How to Add Warmth to an All White Room

There’s no hiding it, around here we love a good neutral color palette, including lots of white walls. In fact, in our home, all of our walls are white except for our office. We love the clean, minimalistic backdrop that it creates. But when you go all white, it’s important to add some warmth! So let’s talk about how to add warmth into an all-white room.

There are so many choices of white paint colors available, it can be overwhelming. We chose Sherwin Williams Pure White. We used this same color on the walls, ceiling, moldings, and doors. On the walls and ceilings, we used a flat finish and semi-gloss on the molding and doors.

Hardwood Flooring

One of the most obvious ways to add warmth to an all white room is hardwood flooring. We chose a flooring that wasn’t overly warm. It’s a very light-toned white oak with a touch of gray.

Since we used it throughout most of our house, it naturally adds a subtle amount of warmth to all of the rooms, except our bathrooms where we used tile.

Wood Elements

One of the best ways to warm up an all-white room is to add in wood elements. In our living room, kitchen, and dining room, we added stained wood beams. Not only did it add warmth, but it also created some much needed visual interest to our high ceilings. I can’t imagine what these rooms would look like without the beams.

Another way to add warmth and a personal touch is by using wood shelving in various places such as a kitchen or bathroom. Floating shelves are pretty easy to DIY and fairly inexpensive. This not only adds a warm touch to the room but also allows you to display other decor items that could as well. For instance, layering wood cutting boards is great for open shelving in a kitchen.

Brass Elements

I love the look of antique brass, and it’s another great way to add warmth. You can add brass elements in the form of light fixtures, picture frames, and mirrors. We’ve used all three throughout our home.

In our all white mudroom, we placed a brass and black wall sconce above each locker, adding just the right amount of warmth.

There might be nothing better than a good brass framed mirror. We have brass mirrors in several different rooms, including our guest bathroom.

And don’t worry if the other metal elements in the room are not brass. It’s totally fine to mix different metals.

Baskets

This might be my favorite way to add warmth to a white room! Baskets are affordable and super easy to place in different areas. I’m always amazed by what one strategically placed basket can do for a room. Not only do they add warmth, but also texture. And if you want more of both, you can always place a pillow or blanket in the basket.

We’ve used baskets throughout. In fact, I’m not sure if there is one room that doesn’t have some type of basket in it!