Warm up a white room with variations in shade, materials

This seems to be the year of white. While I understand the serenity and calm that a fresh white scheme offers, the creative challenge is how to avoid a potentially boring interior.

The popularity extends to counter surfaces, built-ins and furnishings. No or little color is the rage. One solution is to introduce varying shades of white or off white because, in many ways, an all white room is one of the most difficult spaces to do well. It is worthwhile to seek methods that introduce some distinctions regarding texture and contrasts.

For the past few years, white cabinets have enjoyed renewed popularity and many people who live in smaller homes favor wrapping everything in white. It's simple, right? Most people deduce that you cannot miss if you resort to a white scheme.

Keep in mind that by being aware that there are subtle ways to breathe character into such an interior, one can avoid a lackluster result.

One technique is to experiment with a soft wall color that will deliver some contrast between the room as a whole and the white cabinets. Pictured here we see a soft sky blue balanced against a medium wood tone that is used both on the floor and on the kitchen peninsula.

By repeating the wood on the backsplash to the left of the wall oven, a soft, but rich mix of materials alleviates any starkness that might result from using white cabinets. One could substitute a medium khaki, tan or gray for a slightly more neutral composition just as successfully.

Still, when a stranger walks into the space for the first time, the final impression will still be that it is white.

If you are working on a room with the standard eight-foot-high ceilings, I suggest you paint them white to match your cabinets. This little trick enables the lid of the space to visually lift the entire room. However, if you are blessed with higher ceilings, like 10 to 13 feet, consider swathing the entire space in your selected color. Thanks to the additional height, your space can handle using the wall color on the ceilings as well.

Obviously, if your room is washed in generous natural light, you might get away with a deeper value of your chosen color. In a space starved of light, you might prefer to keep in a midrange of darkness.

Always test out your paint colors before buying enough product to paint the entire room or house. It is well worth the time and effort to carefully select your paint colors.

All whites are not equal. You should always look at the paint swatches against a white background. Take a few plain sheets of printer paper with you to the store so you can place the small color swatches on a pure white ground. Notice the light in the store, and if you cannot see well, take your samples near to the entrance of the store so you can view colors more accurately in a mix of natural and artificial light.

In addition to the nuances in whites, think about texture changes in white. For instance, a focal wall above a fireplace could be stunning if tiled in a contemporary geometric tile. There are some exciting large format tiles with deep texture that range from a wavelike shape to more angular designs.

Commercial wall coverings offer textures, too, and sometimes installation of a thicker wall cover enables you to hide slight imperfections on an old wall. Minor cracks, old wall covering glue or other inconsistencies can be easily covered by a sturdy material. In fact, these range from vinyl, cellulose fibers, natural woven fibers and paperbacked fabrics. Look for commercial goods because they very often come in a wide width of 52 inches to 54 inches.

Finally, if white is your entire scheme, remember that you might introduce contrast color with portable objects, such as accessories, wall art, area rugs or plants and flowers.

Remember, no one wants to live in a space that feels like an igloo. Warm it up with some changes in materials and variations on a color.

• Christine Brun is a San Diego-based interior designer and the author of "Small Space Living." Send questions and comments to her by email at christinebrun@sbcglobal.net.

© 2015, Creators Syndicate