White color is a symbol of lightness and purity, innocence and aristocracy. It was invariably present in the rich houses of noble people in the last century, and in modern times this shade began to be used in minimalism and other styles where airiness, weightlessness and strict outlines are required. A white living room has the ability to relax and soothe; it’s nice to come into it after a hard day at work and enjoy comfort and tranquility.
Living room in white colors Source Design-homes.ru
White furniture in the living room Source Living room design
Another significant advantage of this design is its versatility - white color goes well with any other shade and looks harmonious with different materials - wood, plastic, metal, chrome or mirror surfaces. To prevent the living room interior from reminiscent of hospital rooms, it is worth combining light shades with brighter tones, placing accents.
White living room with colored furniture Source Repair without problems
White living room with blue sofa Source Design-homes.ru
A living room in white always looks larger and more spacious, creating a feeling of increased space. Light ceilings will appear higher, and walls will make the room visually wider. This effect has been known since ancient times and has been successfully used in small spaces to add volume and lightness. Therefore, owners of small areas can safely experiment with shades of white, creating a unique combination.
Cold tones make the atmosphere of the room somewhat lifeless and distant, the room looks almost sterile. This solution may not suit everyone. To create a more lively and cozy environment, choose warm shades - beige, ivory, yellowish.
Subtleties of white living room design
The stages of decorating a hall in light colors have their own characteristics. The first thing you need to pay attention to is the wall decoration. They are wallpapered, painted, plastered or covered with special panels.
A vertical stripe pattern visually increases the height of the room.
One of the walls is often used as an accent wall. Usually it has the same color as the others, but is decorated with a pattern or photo print. The main thing is that it does not contradict the general style. The same goes for the ceiling. Tensile and suspended structures are suitable.
The flooring can also be light or white. However, as the designers note, this solution is impractical, since then dust and dirt are visible on the floor. Therefore, it is better if it is dark.
A white living room can resemble a hospital ward. To avoid this, you need to focus on one of the interior details. A good option is a houseplant in a large pot, a carpet, curtains and drapes of a different shade.
Features of white color
If you follow certain design subtleties, you can achieve a truly beautiful living room design:
- The white interior is simple and functional. Elements in snow-white tones have a very stylish and respectable appearance.
- Shades of white contribute to the visual expansion of space, so they are especially suitable for a small living room.
- Snow-white surfaces have good reflectivity and add additional volume to objects.
- This color scheme is an excellent option for those who want to avoid unnecessary costs and repairs for a change of scenery. A white room can take on a completely new look just by updating the accessories.
Advantages and disadvantages
White color is suitable for living rooms in a classic or modern style. It is neutral and does not evoke the emotions that bright colors do. In addition, it goes well with any other shades.
Decorating a living room in white has many advantages:
- Visually the room seems larger and higher.
- A light background makes it possible to highlight part of the interior.
- During the renovation process, there will be no problems with purchasing finishing materials.
- The living room can be decorated in any style you like.
- White never goes out of style. It is found in national interiors and is also popular among modern designers.
Despite the positive properties, such a living room also has two disadvantages. First, there is a risk of overdoing it. An abundance of white and a complete absence of bright accents will make the room cold and dull. Secondly, it is difficult to maintain cleanliness and order in a bright room, since the color is too easily soiled.
Which curtains to choose?
You can choose curtains in colors that harmonize with the walls or canvases with ornaments, the shade of which matches the pieces of furniture or accessories.
To complement the white living room, the windows are decorated with cream, light gray, beige, mother-of-pearl curtains or ivory curtains. A good solution would be products made from fabric that has a soft shine and shimmer.
Black curtains have an equally original and stylish look. This black and white combination, used in proper proportions, is a win-win option for the design of a guest room.
The photo shows a living room in the Art Deco style with windows decorated with blue curtains.
Choosing a style
White color can be used in any living room. And its shades are suitable for all styles.
Classic
In such an interior, anything can be white, from the walls, ceiling and ending with curtains. Often this style uses white ceiling plinths, baguettes, columns, figurines and other decorative elements.
