About this ebook
Read more from Fifi O'neill
Prairie Style Weddings: Rustic and Romantic Farm, Woodland, and Garden Celebrations Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Surfside Style Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Shades of White
Related ebooks
Home for the Soul Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsmy cool kitchen Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Charles Faudree Home Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Vintage Interior Design Style: The Vintage Home Splendor Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTerrarium Imaginarium Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBarclay Butera Getaways and Retreats Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsVibrant Interiors: Living Large at Home Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Barclay Butera Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Lampshade Making and Painting Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The Versatile Home Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsChristmas Home Decor: The Ultimate Guide to Xmas Decorations Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHome Staging A Seller's Guide To Staging Their Home Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPlan Your New Home Smart Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Joy of Home Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhat Makes a Bad Interior Design: Guide To Interior Design Mistakes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Senior Smart House: The Home That Cares for You Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Heirloom House: How eBay and I Decorated and Furnished My Nantucket Home Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGuide To Sustainable Interior Design Elements Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDesigning Your Home Using A Flea Market Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings"Patina Interior Design Style: Guide to Patina Modern Interior Style Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLighting In The Home And Garden: Illuminating Ideas For The Home And Garden Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTypes of Cafe Interior Design: A Brief Introduction to Cafe Interior Styles Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBeginner's Book of Home Decorating and Interior Design: Learn the art of cleaning and organizing your home Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFace Your Money Fears Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDesigned for Life: Sipping Tea in the Living Room Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Mud House Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shining Surfaces: Natural Cleaning Secrets For a Healthy, Happy Home Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSustainable Food Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Great Interior Design Challenge Sourcebook Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsVegan Interior Design Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Architecture For You
Martha Stewart's Organizing: The Manual for Bringing Order to Your Life, Home & Routines Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Nesting Place: It Doesn't Have to Be Perfect to Be Beautiful Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The New Bohemians: Cool & Collected Homes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Year-Round Solar Greenhouse: How to Design and Build a Net-Zero Energy Greenhouse Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The New Bohemians Handbook: Come Home to Good Vibes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5House Rules: How to Decorate for Every Home, Style, and Budget Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cozy Minimalist Home: More Style, Less Stuff Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lies Across America: What Our Historic Sites Get Wrong Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Fix Absolutely Anything: A Homeowner's Guide Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Own Your Space: Attainable Room-by-Room Decorating Tips for Renters and Homeowners Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Feng Shui Modern Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Building A Garden Shed Step By Step Instructions and Plans Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Clean Mama's Guide to a Peaceful Home: Effortless Systems and Joyful Rituals for a Calm, Cozy Home Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBecome An Exceptional Designer: Effective Colour Selection For You And Your Client Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Flatland Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Decorate: 1,000 Professional Design Ideas for Every Room in Your Home Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Solar Power Demystified: The Beginners Guide To Solar Power, Energy Independence And Lower Bills Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Old-House Doctor: The Essential Guide to Repairing, Restoring, and Rejuvenating Your Old Home Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Giza Power Plant: Technologies of Ancient Egypt Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Loving Yourself: The Mastery of Being Your Own Person Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Michelangelo, God's Architect: The Story of His Final Years and Greatest Masterpiece Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life: How to Use Feng Shui to Get Love, Money, Respect and Happiness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Live Beautiful Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Architecture 101: From Frank Gehry to Ziggurats, an Essential Guide to Building Styles and Materials Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Interior Design Sourcebook Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Interior Design Handbook: Furnish, Decorate, and Style Your Space Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5An Architect's Guide to Construction: Tales from the Trenches Book 1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Poetics of Space Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWalkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Shades of White
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Shades of White - Fifi O'Neill
INTRODUCTION
WHITE HAS LONG INSPIRED VISIONS OF SERENITY AND EFFORTLESS ELEGANCE. LIKE A CHAMELEON, IT HAS THE UNCANNY ABILITY TO MORPH INTO MANY SHADES FROM EARTHY TO ICY WITH MANY NUANCED HUES IN BETWEEN. SIMPLY PUT, IN ALL ITS INCARNATIONS, WHITE IS MAGICAL.
