Renoir supposedly said that nothing was so difficult, and at the same time so exciting, to paint, as white on white. White is said to be a non-colour along with black but it represents so many emotions. In Western culture, white represents purity, innocence, summer, clarity and cleanliness as if starting again. In other cultures, it represents death, sadness and silence. In Feng Shui practice it represents the element of Metal, of purity and honesty. Then in interior design, there are several hundred shades and tones ranging from cool blue hues to warmer ivory shades. It is the colour used to give light and offers a great background for other colours to shine. Here are some of my favourite uses of white.
My Favourite Things
We were walking down a small street in our French town and a tiny antique shop had opened up. Right at the front was this big white, ceramic elephant lamp with a sad looking lampshade. Now if you read my posts, you know that normally, I prefer fine, simple decor with little pattern but recently, I seem to be attracted to stronger colours and patterns! I can only think it is the lovely French Riviera light and a sense of the sea down the road. We went back and bought the elephant. The trunk is up which is supposed to be good luck but what attracted us both was a sense of fun, as if the elephant is dancing! A French navy lampshade was finally found and it sits in our Feng Shui Wealth sector. It makes both of us smile each time we look at it.
Shades of White
The dining room/office is in the Travel and Helpful People sector and thank goodness, as we have a lot of silver and white Art Deco original prints. A lovely French retro mirror reflects light in to the room and the theme is echoed by a 192os model sports car. My father loves buying porcelain and knows that I love a sense of fun. He bought me these two antique figures and they both look like they are chuckling at something funny! The aqua, black and white combination against pure white pops out and adding a vase of white flowers is like painting white on white.
