Inspiring Interiors

White on white (plus black).

Inspired by Victoria’s great post about black sofas, I put together a collection of primarily white rooms with black elements in them. This is my favorite kind of atmosphere—ethereal and peaceful; grounded and warm.

p.s. You know you can follow me on Twitter, right? I never shut up, and I love to answer—and ask!—questions.

Photo by Per Magnus Persson

In my house: Door Sixteen HQ

From Light Locations

L: Styling by Sofie Andersson; R: From LivingEtc

Interior by Stephen Roberts

From Sköna hem

Interior by Joseph Dirand Architecture

Home of Kristina Stark (via emmas designblogg)

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13 Comments

  • Reply deborah May 6, 2010 at 10:23 pm

    j’adore. i like the little pots of nature here and there as well as a bit of grey. i dream of having a space like this … but fear the white floors would stress me out as i try to keep them clean.

  • Reply puck May 7, 2010 at 12:01 am

    I like to look at them… but I am compelled to add color. Especially pink or blue.

  • Reply Ludmila May 7, 2010 at 6:00 am

    These are gorgeous images! Anna, do you have white wooden floors in your home? Love this style, seems a bit of Scandinavian :).xo

  • Reply Anna at D16 May 7, 2010 at 7:24 am

    @Ludmila: The second photo in the set is of my house. 🙂

  • Reply Kate May 7, 2010 at 12:58 pm

    Hey Anna, I love your blog just had a question tho. I have the same Eames style rocking chair mine is white with stainless steel eiffel legs. Did you paint yours black or did you buy them like that ?

    Take care – Kate

  • Reply heather May 7, 2010 at 3:13 pm

    Love that grey in photo 3 – it might just be perfect. That Stephen Roberts photo is in my files too – I want to line up logs just like that in my fps. I don’t think the fps have enough depth for that though. Sigh.

  • Reply Anna at D16 May 7, 2010 at 3:51 pm

    @Kate: The wire is black. The rockers used to come with a choice of black or chrome, but I think now they only come with chrome. You could very easily spray-paint the wire, though!

    @heather: I would definitely be stacking logs if I didn’t think a certain Chihuahua (who shall remain nameless) would be endlessly trying to snack on the bark…

  • Reply dewi May 8, 2010 at 8:00 am

    I love these types of rooms for the same reasons you stated.
    visual cues are easily recognized as
    “atmosphere is ethereal , peaceful; grounded and warm”

    From a set designers POV, the fascinating thing about white rooms is they don’t achieve the same feeling without the warmth and beauty of historical architectural details.

  • Reply dewi May 8, 2010 at 8:08 am

    Heather,
    You can stack logs in your fireplace, by cutting the pieces short, and hide small nails on the sides so they can lean on each other as you stack them, then they won’t roll.
    An alternative is to use huge bundles of dried branches cut in pieces or large twigs, that would also look nice in a fireplace..

  • Reply Anna at D16 May 8, 2010 at 12:35 pm

    @dewi: “the fascinating thing about white rooms is they don’t achieve the same feeling without the warmth and beauty of historical architectural details” — Agreed, and this is one of the (many) reasons why I love older homes.

  • Reply Marthe May 9, 2010 at 10:54 am

    I just followed you on flickr! 🙂

    I love b&w rooms! If I have time (and patience) this summer, I’m going to paint my walls white. I currently have a “tea with milk” kind of color, a little too brownish for me.

  • Reply lucy at four walls May 10, 2010 at 4:17 pm

    I agree with dewi’s point – some architectural detail makes white much more appealing. I love white and black rooms but it’s a hard look to pull off. I always admire them but am not sure I’d have the discipline to pull it off at home. Although I love how cohesive and calming your house is, Anna.

  • Reply Martini June 5, 2010 at 3:10 pm

    great inspiration! thanks.

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