WHETHER AS A BACKDROP OR ON FURNISHINGS, MUTED PALETTES AND SUBTLE SHADES RESULT IN SOOTHING AND STYLISH SPACES THAT LEND THEMSELVES TO ENDLESS DECORATING POSSIBILITIES. THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF SHADES OF WHITE. EVERY COLOR IN THE SPECTRUM HAS A WHITE VERSION WITH UNDERLYING FAINT HINTS OF TONALITY, EACH WITH ITS OWN UNIQUE BEAUTY. FROM FEMININE PASTELS TO EARTHY TONES AND UNDERSTATED NEUTRALS, WHITE IS NIMBLE, TIMELESS, AND ADAPTABLE TO ANY STYLE, WHETHER IT BE RUSTIC, MODERN, ROMANTIC, VINTAGE, OR CLASSIC. IT PAIRS EQUALLY WELL WITH PERIOD OR ECLECTIC FURNISHINGS AND ACCESSORIES, AND EASILY MAKES FRIENDS WITH OTHER COLORS.
THE HOMES FEATURED IN THIS BOOK EMBRACE THE ETHEREAL QUALITY SHADES OF WHITE IMPART TO INTERIORS, AND DEMONSTRATE WHY THE PEACEFUL HUE’S SOOTHING GRACE AND TRANQUIL CHARMS MAKE IT A PERENNIAL FAVORITE THE WORLD OVER.
PART 1 INSPIRATIONS
THE POWER OF WHITE
A NEUTRAL PALETTE OF COOL WHITES MAXIMIZES LIGHT AND SPACE AND, WHEN LAYERED WITH TEXTURES AND TONE-ON-TONE HUES, CREATES A COCOON-LIKE CANVAS, MAKING IT EFFORTLESS TO USHER IN SUBTLE COLOR ACCENTS AND UNIFY ECLECTIC FURNITURE.
White is a classic symbol of purity. Delicate clusters of nodding blossoms never fail to make a space feel tranquil and magical.
Nature and light frame an intimate alcove where whites and a silver soaking tub up the spa-like atmosphere of a pristine bathroom.
Gleaming whites and mixed materials give this minimalist landing its harmonious appeal.
TEXTURES
IN FINISHES, FABRICS, AND DESIGN ELEMENTS, TEXTURES THAT BEG TO BE TOUCHED PLAY A STARRING ROLE IN KEEPING WHITES WARM AND INVITING. LAYERING TEXTILES, WOVEN RUGS, WOODS, BOOKS, ORGANIC ACCESSORIES, ARCHITECTURAL ITEMS, SEAGRASS, AND RATTAN BRINGS INSTANT INTEREST, HEIGHTENS THE COZINESS QUOTIENT OF ANY ROOM, AND CONTRIBUTES CALM, SERENITY, AND A WARM WELCOME. TEXTURE IS NOT ALWAYS ABOUT MATERIAL. PATTERNS CAN ALSO ADD A VISUAL DIMENSION BUT, AS WITH OTHER DECORATING COMPONENTS, BALANCE IS KEY.
When paint naturally loosens itself from a surface it reveals the character and age of the item. Although practicality requires the paint to be replaced, aesthetics allow it to continue its beautifully textural decay.
Combining different textiles, materials, shapes, and sizes is a great and easy way to show depth. Mixing knits, fabrics, faux fur, and more produces an organic, lived-in vibe. Here, white in shades of ivory, wax, and milk, is the unifying factor for linen, cotton, faux fur and shaggy pillows, and a chunky, creamy knitted throw.
Bleached leather, beautiful and intricate carvings on the Bakelite cover, and snippets of vintage ribbons and flowers give this handmade prayer book its eloquent beauty.
