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| My Friend Kelly's Stunning White on White Dining Room |
It's no secret that I love color and bold pattern. I have tried the all white look and it just does not suit me. I adore white, light and airy, but, for me, personally, there needs to be some sort of anchor in the room to make the white pop.
In my kitchen, the cabinets are offset by a bright red wall and rich pine accents.
In my bedroom, the white bridal bedding and whispy white drapes are framed by green walls.
In my bathroom, the white subway tiles set the scene for any number of lovely accents. This month, they are blue!
Obviously, I'm a color girl. I feel as if today, it is not a popular decorating choice. Every magazine I pick up features all white homes and the catalogs in my box are whitewashed, as well.
Is my home dated? Does my floral couch yell that I am not keeping up with trends?
Is my home out of style and more importantly, does it matter?
It doesn't matter to me. I need that pop to make me a happy girl in my home, but how about you?
I have always wondered how many people really decorate their homes based upon the current trends in home fashion.
Does what the catalogs or magazines choose to write about and show make any difference in your actual buying or home decor decisions?
Do you follow trends?
Is color your thing? Share and let's chat...I'd love to know!
Kim,
ReplyDeleteI feel if you surround yourself with what you love then you will always be in style. You have to live in your home so it should be with what you love. Trends come and go but if we have what we love in our decor we will be happy. I love all the color in your home. Yep you heard that right from Miss White neutral here lol! Love that bedroom in the green and white. So pretty.
Kris
Kris, I totally agree with you…decorate with what you love and you can’t go wrong! I think your home is just dreamy. When I see pictures of it, I just can’t get enough, yet when I try to emulate the look it my own home, I always feel it in my stomach that something is missing. It’s usually color! I have just always been curious if most people decorate around trends, are they really swayed by publication and marketplace trends? Or are they just pretty pictures to swoon over? Hmmm.
DeleteThanks for weighing in! :)
Me and trendy? hahahahaha...... no. You already knew that though ;)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, been there, done that, hated it. When I was finished, it didn't even look like I would live there. Now my home is an exact reflection of my personality and I'm extremely happy with it, even while I'm still working on it. It may not suit the vast majority, but they don't live with me.
Personally I couldn't live with all white. I think it's beautiful in pictures and in other people's homes, especially if it's truly what they love (which you can always tell if it is or if they're keeping with the trend) and I admire them for keeping it that way, but I live with black dog hair, a teenage daughter that hasn't caught my cleaning OCD and a man that sometimes comes in from working in the garage or yard and wants to be able to sit down without a towel under his butt. Oh and on top of that, I'm a huge klutz, so red wine wouldn't be allowed and that's just NOT going to happen LOL
I know what you mean about the magazines. I haven't bought one in years, because the homes all look the same now. I like to see their personality shine though and that's exactly what your home does and it's why I love it and your blog :)
xo,
rue
Thanks Rue. I agree, I feel that so many magazines today have lost their individuality. I used to love browsing through pictures filled with color and individuality. Today it's all white...which is pretty, but not all the time!
DeleteHi Kim,
ReplyDeleteHope you had a wonderful Easter! I always said that I cannot afford to be trendy in either clothing or decorating so I stick with classics and add a little trendy "pop" if it is something I can afford to get rid of if I don't like it in a year or so!
Jen
I'm with you, Jen! You can never go wrong with the classics!! :)
DeleteI think I'm more likely to go with my own preferences than with what I see in decor blogs and magazines. Like you, I need colour. Forty years ago I decorated our first bedroom with blue and white toile. Trends have come and gone but toile, in various colour ways has always been a feature of our many homes. I love the kitchen you show at the beginning of this post. I also like your floral sofas very much. I can see that the accessories are your way of updating - sensible and chic!
ReplyDeleteI do accessorize a lot! I like to freshen and update, but without big changes. I can feed my trendy need with plates and frames, but really I just buy what I like...and by the way, I like toile!! ;)
DeleteI love your colorful home too....I went for too long without it! Now I am slowly adding color but I rent so it has to be in others ways besides painting. If I like something in the "now" trends I use it....if not oh well!
