White room ideas

24 July 2019

A white room has many benefits; they provide a calm, neutral atmosphere, make the space appear larger than it is, reflect light coming in from any windows and provide a perfect backdrop for displaying artwork. Fans of modern aesthetics look to white for its clean lines, while collectors turn to it to enhance the objects within the room. Whatever the desired look is, it can almost always be achieved with a lick of good white paint. Browse these airy, light-filled examples before you reach for the paintbrush.

Jefferson Smith
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The main bedroom of a modernist house in Hampstead, which was shot for House & Garden in 1957 and again in 2013, is tranquil with its white scheme and large windows overlooking the verdant heath.
Michael Sinclair
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A bath in Little Greene’s ‘Orange Aurora’ and ceiling in ‘Red Earth’ paint by Farrow & Ball stand out against the clean white of Russell Pinch and Oona Bannon's French farmhouse bathroom.
Lucas Allen
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In Hugh Leslie's Chelsea home, the original boarded ceiling in the high, former studio, now the sitting room, is painted in 'Skylight' by Farrow & Ball, with a complementary shade used for the stair handrail.
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Chef Skye Gyngell's light-filled kitchen is narrow, but the white walls and cupboards add to the sense of space. The original floorboards and dark cabinetry add a homely touch that stops it feeling clinical.

Paul Massey
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White cabinets and polished Esmeralda marble worktops reflect light back into the kitchen of a Sussex cottage by Beata Heuman.
Paul Massey
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The white walls of a snug in the cottage by Beata allow the botanical prints to stand out and make a striking display.
Paul Massey
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Pale Arabescata marble has been used for the elegant bath surround and splashback in the ensuite, which has a soft and calm feel from the white walls.
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Dormy House in the Cotswolds is a contemporary meets country chic weekend retreat attracting smart city dwellers. It also happens to be designed by Emily Todhunter from Todhunter Earle, who are behind many homes we've featured.

Ngoc Minh Mgo
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Designer Harriet Anstruther's Sussex farmhouse has been stripped back, cleaned and lime-washed throughout. White linen muslin curtains frame the main bedroom and soften the cool colour scheme.
Alexander James
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Kim Wilkie's London flat is made up of white walls, oak floors and a sense of tranquility. A linen panel by Nicola Henley hangs at the end of the entrance hall, adding interest to the minimalist space.
Elsa Young
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Jeanetta Rowan-Hamilton has created a pretty doorside tableau in the hall of her former fishing lodge in Scotland.
Emma Lewis
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Edmund de Waal's Porcelain Wall makes a stylish statement in the hall of this central London townhouse by Amanda Baring. The white-painted walls and ceiling complete the dramatic, sleek effect of all-white porcelain lined up neatly on identical shelves.

Kate Martin
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Interior designer Peter Mikic redecorated this west-London townhouse for his clients, stripping back a previous, over-slick modernisation to display the house's considerable original charm. In the cavernous bathroom, decoration has been kept to a minimum to create a serene space. Acres of Calacatta marble run from the floor up the walls around the wet-room style shower. The bathtub is from Boffi. The overall effect of a white ceiling, cream walls, a white bath, a glass shower and a large window flooding the room with natural light is one of cleanliness and elegance, two much-desired qualities in a bathroom.
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Smooth Operator
For a streamlined, uncluttered look, it's best to go built-in. Interior designer Philippa Thorp hasn't wasted an inch of space in this Chelsea bathroom, incorporating cupboards under the basins and ceiling-height mirror-fronted cupboards above built into the wall cavity for a flush finish. The seamless and spacious look produced by the built-in cupboards and aligned mirrors comes together thanks to the white colour scheme.
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Marianne Brandi of Day Birger et Mikkelsen, has created an indulgent bathroom in her Copenhagen home. The wet room area - with its ceiling-mounted 'Nene' shower from Drummonds, gives an open plan feel, allowing the 'Usk' bath and 'Double Lowther' basin, also from Drummonds to take centre stage. The contrast of panelled walls and marble mosaic floor works well due to them both being white. The muted palette additionally makes the narrow room feel larger.
Alexander James
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In Kim Wilkie's London flat, natural light floods in from the south-facing windows in the sitting and dining room. White walls make the best of this light. The furniture is kept simple to draw the focus onto the industrial artwork. To the right of the Purbeck-stone chimneypiece, shelves hold 35 sculptural ploughshares dug up on Kim's farm, with cast-iron gratings and schist roof tiles on top.

