Colour Focus: White

Hot time, summer in the city and what better way to stay cool (aside from jumping through a sprinkler) is to wear white.  The colour white is at the extreme end of the colour spectrum in terms of shade and hue and is thought to be associated with purity and cleanliness and is found throughout nature.  But what makes the colour white so appealing is its contrast to black - both of which are on opposite ends of the spectrum.  The combination of white and black has been a classic pairing throughout the ages and is especially pleasing to the eye when draped on the body.


The colour white is a universal colour (as is the colour black) which can be paired with any combination of colours because it acts as a base.  This cannot be said for any other colour due to its position in the spectrum which is what makes this colour so very appealing.  There is nothing more poetic than pairing a crisp white linen trouser with a stunning turquoise shell and candy apple red handbag for a twist on the nautical or to provide a sense of the tropics.  Or a clean white button down blouse with a navy pencil skirt suit for a classic silhouette.  And who's to say that you cannot go head to toe in a flowing white maxi-length dress with a wide brimmed straw hat and big movie star sunglasses for a cool and refined look.  Your options are endless with the colour white.

With the colour white don't be afraid to punch it up with florals, prints, stripes, bold and bright colours because this base colour can take it.  As you can see with the selections above that head-to-toe white is just as beautiful as it is when you introduce a hit of colour so don't be afraid to take a risk and a leap of faith, you'll love it!


White is also a good introduction into your home decor as well as it is on your body.  You can go daring with an entire room decked out in various hues of white from off-white to bright white to create a dreamy effect, but for the less daring, accessorizing your home with collections of pieces can create a similar effect and helps to ground your decor.  


Adding white into your home decor with large pieces of furniture is a quick way to gain large-scale impact, but don't forget that you still need to tie in these large pieces.  For example, if your living room is mostly wood-tones and naturals and you introduce a white sofa it will look pretty yes, but you will need to add white hued accessories to the remaining decor in order to tie everything in together.  The addition of a group of white vases, or ceramic fruit in a bowl alongside a large sofa-sized print that has a white background and lamps with white shades all do the trick to tie the room together.  And remember proportions, this is critical in any room decor scheme, if you have smaller objects group them together to create the illusion of scale - just something to keep in mind.

White in your home can range from ultra modern to sleek and sophisticated so the look you want to achieve is entirely up to you.  Be sure to play around with textures and hues so not to leave yourself with an entirely blank canvas (so to speak) with white walls, white furniture and all white accessories.  Play it up a bit and most importantly have fun while doing it!


Happy Shopping!!


Courtesy of:
Le Chateau
Mango
BCBG Max Azria
Crate and Barrel
Structube