ReplyDeleteI think adding colorful accents is a great idea, rent or not...so easy to change your mind! Have fun! :)
DeleteI think your home is charming, and I love your kitchen with the pops of red. I also love your green bedroom, but mine is green as well :) I don't follow trends. I love classic french style furniture. Some of mine was painted when I acquired it, some I painted myself, some I've left wood stained. I do love a white home, but I've never been able to pull it off, because of lighting. If you don't have the right light, white doesn't look right. So I am not colorless, and besides I've always gravitated toward grays, whites, aquas and soft greens, with a tiny pop of turquoise or red here or there. My sleeping porch is the closest thing I have to a white room, because the light is right in there. Good question. I think if you love it is right. xoxo
ReplyDeleteI haven't been able to pull off the white look either and I live by the beach! I have heavy wooden beams in my living room and a hearty stone fireplace. It lives and looks more like a cottage cabin than a shabby chic dream. Maybe that's why I go for color, the house needs weight. Your home is lovely, Su. You achieve a light and airy look even with dark floors and color...gorgeous!
DeleteI think your home is beautiful, Kim. It is YOUR house and YOU should decide what is "in style". I am pretty basic neutral (not white though) and more traditional. I like it because I can add pops of color to make it my own. I have done neutrals for years because we have rehabbed and sold 14 houses (this is #15) so- neutrals make a great sales point.
ReplyDeleteYour home is gorgeous. My dining room is about the same color as your bedroom...love it!!! xo Diana
Thanks so much, Diana! Your home is lovely and I adore you dining room. 15 houses, huh? I bet that at some point, you have dabbled in just about every style there is!
DeleteI am not a blogger, just a "studier". My home is full of color, starting with a plaid sofa. I look for what the white and neutral shades say to me. I have found that moving away from all saturated colors and adding some pops of white actually plays up the colors I want better. I believe you should decorate for yourself, however you can always learn new ways to express your style. Just like life.
ReplyDeleteVery true, Jann, inspiration everywhere and it is lovely to look at and employed when desired.
DeleteThe only trend I follow is to love my home - I have to have color, too, and not colors a designer or another blog tells me to. I feel affronted by that sometimes - everything wood does not have to painted over to disguise that it's wood, you know? Your home has to speak to you and your family, no one else!
ReplyDeleteI am a big fan of wood. I used to love the painted look, but as I have aged, ah-hem, I have come to really appreciate natural wood, old or new, and all of its flaws. In style or not, I just like what I like!! Thanks for weighing in! :)
DeleteNot me! I've decorated and used all my family pieces from crocks, quilts to graniteware. Does it look old and frumpy? No. It looks like somewhere there is love and a fondness of pieces that were loved too! Just like you, my home is my own.
ReplyDeleteAnd that is all that matters, Ann! Your place sounds delightful!
DeleteYou know how much I adore color. All white would bore me to tears.
ReplyDeleteBrenda
I'm right there with you, Brenda! I need a pop of something!
DeleteTried trendy several times and was tired of it before the paint dried, lol! About three years ago, I decided to decorate with my heart and while, not trendy or everyone's favorite, my home makes me happy and feels like home. To me, that's what makes anyone's home beautiful - if the people who live there are happy! Your home is gorgeous!!! Jane
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jane. I agree and have always been a firm believer that when you fill a house with what you love, it will always be home!
DeleteI love color! I enjoy looking at the all white homes but mixing it up...just about like you do is more my style. White bedspread with red pillows. :) White bedspread with robin's egg blue pillows. :) I've considered a white couch with colorful pillows but I'm chicken!
ReplyDeleteI finally traded my red plaid couches for white a few years ago, Stacey and I love them but I have to say that I do miss the red plaid. Although, truth be told, the white is easier to clean! Can't bleach red!! ;)
DeleteI love color too and have my walls and rooms different colors with white trim. I love your style and decor and I love your views on decorating. Hope you have a nice week. P.S. Sorry for saying love so much! LOL!
ReplyDeleteJulie xo
You can never say love too many times to me, Julie!! I LOVE your comment!! ;)
DeleteMy house is filled with things that I like or love. It is not so much that I search out pieces but I can't seem to part with the pieces that I have. It is a style that defies definition. :D I have both painted (white pieces and black pieces) wood and stained (four different colors) wood in the same room. My furniture runs the gamut of purchased old or family pieces or hand me downs. I have a floral loveseat and a paisley couch. My kitchen has both old painted cupboards and chrome shelving. Like you I love color. I have white trim, and a couple of white walls but no whole room is painted white. My youngest is an interior architect (cross between and architect and an interior designer) and she probably cringes at my rooms. Or maybe not. She is really into midcentury modern and she is buying older stuff than me.
ReplyDeleteYour home actually sounds very stylized and eclectic, Lorri. I bet it's the epitome of home and just lovely. I love mixing woods and period pieces with modern decor. I think it builds interest in a home. Besides, if you like all the pieces individually, if they are all favorites, it's bound to be a great room!!
