Painting new place white

[mizu]

Moving into a new place in a couple of weeks. FTB at the grand old age of 45!! It's not big and there are 4 of us.

Want to paint the whole place (bar kitchen and bathroom) white as a starting point, may change in the future or keep it white.A friend of mine did the same a couple of years ago and I think her house looks great, she's got great style too. Lots of colour, which I love and her style is quite Swedish I guess.

Having spoken to a few people, it seems that white is not a good idea, actually when I say a few people, I mean my mum and sister really.

I have attached a photo to show it is not big, there is a lot of light though.

Disclaimer: I have always lived in rented so have never really painted a house before so perhaps I just haven't got a clue?

[NapQueen]

Definetly do the all white thing. Easy to touch up, cheap (buy trade whites) and means you can go a bit mad on accessories etc.

[WhatsGoingOnEh]

Pure, brilliant white is a wonderful colour! Do every wall. I'm about to do this to our place, which is currently dingy with the previous owner's magnolia fetish.

Do it! I've done it in every house. It looks fresh, big, and like a art gallery.

[HappydaysArehere]

And so easy to add another colour at a later date. Also there are lots of different whites!

[mizu]

This is what I needed to hear, thanks.

Off to look at paints - Dulux diamond white looks good............

[Notonthestairs]

We've got white everywhere except the bedrooms which are a creamy white. I think it's looks clean and fresh.

We will be adding colour but want to live in it for longer to work out what will suit rooms/furniture.

[opinionatedfreak]

I did my flat all white before I moved in. It revolutionised the place.

(On the day I got the keys I had a massive wobble that I'd made a huge mistake, the tired cream decor and dated, mouldy curtains really dragged it down).

By the time the first coat was up I knew I still loved the space.

My flat is painted in Dulux trade vinyl matt pure brilliant white. It is great and often on offer. Just make sure you keep some and a little 4" roller for touch up jobs... I go round and touch up roughly every 6 months (so places where furniture has scratched the wall, I've been over enthusiastic with the hoover etc).

It keeps the place looking nice with minimal effort.

[mizu]

Thanks opinionated this is just what I want to hear

[crimsonlake]

I have just bought a house and although I previously used to put colour on the walls I have decided to go all white everywhere for now at least. Go for it, it really brightens the place up.

[BPG20]

All white is beautiful!

Currently seething at 2015 me who did the whole house in ivory except for a feature wall in each room. The ivory is now very much yellow, and I'm dreading how long it will take to cover up the dark purple wall in my bedroom!

The kitchen has since been renovated and in doing so painted all white, as has DS's bedroom, and they are my two favourite rooms in the house. Can't wait to get the rest done!

[lljkk]

Took some yrs but I finally persuaded DH that magnolia is hideous & white is nice not glaring. Stand your ground!

[abitoflight]

Get the trade version of Duluth diamond
The diamond Matt and diamond eggshell is v good - my decorator swears by it and says you can scrub marks of it without it going shiny

[GOODCAT]

Definitely go white. I wish we had.

Like one of the posters above we went for ivory or variations of it. That means pretty much every wall is actually yellow. I like yellow but whole walls of it are another thing altogether.

The only exceptions were one room where I managed to pick something which is actually brown. Even magnolia would be better.

I like only the room we left white despite it being a very dark room. I can have lots out colour in it which I love. White allows you to add colour or go very neutral as you prefer. It will also make everything feel clean and fresh. It is also so much cheaper and easier to touch up when you get inevitable lived in marks on the walls.

[Ketzele]

I moved into an orange, purple and yellow house and painted it white throughout. Fresh white paint looks great, and is ideal at a time when you're stressed, busy and broke (i.e. when buying a house).

Eight years on there isn't much white left - I love colour - but I have been able to take my time really thinking about what colours I wanted and where. It would have been a disaster if I'd felt under pressure to pick all the right schemes straight away.

Go white!

[MikeUniformMike]

It's a great idea. You need to know how daylight and lighting affects the rooms to choose colour. White makes a room look bigger and you can use different accessories to change the look.