Paul Massey
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This former nineteenth-century grain store just off London's Marylebone High Street has been transformed with the help from the architects at RDH into the effortlessly chic home of clothes designer, Anna Valentine. Her eponymous clothing label, known for its quality and attention to detail has been weaved into the renovation of her timeless London flat. Her living room is given a Scandinavian look with white walls and a simplicity bestowed by unusual details such as the fire having no fireplace or mantel surrounding it.
Lucas Allen
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This restful flat at the top of a Victorian town house in west London makes the most of the light with a near all-white scheme. Touches of green add necessary shots of colour and reflect the leafy outside. The kitchen/dining room/living room hybrid features units by Bulthaup, lights by François Muracciole and Philippe Starck's slick 'Kartell Eros Swivel Chair' from Heal's.
Jake Curtis
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This 90 square metre former artist's studio in Chelsea is the work of designer Eve Mercier, who created it for a family of five. The original Perspex roof on the top floor, as well as the nearly all white scheme, lends the small living room the feel of a conservatory and creates the illusion of space.
Paul Massey
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Designer Harriet Anstruther has chosen two glass 'Wire Frame' tables from The Conran Shop to sit in the centre of this sitting room, which create a contemporary contrast with the reclaimed wood floor and Edwardian chimneypiece.

Davide Lovatti
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Architect Daniele Petteno was challenged to design a modern and open living space in a compact London flat of only 69 square metres. His solution for storage in this sitting room was 3.8-metre high, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. Daniele favours a muted palette, with a sprinkling of natural materials. Walls are white, the built-in cupboards and bookshelves are made from white satin-finish spray-lacquered MDF and the curtains are crisp white linen.
Paul Massey
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In a small study area in one corner of Caroline O'Donnell's living room in her London flat, designer Harriet Anstruther has partnered a 'Bertoia Side Chair' from Skandium with an antique desk. This creates the desired modern effect while retaining a treasured piece. White walls and large windows framed by neutral curtains bestow an impression of vastness, reinforcing the feeling that this corner is a space of its own.
Richard Powers
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Designers Turner Pocock used pendant lights from Original BTC in the white, bright kitchen of this London family home.
Alexander James
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On the second floor of a large Italianate block of gentlemen's chambers on Jermyn Street, this flat offers all the advantages of living in the heart of London with few of the drawbacks.
Some of the rooms are relatively small but a white-on-white colour scheme throughout and large windows mean that it never feels cramped. Here in the study storage and shelving is built in, doing away with the need for bulky furniture. A decorative wooden ladder allows easy access to the top shelves.

Paul Massey
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The palette of Claire Lloyd's house on the Greek island of Lesvos is so chaste and plain that anything decorative, whether a tin mug brimming with flowers or a mottled feather, acquires the status of a work of art. 'It felt as if someone was living in the house when we first moved in - it was full of things, from old blankets and cooking utensils, to family photographs and a child's doll. I have kept as much as I could, particularly the fabrics. Throughout the house was this vivid turquoise - the colour of the sea and sky, which we decided to keep, against a backdrop of white.'
Paul Massey
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'For the decoration, I kept the materials simple. Most important was the reclaimed timber floor, which sets the tone for the whole flat,' designer Harriet Anstruther says. Her colour palette is similarly pared back, but with a few well-placed hits of bold colour - including this electric blue armchair in the bedroom.
Sebastien Boettcher
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'To create a blank canvas for my client's vibrant art collection, walls throughout are painted in 'Strong White' by Farrow & Ball: it's a great "go-to" colour,' says Samantha Todhunter, of this uber-glamorous scheme. 'The drawing room is vast with a domed ceiling, so a play with colour was an easy choice. We reused a pair of Louis-style sofas from their previous home, reupholstered in delicious watermelon pink 'St Germaine' velvet from Abbott & Boyd. This was the starting point of the scheme. Yellow seemed an obvious choice as a foil to the pink. The 'Climbing Leopard' rug by Diane von Fustenburg for the Rug Company was custom-made and ties together the seating area.'
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Velvet, leather and marbles - different textures make for an arresting scheme in the small living room of Sarah Chambers' south London home. Oriental accents scattered across the room create a sense of cohesion.