DeleteI love that you don't let the current trends dictate how you decorate. I try to do the same. I love all white, honestly I do, but I have to have color. I just love it too much!
ReplyDeleteI am in complete awe when I see the photos in magazines and on blogs, it's always stunning and lovely, but it just doesn't translate in my home for some reason. I just crave color!!
DeleteI love white, I love color, and I'm determined that I can make both work together. And you do a great job of it, too, Kim. Gray... on the other hand. That seems to be everyone's favorite, too. It's lovely... but I could never live in a gray room.... you?
ReplyDeleteNo, I don’t believe I would be comfortable in a gray room either, Diane. I have seen photos of gray kitchens and they are stunning, but much like the white, it’s not my cup of tea! :) Hope you are having a fabulous evening!
DeleteWe have color in every room. I recently asked if we could paint the kitchen white and I was told that white would get too dirty. So I will look at beautiful white rooms from afar.
ReplyDeleteWhite does get dirty, Kathy, I agree with that...but, it's also the only color I know of that I can clean right up with bleach! I certainly can't do that with my floral couch! I just have to hope the stain is camouflaged! ;)
DeleteI love color! And I love white. :-) I have a white kitchen with blue accents. The rest of our home is color. I enjoy your style. I love what you do with red.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your Spotlight with Kris! xx oo
Have a great week!
Carla
Thanks Carla! I love a white kitchen with colorful accents. I bet it’s gorgeous, but more importantly it’s home! :)
DeleteI like white but I have to have some kind of color too. I'm not really a trendy person either. I find that I look more for things that I love and not for things that follow a certain trend.
ReplyDeleteI would say that I am the same way...I like what I like, trendy or not!
DeleteI like my own style . . . although I pick up ideas here and there and they influence me too. I am quite plain in my furniture color, style. More traditional . Straight lines. I do like to mix patterns and textures. Minimalist might be my name.
ReplyDeleteYour home sounds very interesting, Lynne and I am sure it is warm and inviting…just like you! :)
DeleteI think your home looks great, Kim! I really like color, too. That said, I'm so glad that we painted our cabinets but even more glad that we didn't go white-white. It just wouldn't have looked that good in our home. I think trends are interesting, but not necessarily something everyone has to follow. I believe you just have to be true to yourself.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, Carol! I think your cabinets are great and they work for you. Nothing else should matter!
DeleteKim,
ReplyDeleteAs much as white calls to me and I love looking at all white rooms, I still am drawn back to blue. Years ago when we were selecting tile, colors, carpet, ... from builder grade options, the builder's designer convinced me not to install blue in my new house. I lived in that house for 8 years until we built our dream house. I installed blue laminate countertops in my kitchen 27 years ago and still love them. Yes, I still have the same inexpensive laminate blue countertops. So, I say, live with what you love, not with what others prefer.
Judith
Judith, I totally agree! I have seen your kitchen and it’s gorgeous. Of course, it only matters that you love it, but I think that those colored countertops really warm up the room and add interest.
DeleteI love white, and adding accents of color as well. I tend to go with what I like, far more than what the "trend" is. I certainly can't afford to be changing up too much, as that gets expensive! I just go with what I like, and find bits and pieces of ideas in magazines, stores etc. to inspire me, but I would not go out and just change my whole decor to follow a "trend". I love the way you have decorated your home, and the charming touch to all your rooms. :)
ReplyDeleteOnce I make a decision, I usually stick with it for a good long time...like decades long! I change out accessories and add inexpensive DIY projects to keep the rooms interesting, but trends are not generally for me, either!
DeleteJust be you!
ReplyDeleteRead this post - http://thewillowfarmhouse.com/2015/04/make-your-home-unique/
I just did. Awesome, Carol. Thanks for sharing! :)
DeleteI must have French blood in me for my choices are from my own personal "artistic" sensibilities. For example, I serve all food on white plates....I see the white as a canvas to allow the color of the food to pop out; same with rooms. I love white and white walls for me lend themselves to let other pieces speak! So for me, WHITE WHITE WHITE with gray furniture, and occasional pops of color according to the season and MY MOOD!!
ReplyDeleteBut this is art. To each person's taste, to each person's comfort zone. Your cottage is SUBLIME, Kim! Anita
Thanks so much! I feel exactly the same way as you do, Anita. My home is my palate and I paint with fabric and furniture! I have to like what I see or I am not happy. Your style is sublime, as well! You truly have an artist’s eye!
