Yesterday's chic home colors were teal and brown, today's are a muted palette of gray, lavender, and blush. Tomorrow, who knows?
If only you could get away with simple, easy white.
Psst. You can. Check out Instagram. White rooms get so much Insta-love. And no wonder, because white for interior walls is a no-brainer for home value. See why.
White Shows Off Your Home's Best Features
Like a canvas, this pure hue acts as a backdrop for your home's highlights, making floors, cabinetry, fireplaces, and doorways pop.
And every time those easy-to-spot architectural details give you a little "wow" moment, remember who else they're sure to wow: future home buyers.
Plus white walls work with any architectural style.
It's the Best Color to Paint a Kitchen
Even better, if your home's bones are a little-bit-of-this, a little-bit-of-that, white can tie it all together.
REALTORS® rank a kitchen remodel as the project most likely to have the wow factor that will help sell a home quickly. You'll if you choose white for that remodel.
Plus, white is clean and fresh, two words you definitely want to associate with your kitchen.
And no future home buyer is going to walk away saying, "Can you believe that white kitchen? What were they thinking?"
It Looks Fresh and Clean
"Clean and fresh" are words you want your kitchen — and your entire home — to evoke. Dirt, mold, mildew, water stains — none of them can hide against white surfaces.
And the sooner you see the grime, the easier it is to deal with.
Houseplants (and Humans) Love It
Whether you share your home with giant fiddle-leaf figs, wee succulents, or every green thing you can get your hands on, white's knack for maximizing light makes houseplants super happy.
Which, in turn, is likely to make you happy — because plants clean the air, giving you a home that's not just beautiful, but healthier, too.
It Makes Bedrooms Serene
Your home should be an escape from the color and chaos of daily life. Your bedroom should do double duty in that regard. White will do that.
Make your bedroom whites feel warmer with classic lighting — like bedside sconces or a small chandelier on dimmers. Use warm light bulbs, rather than lights with a blue tint, since blue light works against white's calming powers.
White Makes Rooms Look Bigger
In the same way white makes rooms look brighter, it can also make rooms look bigger. (It's the magic of color reflection at work.) Painting the walls and trim all white lets the eye flow around the room without stopping, which helps create the illusion of largeness.
It Puts All Eyes on Color
Choosing white doesn't mean divesting the entire room of color. After all, color is a major way to make your home feel like you. Using white as your home's base makes the colors you do use steal the spotlight, putting more you into every square inch.
It's Not Really Cold and Sterile
White gets a bad rap for being cold – even sterile — at times. But these rooms? We're ready to move in.