Contrasting elements are proof that opposites attract. Function and form come together in the lustrous smoothness of the vase and the organic disheveled appearance of remnants of dried twigs. Each element amplifies the finish and texture of the other.
FURNISHINGS
JUST LIKE TEXTURES, FURNITURE IS AN INTEGRAL ELEMENT THAT DEFINES THE AESTHETIC AND FEEL IN PREDOMINANTLY WHITE INTERIORS. ORNATE DETAILS AND ELABORATE CARVINGS GIVE OLD WORLD PIECES THEIR UNIQUE PRESENCE; FLUID AND POLISHED ITEMS DEFINE MODERNITY; PAINTED FURNISHINGS DRESSED IN EASY- GOING TEXTILES CHARACTERIZE COTTAGE INTERIORS; AND HANDMADE, NATURAL COVERINGS AND RAW SURFACES EVOKE RUSTICITY.
Pairing a chair upholstered in antique grain sack with a simple hutch in a dove gray weathered finish sets an air of rural ease.
Aesthetically appealing carvings give a new and simple wood cabinet a subtly exotic vintage charm that makes it an eye-catching piece.
An imposing floor mirror’s rectangular form is cleverly disguised by the intricate frame’s baroque carvings that give it a bold dose of character. The tarnished-gold finish exudes an age-old sophistication.
A French buffet’s artisanal simplicity, shape, and beautifully aged surface take center stage in this neutral space. The elegant lines of the mirror and the small table strike a pleasing counterpoint with the rustic piece.
FABRICS
FROM NATURAL TO SYNTHETIC FIBERS AND KNITTED TO WOVEN PIECES, FABRICS HAVE COUNTLESS QUALITIES AND APPEARANCES RANGING FROM STURDY TO DELICATE, ETHEREAL TO COZY, AND MANY MORE VARIATIONS. USING A COMBINATION OF TEXTILES GIVES A ROOM A CURATED FEEL. LINEN, COTTON, AND CANVAS HAVE A TACTILE QUALITY WHILE CASHMERE, SILK, AND LACE IMPLY SOPHISTICATION. SHEEPSKIN, CHENILLE, AND WOOL ARE ALL ABOUT COMFORT. WITH ITS UNEVEN GRAIN, DISTRESSED LEATHER ADDS WARMTH, WHILE FLUFFY FUR EQUATES WITH SOFTNESS, ALTHOUGH IF YOU’RE A TRUE ANIMAL LOVER, GO STRICTLY FAUX.
White is the common thread unifying a bedspread and pillows, but a variety of linen blends and weavings gives each item its distinctive characteristics.
Blue and white is a much-loved combination that evokes the unfussy charm of coastal cottages and farmhouses. Blue and white are like soul mates: they are always in sync, inspiring classic elegance and celebrating modern romanticism.
The unexpected pairing of fabrics from fluffy dusty-pink faux fur with shimmering satin and glamorous sequins creates a rich visual and sensual mix that brings about a stylish approachability.
Whether hung from a rack, draped over a chair, laid on the end of a bed, or tossed artfully on the arm of a sofa, throws and blankets contribute a homey, layered look.
ACCESSORIES
NEUTRAL ROOMS ARE NATURALLY CALMING, BUT WITHOUT THE PROPER ACCESSORIES THEY CAN MISS THE SWOON-FACTOR. THE RIGHT ITEMS CAN SET THE MOOD, ADDING CONTINUITY AND CHARACTER TO A WHITE SCHEME AND A FASHION-FORWARD ALLURE TO MORE LAID-BACK ROOMS. ACCESSORIES CAN SHARE SIMILAR FINISHES, SHAPES, OR MATERIALS, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO WHITE INTERIORS, KEEPING A NEUTRAL TONALITY IS BOTH STYLISH AND DYNAMIC.
If you live