DeleteAlways go with what you love or you will be miserable in your home. Our homes are a reflection of US, not others and not what is "trendy". Love the colors in your home!! Right now, I'm in my white and light phase because of the style of house we live in, but there are pops of color in my accents. My color choices change all the time. In one of my previous homes, when thin, smaller scale furniture was more popular, I had a big, bulky floral sofa and loveseat....and I LOVED it! I had that set for over 10 years and finally had to part with it when it was damaged during a move. Broke my heart, otherwise, it would still be sitting in our living room! :-) Beautiful home!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Benita! You are exactly right, I always say decorate with what you love and it will be fabulous.
DeleteYour home will always be "in style", Kim, because you have impeccable taste, and impeccable taste is never outdated. You have a classic cottage and it's decorated beautifully. Your living room has always reminded me of an English country home. Perfect. In the past two years, as we've planned our new home, I've looked at countless home decor photos for inspiration. I love to look at all white homes, I just don't want to live in one. It's not me. Besides, I'm married to an artist. A home without color? Not gonna happen. Hugs my friend. Nancy
ReplyDeleteNancy, thank you for your very sweet words about my home and for honest comment about real life. The magazines and inspiration photos are lovely to look at, but they may not be the right look or functional in our actual homes. I like big areas of white, but I do need a healthy dose of color to offset it. How lucky you are to have a pro able to add color for you! ;)
DeleteI love your home! (Doesn't hurt that you have the same sofa I do - ha, ha.) More important - YOU need to love your home. It is fun to look at magazines, blogs, etc. but the choices we make should reflect what makes us happy. You go girl! :)
ReplyDeleteWe have the same sofa??? I love that!! I am sure that I would feel right at home in your living room! Awesome! :) Thanks for the comment!
DeleteOh NO...you cannot be out of date!!!!! Your home is beautiful and always makes me smile!! Besides, if you go to changin' things, I will be in trouble with my red dining room wall!!! (I am such a good copy cat :^)
ReplyDeleteI really don't think "trendy" can be at the top of the list except with show homes and homes that are for sale. A REAL home has to reflect the hearts of the people whom it protects!
Blessings to you,
J
We red girls have to stick together, J! You are so kind, your comments always make me smile…and I couldn’t agree with your comment about a real home more!! Exactly!! :) I hope you have a fabulously colorful evening!
DeleteI love trends, but truly, I've learned not to follow ones that I really don't like. I love my home the way it is and the way I can change things around, be it trendy or not. What's important is that you love it yourself, your the most important client for sure. And I know you agree with me on this ;-)
ReplyDeleteYup, I agree with you 100%, Vel! :)
DeleteI thought I wanted an all white house until I painted everything in my living room, dining room and hallway white. It felt like a hospital! So, I went the OTHER extreme and picked colors *I* wanted, rather than what was popular on Pinterest. I love color and feel so much happier with it surrounding me. I like the white look mixed in with colors, like you do. I used to be very safe with color. Resale value and all. Until one day I just decided, to heck with resale value! I'm going to make my house the way I want it. I can always repaint, and that's usually what we do when we resell anyway, right?
ReplyDeleteI love to look at those all white houses, too, Kimberly, but when I went there myself, I wasn’t happy. I crave color! Glad you embraced your true decorating style! Enjoy those colorful rooms! ;)
DeleteKim ~ I love the color you use in your home and I think we both love greens and reds. I can go wild with blue too! Truthfully I think the all neutral can be done tastefully but it is soo boring. The "industry" has to make money so they really changed things up, didn't they?!! I don't understand why pretty went out. I am constantly looking for pretty and it's not around anymore. All the industrial stuff with no color is similar to the hardware store!!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree!! I miss floral patterns and delicate prints, crimson and deep toned furniture and accents. Your posts always captivate me and it's definitely the color! Keep it coming!! :)
DeleteI love color too and I think using it is great way to decorate!
ReplyDeleteI adore white, I really do, but I think I love it more when paired with color...like you said, a great way to decorate! :)
DeleteIf I was uber rich and could go buy whatever I wanted, starting all over, the last thing that I'd do was look for a TREND. I'd do what I wanted ; my own taste and color.
ReplyDeleteHere, here, Deb! Here's hoping your next lotto ticket is a winner! ;)
DeleteLove color. Moved into an all neutral house and that lasted until I could get a box unpacked! Next, paint brushes and paint...
ReplyDeletePicking colors for a new house is one of my favorite things to do! ;) So many possibilities!