In classic living rooms, white is diluted with other shades. The combination with brown, green, cherry, gray, and blue looks beautiful.
The classic style uses symmetry and strict lines of natural materials, naturally soft lighting, and a large number of accessories in the form of pillows, clocks, vases, and candlesticks.
Modern
It is practical. Natural materials, modular furniture and new technology are used in the design.
As with the classics, in a modern living room both the walls and ceiling, as well as decorative elements, decorations, upholstery and textiles can be painted white.
Scandinavian
Ideal for small living rooms. Allows you to create a laconic interior close to nature. The main features are white walls with bright accents, wooden floors, and furniture in neutral shades.
It is worth noting that in the Scandinavian style, white is considered a priority.
Provence
Reminds me of the hot Mediterranean sun and lavender fields. The interior uses exclusively neutral shades. In this case, white is the main one. It can be diluted with green, turquoise, olive and brown.
Provence is characterized by:
- artificially aged furniture made from natural materials;
- a large number of fresh flowers;
- wicker furniture;
- mirrors in antique frames, chests.
There are also a lot of metal elements in the interior. Most often they are made of copper, silver and brass.
Loft
The unity of classics and modernity, a harmonious combination of metal, brick, glass and plaster, all this is a loft. White color is ideal for a loft, since this style requires a large space.
There can be no low ceilings, partitions or small windows here. Light furniture and other interior details visually increase the space.
High tech
It is distinguished by the absence of frills and luxury, restraint in color design, practicality and functionality.
The white living room in this modern style looks like this:
- the presence of metal and glass elements that visually expand the space;
- white, plastered or painted walls;
- tiles or laminate on the floor;
- light plastic or glass furniture;
- a plain carpet that adds warmth to a cold interior.
Decorate the room with sofa cushions or paintings. There should be a minimum of decorative elements.
Minimalism
The design of a living room with white furniture in minimalism must meet several requirements:
- The walls are decorated in the same color scheme. It's better if they are plain. Plaster or paint is used for finishing.
- Laminate, parquet, and cork are suitable floor coverings for minimalism.
- The ceiling is white and smooth. You can decorate with a chandelier or original lamps.
- Large windows are covered with light curtains or blinds.
For a living room in a minimalist style, only natural materials are suitable. An exception may be their high-quality imitation.
Combination of colors in the interior
White color is universal, which means that it goes well with any other shade. When decorating a living room, you can give free rein to your imagination, but it is also important to take into account the nuances and details. There should be harmony in the interior.
A monochromatic living room is a rather controversial decision; there is a possibility that it will feel like a hospital ward, and individual details will begin to get lost among the background. Therefore, it is necessary to highlight accents. Various textures are suitable for this: embossed wallpaper, wood or decorative elements.
Plain white living room Source Roomester.ru
But it’s still better to combine light shades with brighter details. For example, a living room interior with white furniture looks good with contrasting textiles. The following tones are suitable:
- The combination of delicate cream and airy white makes the room light, fresh and weightless. Warm colors create a feeling of peace and comfort, while cool colors bring coolness and elegance.
Living room in white and cream shades Source Stroypark
- The black and white combination is classic in interiors. This is high contrast, which effectively places accents with minimal effort. It is important not to overload the room with black, but to maintain moderation for strict and balanced forms.
The combination of black and white in the interior Source Design in Photos
- Orange color on a white background looks bright and festive, lifts your spirits and improves your tone. At the same time, it becomes noticeably softer and calmer, as light colors maintain balance.
White living room with orange furniture Source Pinterest
- Purple and white create a harmonious and elegant combination. A deep purple hue reveals its emotionality next to calm light tones, while becoming more gentle and restrained.
Combination of purple and white in the interior Source Roomester.ru
- Red color looks less aggressive next to shades of white, but the latter becomes more vibrant and warm, experiencing a warming effect.
Living room in white and red shades Source TopDom
How to correctly arrange shades of white
In the interior, designers often use not pure white, but its derivatives. This technique is called off-white, which literally means “off-white.” In a living room of this type, this shade is the basic one.
