Am I the only one craving sanctuary-like white decor and tranquil interiors to soothe the rough edges away from home? I shared in my last post how I haven’t always lived inside a tone-on-tone palette. Yet once I discovered the ease and beauty of white interiors, well, it was a new beginning.
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More Sanctuary-Like White Decor
Understated Tones for Exteriors
For me, something magic happens when the palette outdoors is also more restrained.
In a snowbird house we fixed up for ourselves, vintage dining furniture found new life with white:
Ivory white cushions and mist grey linen pillows on patio chairs extended the calm from inside our former fixer.
Have I ever met an ivory, oatmeal, putty, natural, or ecru linen I did not love?
No, madame.
Living with tranquility both indoors and outdoors creates a cohesive sense of refuge. Is that not why we devote energy to homemaking in the first place? When you know yourself and are in touch with your desires, you can make choices rooted in such knowing.
What tones relax you?
A rainbow of whites includes linen, putty, stone, oak, greige, ivory, and more. It need not feel like a sterile lab.
When White Feels Like Sanctuary
Leaving the hustle and chaos of modern life behind to recharge and rest is within reach with quiet color palettes. Maybe it is because my own inner life is vibrant that I need my environment to soothe and whisper.
Whatever the case may be, retreating to a sanctuary seems more essential than ever.
Our homes must work hard for us in modern times.
Tone on Tone Lovely Finds
Someone with a different point of view might find all of the cool whites and silvery tones far too sedate. Knowing your desires is everything.
But images only tell a part of the story. For example, the long painted bench above is one we commissioned a quarter of a century ago along with a harvest table. Made from the siding of a local 1800s barn, it is where our sons plopped down for meals, homework, and games. There is nothing flat or lifeless about it when you see its scars, age, square nails, and texture in person. It sometimes serves as a shallow table in our living room.
Colorful pops of color feel right at home to certain folks and downright violent to others like me!
White roses are a simple way to enjoy white at home and look good everywhere.
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White is Magic in a Bath
Anyone object to the clean white of a bath?
A white bath often feels timeless, soothing, pristine and optimistic. I was reminded of just how valuable a “clean feel” is since the bath we inherited here at the Georgian was enveloped in chocolate brown.
It wasn’t simply oppressive and dark, it always felt dirty and dated.
Psst. These white marble trays can tidy up any number of things in a bath or beyond.
A recent guest who toured our home asked if we brought our clawfoot tub along from our former home. I would have loved to since it was the sweetest fun-sized maid’s tub:
But no. We hunted down another vintage tub from a 1920s bungalow up North where the owners were happy for us to repurpose it as they remodeled.
White Trim With Natural Wood
Even though the popularity of modern farmhouse style often embraces black and white, I’m still not sold on high contrasts for my own home.
I favor softer transitions and the mix of naturally subtle tones.
When I decided to add natural knotty wood doors with white trim back in 2015, there weren’t many homeowners or designers going for that look.
Now it is commonplace!
Challenges to Keep White Interiors Clean?
Here’s a topic that is easy for me to address since I have lived with white for decades and also raised messy kids.
Additionally, we inherited a home peppered with dark brown finishes everywhere. Dark brown granite, dark brown trim, tiles and doors and cabinets with chocolate brown. Was day to day living easier or at least more forgiving with deep dark colors?
Heavens no! The dust! The fingerprints, crumbs and smudges on glossy brown! I hated it and learned firsthand how living with colors wrong for you depresses mood. It’s a subjective matter.
Wrong for you colors do not lead to “easy living.”
If you have a minute please do add your own thoughts to this rainbow of white topic. And if you haven’t entered this incredible giveaway at Ulta…
I hope you win!
Glimpses of Me a Decade Ago + Warm Whites
It’s still October and breast cancer awareness month, so here’s a blast from the past after I chose to lower my 87% risk of developing BC by having prophylactic surgeries to remove ovaries and breast tissue.
Breast cancer is deadly on both sides of my family. Some of my aunts even passed away in their 40s with the aggressive nature of our genetic mutation and the disease. I’m fortunate to still be here and happy to report my mom remains in remission from cancer. While she lives with a significant amount of daily pain and physical limitations, we thank God for tender mercies flowing her way.
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Personal Reflections
Grief is never far these days with assorted heartaches, aging family members, and both career and health woes. I suppose it is why my heart and mind so often turn toward recovery, healing, and the creative transformation of pain.
Right where you are, I wish you wider access to beauty flowing from realms unseen.
I wish you healthier air to breathe, this very moment, to settle your nervous system and invigorate your body.
I wish you coping strategies and escapes from harsh sources of bitterness weakening your resolve.
I wish you an otherworldly flow of loving kindness to carry you over dry stretches of earth when your strength is not perfect.
You are never alone. When loss and despair find you, something beautiful is on the way too. Is the Grief House now your home? I am in a neighboring room. Do your tears flow easily? Your eyes are lovelier glistening.
If warmth rises from the white spaces between these words, maybe we’re together in the same cozy warmth. Maybe the source is holy fire burning through the centuries, warming the universe since the beginning. Even as our worlds grow colder, it won’t be extinguished.
Let me hide myself in this holy glow even as I muddle through this Mystery of Mysteries.
Peace to you right where you are.
-michele
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