DeleteI seldom follow any short-lived trends, but about the time things swing a certain direction I find that I too am ready for a change. I kinda redo everything every 6-8 years or so......it's easy for me because I don't like color so am a happy camper with all the non color inspiration out there. I like browns greens, black and white,/ivory/creams......I love your home and am happy you are content too. I enjoy visiting color very much, just can't live around it much.
ReplyDeleteMichele, I just popped over and your decor is gorgeous. I love your use of neutrals! That is what I miss in magazines…variety! There are so many charming looks out there and I don’t think they are represented in the pages. Good thing I have my blog friends to keep me inspired! Thanks so much for the visit! :)
DeleteKim, I think your house looks absolutely beautiful! My rule of thumb for decorating has always been, if I like it, it works. I do have a white couch which I love because I can change pillows and throws and change the whole look of the room. But I gave up the white walls for greens and blue. Like you, I have a pine hutch and I love it. I asked myself if it looked dated and then decided I don't care - I love it just like it is.
ReplyDeleteThanks Susan! I agree and always have thought that what a person loves, is what makes a home beautiful. Seems I am good company! ;) Your home sounds lovely!
DeleteYour home is gorgeous Kim! Before I decorated with all neutrals, I had color everywhere. Dark red, golds and greens. I needed a change and I had always wanted to decorate with whites, way before it was a trend, so I decided it was my chance. I love it, and I think it suits this house very well. I have never been one to follow what everyone else does, surround yourself with things you love, that's my "rule" for decorating:)
ReplyDeleteIt's an excellent rule, Rhonda....and from a girl who doesn't like rules, it's the only decorating rule I follow myself!! ;)
DeleteOkay, Kim, my fellow colour gal pal, no need to go into the drill, since you know my entire home is filled with colour, just as your is, and I couldn't care less what's on trend! Actually, I have even stopped subscribing to one of my favourite Canadian home decor magazines because they have just gone too cold and modern and monotone on me! There's only so much white a girl can take, right?!
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend!
Poppy
Poppy, I still giggle every time I think about your comment, many, many posts ago, about how you and I must be the only bloggers left with floral couches! I love that pattern and I can't imagine the room in a monotone palette! Glad to have such a colorful buddy on my decor journey!
DeleteKim, I have always admired your home, Your style is beautiful. Dated??? Not a chance! I love flower prints and dark furniture and yes! lots and lots of pops of colors.Even when I try to go lighter, it ends up being bright. I always tell my husband that I think is that Spanish blood running through my veins. LOL Have a great weekend! xxx Maria
ReplyDeleteMaria, you are so sweet, thank you! I love your use of color and maybe it does come from your heritage! I think that definitely plays into what we gravitate to.
DeleteI've noticed a change in myself - these days I prefer a lighter palette, smaller patterns, paler colors. I wonder why.
ReplyDeleteAmalia
xo
I preferred pastels when I was first married and our cottage was decked out in purples and greens, white and yellows. This house called for more drama and a lot of red. I think we change and it's great to be inspired by others. I crave the lighter palates in the spring and summer...hmmm.
DeleteI would never say your style is dated. You have a lovely home filled with things you enjoy. I like to change things up, but I wouldn't say I do it because of a trend. Trends fade...
ReplyDeleteThank you, Brandi and you're right, trends fade. I'm just getting tired of looking at the same stuff in every magazine I pick up! Thank goodness for the blogs! ;)
DeleteYou know my house is a color riot! Good for you for raising the question. I am not blogging a ton any more, mainly because what I like does not seem to follow the grey/white trend with all the farmhouse junk that everyone seems so into these days. I have always loved color, and while I admire those white on white spaces, I would never be able to keep it that way. Your home should be a reflection of your own tastes, and to heck with the current fad.
ReplyDeleteI adore your color, Ellen, I miss seeing it around at parties! I could always tell exactly which links were yours just from your fabulous photos. I have stopped buying magazines, because they are boring and bland...I still blog and in full color, but I am not the most popular girl on the block, that is for sure!! ;)
DeleteI think you have a beautiful home! I pay no attention to trends. My cabin is filled with meaningful things and most of them are whatever color they came as. I do like some white and texture is a big one for me. A very interesting post and I enjoyed reading all the comments.
ReplyDeleteI am not a trendy girl either, Ronda. I am just always curious if those magazine trends really do influence people. I guess not here in blogland! :)
DeleteLove your color! I'm scared of color (painting my walls that is) but I don't follow any trends. I follow what I love. If I see something I like in those magazines and want to copy it then I do. I think you would be happier with color surrounding you and I love what you did.
ReplyDeleteI am so much happier with color, but I enjoy the serenity of white and love to drool over it...it just doesn't work for me!
Delete