In some places it is diluted with baked milk, beige, gray, etc. When light hits such surfaces, the effect of hidden white is obtained. The sun's rays from different angles create unusual accents.
The most popular derivative shades are rightfully considered beige and cream. They look good on natural materials, including linen, cotton, wood and wild stone.
Both white itself and similar tones can be combined with absolutely any color. The main thing is that the interior looks harmonious. The most successful example is combination with black. This is an opportunity to visually enlarge a small room and adjust an overly large room.
It is recommended to add warm shades in tandem with these two colors. Thanks to this, the living room will become lively and conducive to relaxation.
Furniture selection
The sofa, wall and all other elements must fit harmoniously into the interior. There are several features of their design:
- White furniture often blends into the decor. Therefore, designers recommend choosing related shades. Case products can be a couple of shades darker than the base, for example, beige or cream. Coffee and sand tones look good.
- It is better to choose upholstered furniture with leather rather than fabric upholstery. If space allows, you can add a couple of armchairs to the sofa. In a small room, they will be replaced by a matching ottoman.
- The coffee table and accessories should be one tone darker than the main set.
Generally speaking, the choice of furniture for a white living room directly depends on its size.
Types of walls for the living room
Almost all furniture can be divided into two categories - classic and modern. The first will be decorated with carvings, additional decorative details, moldings, gilding, and volumetric elements. The second category represents a wide range of models, including minimalist and exclusive space interiors.
Interior items differ in materials, occupied space, and shape.
A convenient option is a modular living room: matte or glossy; wooden, MDF or chipboard; plastic or glass – it doesn’t matter anymore, since you can choose the optimal model according to your requirements.
- Thanks to the modules, you can choose a minimal set of furniture that will harmoniously fit into the living room, leaving enough free space.
- Modular walls for the living room “white gloss” are an exceptional modern solution in which you can choose the most functional designs. As a rule, these are open shelves, closed drawers and cabinets. Less and less often today, owners choose cabinets and sideboards for the guest room, leaving such details for retro interiors.
- If desired, furniture parts can be only hanging - shelves and small drawers, as well as complete - with high cabinet parts.
A design with a white living room can include both traditional straight wall models and corner ones. The advantages of the latter are obvious - they occupy a low-functional space, freeing up the room not only visually, but also physically. In fact, such models often occupy walls in the living room interior, which could become accent or, conversely, virtually invisible.
Straight models are visually more “weightless”. Such sets for the living room in a modern style are chosen either glossy or matte - in the natural texture of wood, but painted white. They can be combined - with facades or shelves in a different color, with natural wooden surfaces.
For example, wenge looks contrasting and elegant - a rich brown shade with golden threads in the texture. For ultra-modern areas, monochromatic solutions are chosen - in particular, the living room "white varnish" will be the most functional option, since the varnish coating is equivalent to gloss and glass - it reflects light, expands the space, and makes it free.
Of course, in a white living room there can be another wall - bright, simple wooden, plain or combined. But such furniture takes up space, while a set in the color of the finish will blend in with the walls without drawing attention to itself.
Successful accommodation options with photo examples
How harmonious and cozy a room decorated in light colors will look depends on many factors. It's not just its design, but also its size, lighting and furniture placement.
White furniture for a small room
If the living room is not large, it is better to give preference to multifunctional products, in particular, folding tables and sofas, shelves with additional drawers, poufs with space for storing useful little things.
For a living room with high ceilings
The best option for such a room is a design in a classic style. This is austerity, natural materials and white color and its derivatives. But, if the height spoils the appearance of the room, it can be reduced using special design techniques.
Minimum furniture
All items must have a laconic appearance. Attention should be paid to sofas and armchairs. It is better if they are rectangular. Shapeless objects have no place here. Preference should be given to functional or multi-tiered furniture with additional compartments for storing things.
A white living room never goes out of style. The color itself and its derivatives have always been considered a sign of nobility and wealth. You can experiment with white color, visually adjust the size of the room and make it lighter.
