What colour blinds go with white walls? When you’re choosing blinds for a room with white walls, does everything work equally well? This is a popular question. Get some insight into white wall interior decoration with some help from the team at Lavish Interior Blinds Brisbane.
What Colour Blinds Go With White Walls – The Easy Answer
The easy and short answer to this question is “all colours”. Why? Because with a white background, there aren’t any incompatible colour combinations. Everything works with a white background. The effectiveness of a solution is the eye of the beholder – it comes down to personal preference and style trends.
Having said that, because the goal is to find the best blind colour for your rooms, in this article we will explore the considerations behind choosing the right blinds for your walls and how different effects can be created through various approaches. As you will see, there’s more involved than just the colour – the texture, pattern, fabric, and interior design all have a part to play.
Let’s go!
White Backgrounds – Some Handy Info
White is a very common colour. Apart from interior design, white is a default background or starting colour. For example, most paper is a shade of white. This is potentially useful, in that it allows a wide variety of designs to be developed – but this potential can come at a high price. There are so many possibilities it’s easy to be overwhelmed, and there’s no immediate colour foothold or guide within white to get started from. So we find ourselves asking, “What’s right with white?” and not easily finding an answer, despite there being so many possible answers. We’re always being asked questions like “What colour blinds go with white walls”, “What are the best colour blinds for white walls”, “Can you use white blinds on white walls”, “Should blinds be lighter or darker than walls”, and “Can you use black blinds on white walls”. When you’re dealing with a white background, there’s only one thing you need to know and it is this: everything works with white.
It’s true – everything works with white. You can use any colour blinds with your white wall and they will look great. Whichever is ‘better’ is purely a subjective matter of personal preference. You’re in much more ‘dangerous’ territory making colour choices that need to be compatible with other colours than ones that are just working with white. White is a neutral colour so whether your blinds are lighter, darker, the same, or patterned, they will just ‘work’ against a white background. However, the various selected combinations do create different effects – especially when they’re combined with other design elements in the room, and that’s the nuts and bolts of this document – to see which effect is best suited to your interior design goals. Read on to find out more!
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Contrasting Solutions
When you’re considering blinds and walls, please take the time to consider contrast. Contrast is really just how different two things are – this difference is the contrast. If they’re very different, they have high contrast; if they’re pretty much the same, they have low contrast. If they’re identical then they have no contrast.
Don’t go to sleep!
We can use contrast as a tool from which to begin looking at the way different colours can work with your white walls.
How Is Contrast Created with Blinds?
Contrast between blinds and walls can be created with colour, pattern or texture. Let’s take a moment to understand how these different types of contrast can be used to create different effects against your white walls.
Contrasting with Colour
For most people, this is the number #1 priority – what colour should my blinds be? Colour has a strong impression on the mood and flavour of a room. Working with a white background, the lowest contrast would be similarly coloured (i.e. white) blinds, with the highest contrast coming from a strongly coloured blind – either bright or dark. Using high-contrast colours can achieve funky or sophisticated impressions – certainly, impressions that make a bold visual statement.
They’re riskier, because the visual strength of blinds mean that they can become dominant in the space – forcing subsequent decisions to revolve around them, which may become tiresome. But hey! No-one’s going to live forever.
Creating Contrast with Texture
Texture – it’s your best friend. Texture enables contrast to be accessed without diving into radical colours – so nuanced impressions can be created that don’t rock the boat. Take a moment to appraise your walls. How much texture is there, and what kind of texture? Even plain white walls will create an impression of some kind. What kind of finish do the walls have? Is it glossy or matt? Does the material (bricks, gyprock etc) reveal any texture through the paint?
Blinds can be introduced into rooms with a deliberately contrasted texture with the walls for different effects. There will always be a textural difference (because blinds are not made from identical materials as the walls – they would be heavy and impractical if they were made from bricks) but it’s up to you how much this difference will be.
Creating Contrast with Pattern
Lavish has blinds for the funky! Get real with patterns to suit your lifestyle and sense of design. Patterns can be subtle or strong. Before you consider the pattern of your blinds, come to terms with the patterns that exist in your rooms. For example, a brick wall may reveal a strong horizontal pattern (depending on the strength of the grout-lines) or a modern home may reveal lines or aspects in the shape of walls, frames and doorways. Like any decision regarding contrast, consider how strong an impact you would like your blinds to have in the room.
Don’t Forget Your Window Frames
Another important source of contrast is the relationship between the blind and the window-frame. Just as when framing a painting, frames are important because they accentuate the item in the frame and build a relationship between the item and the surrounds, in this case, between the blind and the walls. Window frames are generally offset from the wall colour to some extent, although they can just as easily be the same colour.How Much Contrast is Good?
There are two schools of thought on this question. Firstly, there is the school of thought that low-contrast blinds (neutral colours, similar to the walls) are a safe and reliable option. Broadly speaking, the blinds become a part of the wall. This means they have a minor visual impact and you can easily change the whole look and feel of the room without worrying about the role of the blinds. Secondly, there is the school of thought that higher-contrasting blinds create sophistication, excitement, a ‘designy’ feel and a funky flavour. It’s true! Keep in mind though that the selection of stronger blind contrasts will constrain future internal design decisions, to some extent. Once you’ve got full-strength purple blinds in place, they’re not going to hide away!
