Lesson 30: White ... and Children (The White Series)

Post number four. If you have faithfully read one, two, and three, you are probably convinced (at least on some level) that white is a good thing for your home.

But, I can hear you screaming through the internet wavelengths, "Katherine, white is not practical?"

Unbelievably, I agree with you. My house is often full of dirty footed, sticky fingered, snotty-nosed, chocolate-milk-spilling creatures as well. And kids come in sometimes too.

(Ha ha. Get it. The first person described was my husband. It's funny.)

Why in the world would you ever invest any money in anything that will inevitably be soiled with a variety of culprits, daily?

I'll briefly remind you.
1. To create for yourself a more restful home.
2. To highlight fun and exciting prints and colors.
3. To bring a cohesive look to your room.

So, what's a mom to do? Can we have our white and our kids too?

I say yes. Here, I'll list just five potential kid-friendly ways to incorporate white into your homes. 

1. Lamp shades: Lamps bring light. Light is bright. Why not use white?

2. Curtains: White curtains allow for whatever paint color you choose to really pop. They also coordinate well with every paint color. Thus, if you change your mind, you don't also have to change your curtains. This set I got from Ikea for something stupid cheap like $15 a panel.

3. Matelasses: According to dictionary.reference.com a matelasse is "an embossed, compound fabric woven on a dobby or Jacquard loom." Or more simply, a light quilt. I highly encourage a white matelasse as a part of every bedroom scheme. They work perfectly as a covering for the majority of your bed, allowing for fun, decorative pillows at the top and a patterned duvet at the bottom. Also, like the curtains, they can be used in multiple ways as layers.

They work for mamas because ... you can put them in the washing machine. And, most of the time, you can probably bleach them! No fear of smudgy hand-prints here. Marshalls or Home Goods usually has a variety of these for about $30.

You may remember this picture from this post.

4. Shower Curtain: Nothing says, "so fresh and so clean, clean" like the shower. Why not make your shower a power (rejuvenating) hour?

Note: White works especially well in a small bathroom ... like mine.

Notice that the white shower curtain does not mean that the bathroom is necessarily boring. The dhurrie is very colorful. The yellow stool is a pop of fun. Finally, the monogrammed A personalizes the space.

Also, a white shower curtain does not necessarily have to mean that it's totally white. Look at my friend Amanda's post where she discusses buying a new shower curtain. It's actually very colorful, but it has a white base and looks awesome!

5. Accessories: Not quite ready to make new staple purchases. Why not try a little white here and there to get a feel for it? Porcelain picture frames are totally classy. White candles, hand soaps, throw blankets, and dishware are also simple and practical purchases that can put a little white in your heart, I mean home.

 So how 'bout it, do you think you can get white right?


Lesson Learned: There are strategic places to incorporate white into a room without having it cause World War III in your home.


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