How To Be Mad About Your House

We need to talk about white paint

with KATE WATSON-SMYTH — Design expert, journalist, best-selling author. Creator of UK's #1 interiors blog and podcast.

Lesson 19 of 29

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When painting a home, white is often the default choice. Kate challenges you to think critically about painting your home white, encouraging you to experiment with neutrals.

From the Lesson Workbook

We Need to Talk About White Paint

People frequently choose white as their default colour. Warmer cream shades will benefit a north-facing room. In north-facing rooms, a pale shade of blue, green, or pink works well as a neutral. If you want white, you should really think about it.

Georgians used a single colour for their trim, doors, and woodwork. By painting inexpensive radiators the same colour as the walls, you can hide them and make them blend in. You can use eggshell paint, wood paint, or metal paint. If your walls were wallpapered, choose a colour from the wallpaper and use it to paint your radiators.

Varieties of Whites

Avoid brilliant whites in favour of cotton, linen, chalk, or milk, which are safer creamier whites.

Different Neutrals

Red Neutrals

Warm-Yellow Based Neutrals

Dark Neutrals

Grey Neutrals

Green-Based Neutrals

Pink-Based Neutrals

Neutral Colour Wheel

Cool neutrals

Warm neutrals

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Kate Watson-Smyth

Your Instructor

Kate Watson-Smyth

Design expert, journalist, best-selling author. Creator of UK's #1 interiors blog and podcast.

Kate Watson-Smyth is an award-winning design journalist and author of the best-selling Mad About The House book series. She has spent the last 20 years writing extensively on interiors and design for publications including the Financial Times, The Independent and The Sunday Telegraph. Her home has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Elle Decoration and Livingetc, and her acclaimed website, MadAboutTheHouse.com, is officially voted the UK’s No1 interiors blog.

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