kit with great instructions, including a video download. It takes 2.5 days. Step 1: Clean/prep floor with acid wash. Step 2: Let dry. Step 3: Mix & apply epoxy. Step 4: Let dry 18 hours.
http://epoxy-coat.com/epoxycoatvideo.wmv
Typical price is $270 for 500 square feet. I chose light gray which really uses twice as much. So it cost me roughly $1/sq.ft.

Go for the epoxy. Its pretty easy.

Art: Its not drywall but cement. I'm really not sure what's under that cement. I'm not eager to find out though. The building is quite old.
I'm now looking for rugs. Unfortunately the ones I like are expensive. I'm thinking of a green Flor "runner" between the kitchen and dining room.

I love white, and I have two (non-white) cats and open my windows. It's not really that much more care. White fabrics chosen with care can be tossed in the washer and bleached, so they're actually a lot easier to care for than any other colour.

I too agree that an all-white colour scheme is dependant on the right lighting - it makes all the difference

I have loved all-white schemes for years - they are amazing - but I like mine tempered with lots of natural materials like wood and leather

Cleanliness is not an issue - if something gets dirty, you clean it no matter what colour it is - white doesn't get intrisically more dirty than anything else

more than ANY other shade or color, white MUST have perfect lighting conditions in order to achieve one's particular taste. It can go from dirty looking to blindingly glaring with a few extra degrees of sunlight. And it's 100% true, white's not any harder to keep clean than anything else; however, it does show if you have horrible clean-up habits to begin with; I for example prefer white than black on any of my furniture, because black will show dust more than white, whereas white will show more stains than black. Nowadays you've SO many choices as far as material's concerned, it really shouldn't be an issue if you ever wanted your home to look like an iPod. lol