Don't believe art and other wall hangings could possibly mimic the impact that a bold, colored wall could bring into your home? We respectfully submit a few homes who have successfully done so for your approval. There seems to be a few tricks to really making this method successful:
Large scale It stands to reason that if you're not allowed to paint a wall a color but really want a wall to be a color, find large-sized posters and canvases that will allow you to hang a lot of color, at the very least.
Let the art go overboard If you've got to stick to very white walls only, don't be afraid to find art that experiments with lots of colors and energetic patterns; this will heighten their impact.
Don't be afraid to paint other things Even if you're not allowed to slap some hues on the actual wall itself, no one said anything about painting frames or other hang-able accessories in the color you want. Combine that with bold and colorful art and folks won't even notice your lack of wall color.
Remember that white walls actually can be a good thing Why do you think so many art galleries employ them? They make art pop and will make your space seem clean, open and fresh, to boot. Don't see them as a handicap...see your whole space as one white canvas with which to use art as the paintbrush!
What do you think? Are you not fooled by bringing in color through just art and wall hangings? Or have you successfully pulled off this wall paint-less colorful trick?
(Images: Gene Na; The Deco Detective blog; Adrienne Breaux)
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I've used that approach successfully. The white walls become a good background and a welcome break for the eyes.
I'm not a renter, but my future dream is for my home to have white walls with loads of colorful art. My house has ugly, green tiles in excellent shape (just really unapealling) throughout. Since we can't afford to replace perfectly sound tiles in our whole house, we painted the walls a muted stone color which made the green floor tiles less noticeable. Someday.
Absolutely awesome idea!
That's one benefit to being an artist that's completely unmotivated to market my art at the moment - I've got a big stash at home to add color to the walls!!
My stash of paintings
I am not a fan of white walls...never have been. I ALWAYS throw color up on them B U T...TRULY LOVE THIS IDEA!! Thanks AP for allowing me to see the 'other' side of white walls. Oh, BTW...love the celestial rug. If anyone knows where that can be purchase, please post. :o)
Fire Wife Katie - your art is absolutly awesome. And a perfect example of bringing colors in !
@Lyonstill- The celestial rug is made up of FLOR tiles.
This is what I have done with our place, down with wallpaper, paneling, dark paints and on with a pure white paint, everything looks so much bigger and brighter and shows off not only the artwork and the furniture but also the architecture much, much better.
I really love colour, but the walls will probably always stay white.
This is funny. A year ago, just about everyone had to have red walls.
Thanks, Marie-Eve!!
This is exactly what I try and emphasis to my own clients. You can have a neutral overall decor and still have a space that feels comfortable. It's all about that last 10% and the accessories. I talk about it more here: http://www.whartoninteriors.com/blog-0/bid/98949/How-to-use-short-term-trends-in-interior-decorating
What I wouldn't give for white walls! The townhouse I just moved into is painted a horrible "cookie-crumb" camel with white trim and doors. The walls look almost gold in yellow light and flat taupe in white light, and of course I'm not allowed to change it. My earth-tone furniture looks fine, but things like my light blue curtains look dreadful. I can cover a lot of it with hanging textiles from Mexico and India, but I'm definitely going to have to invest in some poster frames and huge prints to draw the eye away from the mud-colored walls.