Winter White

Cozy winter still life: mug of hot tea and warm woolen knitting on vintage windowsill against snow landscape from outside.

photo from istock

There are few colors that capture my imagination like white in the winter. The wind blows fresh snow into our gardens, and white frost greets us on our windows in the morning. The world slows down.

 

 

In January, the color white is a promise of simplicity. I am enchanted.

 

 

 

Even without a snowfall, white clouds in a winter sky have a stunning clarity.

The purity of white, its neutrality and its ability to blend with any other color makes it perfect in design, and art, and architecture. A white house, for instance:

 

white house

photo from istock

A white bedroom is so very peaceful.

 

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I have always said that the most beautiful rooms are white plus one other color. That combination creates instant serenity, a feeling of airiness and openness that no other color can offer.

 

Trudy-CT-21

 

Benjamin Moore chose their Simply White (OC-117) as their color of the year for 2016.

 

If you use white plus one color, a great tip is to choose one fabulous fabric, then repeat, repeat, repeat! Less is often more. The eye needs a place to rest.

 

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White has always been the color of new beginnings, a clean slate. It represents innocence, making it a perfect color for weddings. (At least here in the United States. In China, red is the color frequently chosen by brides!)

The tablescape, below, is from my wedding. I used white roses, white hydrangeas, white tulips and white lilies of the valley in silver chalices, along with white votive candles and white shells. It still takes my breath away.

 

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White is also associated with cleanliness, sterility, and safety, making it an excellent choice for kitchens.

 

3TJ-Nantucket-163-web

 

Dogs look marvelous in white!

 

047 8x10 email Trudy, Frank and dogs

G.G., Tuffy, and Ellie. Also Trudy and Frank

Although some people (Women on Fire founder Debbie Phillips and her husband, Rob Berkley) prefer white cats.

 

debbie phillips wilbur

Wilbur

I love my white bedroom on Nantucket.

 

Dujardin Madaket 025

 

White is soothing in a place to sit and read.

 

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It’s perfect in a dining room.

 

blue and white vases dining room

 

I’ve always loved white sofas…

 

living room 2

 

white starfish…

 

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or starfish with white…

 

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the beauty of blue and white…

 

bedroom blue and white

 

White is the perfect color for marshmallows…

 

Gourmet Hot Chocolate Milk

photo from istock

for snow hares…

 

snowshoe hare

photo from istock

for outdoor furniture…

 

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for flowers…

 

bee at work

photo from istock

and lamps.

 

cake plate on desk

 

As someone who has always lived on the coast, either in Connecticut or on my beautiful Nantucket Island, I think I like it best in sand–

 

 

 

and shells–

 

shells white

photo from istock

and sea.

 

stormy ocean

photo from istock

Luckily, I don’t have to choose.

 

sitting room

 

White is beautiful everywhere.

 

interior6f