Why We Chose To Paint Every Room White

Happy 2016! I hope that everyone enjoyed a blissful holiday and that you’re all raring to go this new year. I, for one, can’t wait to get going with all of the big, big plans that I have for 2016, and am making it my goal to experience the best year yet—both personally and professionally. So, let’s kick things off with our bright white updates inside, with photos by the incredibly talented Andrea Pesce.

Waaaaaaaay back in September right after our old house went under contract, I had made a not-so-secret pact with myself to paint every wall in our new house bright white. I even went so far as to start picking out the perfect shade of white, and discussed lots of paint color options here. Well, we’ve finally made it to the new house, and I’ve already started the slow process of transforming the interior to white. The change—to say the least—has been dramatic. Below, I’m sharing the three main reasons why we decided to paint every room white in case you’re thinking about doing the same in your own space.

White Offsets Other Colors Perfectly

I’m kind of obsessed with color. Like, really obsessed. So, why did I decide to throw that preference out the window to paint our walls the most purely-devoid-of-color color? Because this is really the only way that I can get away with adding colorful furniture and accessories to our spaces without the overall look going overboard. Because our walls are now white (at least in the basement, bathroom, and front rooms so far), I can layer anything I want in the rest of the room and the finished look won’t feel too garish.

P.S. How handsome is our pup, Rocky, above? Andrea captured his Eeyore stare perfectly!

It Saves Money In The Long Run

Because I was able to settle on one single color (“High Reflective White” by Sherwin Williams), I can buy my interior paint in bulk for the whole house. Meaning that, instead of spending $60 over and over again on a single gallon of paint at a time, I can pick up a 5-gallon bucket for $250, which saves me about fifty bucks. I’d much rather put that $50 towards new throw pillows than paint, so sign me up for the bulk order, please! I’m also pretty excited about the idea of storing one big bucket instead of five small topple-prone gallons of paint, but that might just be me.

You Can’t Beat The Brightness

My biggest reason for going with white paint though? All. Of. That. Light. I think it’s pretty easy to see in Andrea’s photos that the light is pretty killer in the front of the house, and a large reason why it seems so bright is the fact that those white walls reflect sunshine all over the place. I’m sorry for saying it like this (John would make fun of me), but that bouncy light is just about the most deliriously delicious thing to wake up to every morning.

Do I want a minimalist look with nothing but black and white furniture, art, and accessories? I can do that with white walls, no problem. Or maybe I decide that I want to dial up the bohemian vibes, and layer in tons of plants, patterns, and textiles. With white walls as my backdrop, I can do that, too. It’s just about the most versatile color there is, and makes my inability to stick to a decision for very long much easier to live with.

Would you ever paint your entire house white? If it isn’t for you, what is your go-to color? I’m all ears!

(Photos by Andrea Pesce Photography)