white.

all morning (keep in mind, it's only 9:20), i've been watching the most beautiful snow fall ... big flakes, falling silently straight down to the ground. nothing like the swirling mass of snowglobe blizzard that we had last weekend. this snow is calm, peaceful, creating a white curtain over a world that is already white.

i love white.

about a dozen years ago, i found a book at a half-price book store. it was published by victoria magazine, and was called "at home with white." i bought it immediately and have been smitten ever since, periodically flipping through the pages of white-on-white rooms, vintage linens, subtle shades of gray-white and blue-white next to white painted furniture and ironstone. i knew from that moment that white, truly, is the color that makes me happiest and feel the most calm.

(photo sources unknown)

sure, i love buttery yellow and olivey green and aqua and red. but i couldn't surround myself with any of those colors ... i need a base. white is that base.

i have a large binder of pages i've pulled from magazines and catalogs over the years, in preparation for when the time came that i could totally take control of a house ... have free reign over the final product.

(by that i don't necessarily mean "building" a house ... truly, in a million years, i never thought we would do that. what i mean is finally having the time and resources to really do to a house what we (i) want to do to a house and make it the place we want to be. in our first house, i saw that white, cottagey, adorable bungalow potential. i had big plans, but we never had a big bank account. we made do with paint, and closed our eyes to walk past the rooms that never got the full attention we wanted to give them.

in our current house, we've had to deal with what was already here, because we knew this house was the stopping off point between "first house" and "last house." we were willing to stay here until we were able to be in the house we WANTED to be in long-term. so we put as little money into the house for aesthetic things as possible. sure, we've upgraded things that will help sell (new stainless appliances, new front-loading washer and dryer, new bathroom in the basement ... that blends with the rest of the house's style, new brushed nickel doorknobs and light fixtures for continuity, new garage door and exterior paint, etc.), but we haven't really put OUR style mark on this house. every style choice we've made in this house has been made to GO with this house. and it all looks nice, it's just not exactly *us.* the goal all along has been to maintain and upgrade what would be attractive to a buyer when the time came, keeping in mind the style and price point of our neighborhood.)

in this binder are page after page of things that caught my eye, and there is a predominant theme: white. white kitchens, white tile in bathrooms, white slipcovered furniture, white woodwork and trim ... all grounded by chrome or nickel, dark wood floors, and pops of color in the art and accessories.

as i look around at the decorations i've bought for christmas, i notice the white theme again ... red and apple green and white, to be specific. and looking through my holiday ideas folder, the red and apple green and white becomes even more apparent.

   

(eddie ross)

(a creative mint)

(a country farmhouse)

(kikilarue)

the spirit of christmas and the magic and peace of the season are what i crave and anticipate year-long, and i have to wonder if some of that anticipation comes from once again being surrounded by white? by things that are more my style and taste? maybe i love snow so much because it diffuses the chaos of color, the uniform drabness of brown?

marc and i are both giddy about next year ... about creating our space. i'm farmhouse and whimsical, he's modern and industrial, so we're excited to see how those two thought processes blend. but i guarantee you: there will be a lot of white.

Comments

[marcy]

Ooooh, I love white!
My entire farmhouse is white. It's awesome! You can totally make it work.

[C. Rayevich]

LOADS of inspo over here today =)) we are upgrading our house as well and sometimes i think "i want it this way but it will sell better that way..." ugh the rub of being homeowners lol
xo

[Tonya Dirk]

I'm jealous of all your white on the outside! Looks like you have some fun times ahead of you! Hope you share the process with us all!

[Jennifer]

Gorgeous!! :)

[Jen@thecottagenest]

I love white too! I've never tried it in my own house. Who knows what my next house will inspire me to do. Today though you've inspired me to pull out some of my favorite decorating books that celebrate white!

[Tina]

I love the patterns and the red and white combo.You hive a lot of attention to the most little details, but I guess that's what makes it look so adorable.
Great job!

[Vicki Snyder]

I love that double white sink....It would be perfect in my studio...where did you find it? Thanks, Vicki

[Heather]

Where did you find the bathroom trough sink ... the design is different from the Kohler Brockway sink?