Why You Should Choose The Colour White For Your Next Renovation Project

Choosing a colour scheme for your property can feel like a daunting task – there are so many different options that it can be difficult to know where to start. Light and airy rooms provide a blank canvas and encourage natural light within a space, but rich, contrasting colours can add a sense of drama and luxury to a space.

One of the most important things to consider when choosing the colour scheme for a property is to think about the building’s use – is it a commercial space or a family home? Will you be living there, or is the building an investment to rent out or sell on? Thinking about the property’s end goal will help you make practical decisions, but if you’re not sure, one of the best decisions you can make is to go for white.

A blank canvas

White is often seen as the stereotypical colour for rental or commercial properties – you would be forgiven for allowing the media to convince you that first-time buyers can’t wait to paint the walls or change the flooring, but that’s usually not the case.

Regardless of what the property is destined to be, white is always a great choice that allows the space to have flexibility throughout different seasons or life changes. 

White goes with everything, which is why it’s regularly chosen for rental properties. It provides a blank canvas for individuals or businesses to add their own personal style by choosing furniture, hanging artwork and filling the space with personal touches.

When a space is painted white, it’s much easier for potential buyers or tenants to create a mental picture of how the space will look under their stewardship. 

As the result of a recent study, the UK property website Rightmove listed ways that owners could improve the value of their homes. One of the biggest takeaways from the survey was that presentation is vital – the Rightmove blog entry urged homeowners to give their spaces a fresh coat of white paint before putting the property on the market.

A trick of the light

Ensuring that a room is light and bright is one of the best ways to get more out of a space, whether you intend to rent, sell or live in it yourself. White has the power to affect how the sun lights a space and can help to create a trick of the eye.

White flooring or white walls can make a space feel much brighter, not just because the room’s colour is lighter. The colour white reflects light, while darker colours absorb light waves.

When light – either natural or artificial – hits the colour white, it bounces off – this is why homes are often painted white, and photographers often use white backdrops. When light is reflected back into the room, it makes the space feel even brighter. This is one of the main reasons that a room decorated with light colours can feel larger.

Cleanliness

White is a popular colour for use throughout the house, but it’s most commonly seen in bathrooms and kitchens. White is often associated with the feeling of cleanliness because most people believe that even the slightest mark would show up on a white surface. During the Victorian era, rooms were painted in dark colours so that the soot from coal or wood fires wouldn’t obviously stain the walls. 

Despite many people believing that white is hard to keep clean, white vinyl flooring will show large bits of dirt or debris, but dust, pet fur, hairs and crumbs all blend into the floor pattern and are much less visible than on a darker surface. However, simply painting a room white or choosing light-toned floors can help to make a space feel cleaner and more cared-for.

Peacefulness

White is also a colour that’s often associated with nature and the feeling of relaxation or peace. The colour white isn’t distracting – there is nothing to “look at”, and it’s this lack of attention that the colour draws that allows it to feel peaceful.

Pairing white walls or floors with natural textures like wood or plants can help a space to feel calm, or stick to monochromatic furniture and minimalistic touches for a space with a sense of zen.

Longevity

Just like the fashion industry, it’s inevitable that interior design will go through waves of different trends. Colours and textures often fall out of favour before coming back into style a few years later. Despite this, white has remained one of the most popular colour choices for decades. 

White goes with everything, which is why homeowners often choose to paint the walls white, despite having the freedom to choose any colour that they would like. It’s a neutral colour that allows furniture, artwork and personal touches to be the stars of the show. 

Even white flooring, which many people have previously shied away from, can be the key to a home always feeling clean and modern. While white carpet may feel like a recipe for disaster, white vinyl flooring is easy to clean and maintain and lends the space a sense of airiness and peace.

Choosing a white wood-grain vinyl gives the floor some texture, which adds interest and elements of nature that can make a space feel more calming. 

You don’t have to use white across every surface when designing a space, but by introducing large sections of white interiors (such as the walls or flooring), your space will instantly feel brighter, fresher, cleaner and more relaxing.