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Exposed beams shine add visual interest to this white spare bedroom at Slackwood Farm while Jacob's ladder accentuates the double-height proportions.
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Exposed beams, an Aga and simple wooden furniture create a farmhouse-kitchen look in this clean white kitchen at Slackwood Farm.
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In the artist Annie Massie's home a white and cream colour scheme, is simple yet still cosy. Anne's collection of creamware plates take pride of place on the octagonal walls of the drawing room in Virginia, along with two of her own large oil paintings. The paintings were created for a joint exhibition by Anne and her artist mother, Anne Adams Robertson Massie.
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Artist Anne Massie has a natural sense of colour - as can be seen in the pictures she paints. In her house, this outdoor room is complete with a piano, armchairs and some of Anne's collection of antique, highly textured pottery. The white walls of her back porch are chic and minimal - the perfect backdrop for Anne's art and curiosities collection.

Line T Klein
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The owner of this country home in Somerset was determined that the floorboards be exposed throughout the house as part of the new decoration. They're painted white in this small attic bedroom, matching the walls and ceiling, and the linen-upholstered beds, giving a sense of space to the room. Exposed beams add a rustic feel, while a turquoise rug and bed throws add colour.
Line T Klein
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The owners of this Somerset country house had not anticipated taking on such a large project, but their careful renovation enhanced by modern decorative touches has resulted in a smart and comfortable forever home. This white attic bedroom has a sunny feel thanks to a bright yellow patterned throw and matching cushions. A storage chest with a cute duck design sits at the foot of the bed - perfect for adding character to a bedroom or for a kid's room.
Paul Raeside
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This modern dining area styled by Gabby Deeming is painted in Farrow & Ball's 'Shaded White' and is decorated with linocuts by Hugo Guinness in simple black frames. This wall display is combined with a line of industrial enamelled wall lights from Tinsmiths and a vintage wall clock. A banquette sofa from Michael Reeves provides comfortable and flexible seating.
Alexander James
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The owners of this Bahamas beach house newbuild turned to trusted interior designer John McCall to provide their house with a British sensibility, practical furnishings and interiors that are not 'too beachy'. White walls, ceiling, carpet and bedding are brought to life with patterned blinds, headboards and a colourful rug. All of the patterns are different, introducing an element of fun and a vacation spirit.

Laurence Pidgeon
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Architect-designers Ludovica and Roberto Palomba created this kitchen for Italian brand Elmar Cucine. Apart from the sawn oak wall shelving, which creates a platform to display pretty glassware and porcelain ware, the contents are all hidden behind bright white lacquer door panels. Within the tall units, there is space for ovens, dishwashers and fridges to keep from disrupting the all-white aesthetic. The kitchen is available through Laurence Pidgeon and prices start at £20,000.
Sharyn Cairns
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This white space benefits from bursts of colour offered by chic blue Le Creuset cookware and a photograph by Yves Marchand, which decorates the entrance to the kitchen in a west London house. The house was extended with the addition of a basement, creating a brighter, larger space that flows perfectly for better, more modern family living.
Paul Massey
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The minimal design of this white bedroom is classically Scandinavian with white walls (see how to pick pale paint). On the left is a run of bespoke cupboards, which divide the room from the hallway, and provide bedroom storage.
Anna Valentine's eponymous clothing label is desired for the quality of its designs and the attention to detail - attributes that the couturier has also employed in the renovation of her London flat and atelier.
Paul Massey
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The addition of a house plant softens the all-white kitchen. Anna Valentine's eponymous clothing label is desired for the quality of its designs and the attention to detail - attributes that the couturier has also employed in the renovation of her London flat and atelier.

Paul Massey
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Anna Valentine's eponymous clothing label is desired for the quality of its designs and the attention to detail - attributes that the couturier has also employed in the renovation of her London flat and atelier. A fire warms the white room.
Richard Powers
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Limewashed walls and loose-covered white sofas lend this sitting room of a Provençal house a light, relaxed feeling, with two reupholstered green armchairs from Lee Wright Antiques adding colour.

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Emily Senior is House & Garden's Houses Director and oversees the all of the homes that make their way onto the pages of the magazine and website. Emily joined the magazine as a Features Assistant, before becoming a founding editor of House & Garden's website. Having spent almost a decade ... Read More

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