If you are stuck with white walls in your rental and aren't allowed to repaint in color, you have two options: ask the landlord if you can repaint in white (a softer, more forgiving white!) or go with the flow and make the most of what you have. After all, white walls can be terrific! A monochromatic white walled home can be cool, minimalist and chic or the perfect blank canvas to showcase color, texture and personality in your furnishings and artwork.
Images:
Maxime Masters a Rental. In this serenely monochromatic rental, natural and neutral colors make a subtle statement against white walls.
Haley & Ted's Bright White Cottage. Bright, colorful art brings this white room to life.
Polly & Ben's Sherman Oaks Shangri-La. This room, with its mid-century modern furniture, could look overly sanitized but it doesn't thanks to soft lighting, warm woods, and little pops of color.
Lots of artwork and cozy inviting furniture are a perfect antidote to white walls in Cate & Davy's Cozy Home.
Liz's Well-Edited Half of A Durham Duplex. Here is an example of how white walls draw attention to your shelves--so keep them tidy and colorful! The mustard and grey accents are modern but earthy and soft enough to create a cozy atmosphere.
Sources: As credited above.
The Ultimate Used Furniture Cleaning Kit
Ana Creates a Community at Home
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Z2 iPod Dock and Wi...
Soda Recipe: Homemade Ginger Ale
Recipe: Spring Fruit and Nut Tabouli
Renters' Solutions
These all look beautiful. If only, confined within my white walls, there wasn't wall-to-wall brown carpet.
I helped my daughter change her Institutional Buff Builders Paint walls a beautiful soft white with a decent quality paint. Made all the difference and the landlord is cool with it.
This pictures all have great wood floors. I have to agree with Spun Sugar since I have the same problem with wall-to-wall ugly beige carpeting. And they didn't consitently paint the crown moulding (sp) so some of it is white and some the original brown wood. If only apartments were really as nice as the ones in these pictures.
I seriously just commented on a post yesterday about my idea for covering my white apartment walls! Well I just started working on the solution, so you will have to check back for updates: http://devonsharon.blogspot.com
Pssst: It's a mural that you can take with you when you move, or move the whole thing to a different room entirely!
I feel like the space must be interesting in order for all white walls to work. Unfortunately, most apartments look like the typical apartment. :-/
I think white walls can look amazing- such a great canvas to start a room with!
I recently worked on a condo redesign with white walls and lots of pops of pattern and colour. You can check it out here:
http://thesweetestdigs.com/2012/02/28/collins-condo-redesign-living-room-reveal/
Our house was an estate home and the daughter had it painted in chalky white contractor paint before she put it on the market. I've been slowly re-painting, but our living room and hallway are pretty large, and I just haven't gotten to those areas yet. I think when I do re-paint, I'm going to keep it white, though. Just in a softer shade with a bit more sheen. I actually like the way the white looks with all of our furniture, etc. I don't like that I can't scrub kid fingerprints off of the flat paint. It's definitely on my list of "to-do's".
I love our white walls! I make no apologies for them either. It's the best blank canvas. If you get tired, you change the decor accent color in the rooms and don't have to re-paint. It creates a nice fresh, clean open space in our home.