Dear Danica, How Can We Add Some Interest And “Pop” To Our All-White Living Room?

WHAT I LIKE

First of all, there are so many things I love about your living room! The character!!! The trim around the windows, the baseboards, the crown moulding, the radiator cover, the wood floors. And your style is so cute! Very “modern meets natural casual” in a traditional home. Love the juxtaposition.

I like the layout of your furniture as well! You mentioned you aren’t confident in the layout, but in my opinion, the cased opening next to your sofa actually helps balance out the off centered living room. The opening defines the table seating area vs the living room and I think you’ve done a great job of balancing out the extra space with a table and sideboard. I’d keep it just how you have it!

WHAT I’D DO TO ADD INTEREST, COLOR, & TEXTURE

What’s tough about adding color and interest to an all white living room is that you don’t want to just throw one or two colorful things in the room because they’ll stand out like a sore thumb. Incorporating several elements of color and texture throughout the entire room is the goal.

FURNITURE
While I like the all white aesthetic, if you’re looking to add color, interest, and depth, I’d focus on swapping out a few furniture pieces for things that aren’t white or cream. Currently most of your furniture is one color and breaking that up, even if it’s just introducing pieces that are a shade or two darker than you’re existing pieces, will create depth and pops of interest.

I would incorporate a wood coffee table, a pair of dusty blue arm chairs, a rug that’s a little darker to ground the space, and an antique dining table with a pair of wood chairs. I pulled together a few pieces I think would fit your style and work with your existing sofa. Pattern would be introduced through the rug and would add a pop of interest. Texture is brought in through the coffee table and is unexpected but beautiful. And your first subtle hint of color would be through the navy blue chairs.

PAINT
The easiest way to add color is through paint and there are a few ways you could incorporate paint –

• WALLS: Because of the staircase, it looks like you don’t have a natural stopping point for painting the walls. So either you paint the walls in the living room and up the staircase too, or you leave the wall color white. Both are viable options. Personally, I like to keep main living areas neutral and play with color in bedrooms/bathrooms/etc. However, if you want to go bold, a mid tone/undersaturated blue could be beautiful.

  If you like bright neutral walls, I’d look I’d look for a clean white paint color. My reason being is that currently it seams as though your trim and wall color are competing. The trim appears to be a cool white while the walls have a warm yellow undertone and the tones are competing. I personally would paint both your walls and trim the same color but play around with sheens. Eggshell on the walls and satin or semi-gloss on the trim. As for color, I’d look for something with less yellow undertones – try Snowbound and see how that looks in your space.

   

• TRIM: If painting the walls feels too drastic of a step, perhaps doing contrast trim would be a more approachable next step. A soft blue or beige on the crown moulding, window trim, and baseboards could be beautiful and really highlight the architectural charm of the trimwork.

   

• FIREPLACE SURROUND: While I like white paint, sometimes white doesn’t do justice to the beautiful detailed trim. Sometimes it makes the details feel bland and I think that’s the case with your fireplace surround. If I were you, I’d look into repainting the fireplace surround with a color that highlights and further accentuates the mouldings. It could be a color, it could be neutral, both would add interest. If it were my home, I’d go for a moody color that creates drama – black, charcoal, or brown in a satin or semi-gloss finish.

DECOR
With the addition of wood furniture, antique accents, and a moody rug…pops of color in the decor and artwork won’t feel so out of place now. I’d focus on incorporating throw pillows with muted colors that coordinate with the rug and arm chairs – muted green, blue, or burnt umber would be my preferences. Add a vase with colorful stems on the dining table. Replace your black and white artwork with abstract or vintage art that showcases a little more color. Throw up a large abstract piece of art above the sofa that has depth and dimension in the colors. The decor is where I like to play around with color!

I pulled together some pillows and artwork I think would look beautiful in your space. I hope this sparks some ideas for you!