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Evaluating & Integrating Your Entire Room
Before decisions about blind colours should be made, it’s useful to look beyond the colour of the walls (white) and take a look at the rooms as a whole. Just because they have white walls doesn’t mean they’re bright rooms. What kind of white are your walls? Do your rooms receive much natural light? Are the white walls the strongest point of the rooms visually, or is another feature, such as the carpet or floorboards, much more likely to catch they eye? If you’re got white walls, then the relationship between your floors and your blinds is important to consider because unless you’re James Bond or work in the Apple Store, your floors are probably a different colour to your walls and therefore introduce different design considerations into your room. In the quest for the perfect blind solution, you need to take all elements into account – especially those which you can not change.
By taking into account the visually strong elements in your room, sometimes the blind-colour solution can lie in creating a link between your blinds and the visually strong element. Note – this may not be the white walls! It could be a cabinet, or carpet, or door in the room. If this element is too dominant, blind-tone can be found either midway between the element and the walls – or lighter. This will help the blinds to create a relationship between the walls and the strong visual element. If the element is not too dominant, the blinds can reflect the tones of the element which will help to integrate the room. The colour of the blinds can either be derived directly from this element or in a positive relationship to it.
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White Blinds on White Walls
White on white! Alright! Not since the invention of (white) rice has anything been as white as white blinds in a white room. When you’re going white on white, you’re minimising the presence of the blinds by making them an extension of the existing wall-colour. This is safe, but it’s very effective too. Other interior elements can pick up the heavy lifting and define the room, and there’s no danger of the design going out of fashion. White blinds work with white walls!
White Works With White
Please note, your white-on-white solution need not be without detail. There is much scope for nuance and depth of design even when you’re working with the same colours.
The degree of contrast in tone and texture between your blinds and walls will have the largest role to play. Texture can accentuate your blinds, bringing tactility to the room. The fabric choice (screen, blockout or light-filtering) is therefore an important consideration. In addition to their light-transmission role, the different fabrics bring different textures to the design of the room as well. Meanwhile, the vividness of the white may lift otherwise non-glossy paint and make your blinds a feature, whilst the tone can offset them to help bridge the walls and other components constituting the design of the room, such as a mid-tone sofa or similar.
White on white can be: sterile; classical; minimal; calm; chic; masculine; feminine; corporate; medical; cheerful; austere. White on white is a colour combination that should always be considered because it is simple, safe and stress-free. It can work in practically any situation, except for your dedicated gaming room, which should have highly reflective steel walls and a disco ball for ambience.
Design Tip: What White?
Is there more to your white walls than meets the eye? Are they ‘just’ white? Ask yourself:
a) What kind of texture is there in my walls?
b) What kind of white are your walls? Cool? Warm? Matt? Gloss?
c) Do your architraves use a different colour than your walls?
d) Are your walls all made of the same material?
Off-Whites for Mild Contrast
After white-on-white blinds, we look at semi-tone combinations whereby the colour of the blinds is offset, but not by much, from the colour and tone of the walls. Examples are off-whites, creams, greys, blues, and beige colours. This means that the blinds are now a different colour to the walls, but only just. It’s the semi-tone kind of life and with blinds this is a popular option. The blinds contribute, but they don’t dominate. Designs don’t age quickly because the solution is versatile and flexible.
This is a good place to be, because like white-on-white, it’s still a safe zone where expression can be achieved through the colour of the blinds, without rocking the boat too hard. Because the degree of difference between the blinds and walls is close, combinations naturally work well together while simultaneously bridging and connecting with other visual elements in the room.
Opportunities to redesign the room are still firmly in the hands of interior accessories and the role of the blinds is not to dominate, but compliment. Even without considerations like pattern or texture, the addition of semi-tone colours can make the room feel warm or cool by their interesting mild contrasts with the walls.
Mid-Tone Blinds with White Walls
Using stronger colour contrast by bringing mid-tone colours into your blinds such as greens, browns, blues or greys will work with your white walls – (everything works with white!) but now the impression is different. With great power comes great responsibility! Mid-tone colours become dominant in this combination, and the blinds work to give a positive lift to your rooms by working as a flexible feature-wall. The benefit of these mid-tones is that they add colour and interest to the room. As this colour is introduced, it’s important to pay more attention to the relationship between the blinds and their relationship with other colours in the room. Mid-tones plus white can achieve all kinds of different effects, depending on the colours being used. Cooler colours like greens and blues set the tone for a cool, aquatic or natural aesthetic, whereas warmer browns, oranges and reds enervate and promote the room’s purpose.
Design Tip: The Fad Hazard
You’re probably aware that if peppermint-green is ‘on-trend’ now, it may not be in 6 weeks – or even 6 days. Things that look really cool because they’re different can quickly become tired. The cool thing about blinds is that you can get creative without getting structural – but your decisions should still be somewhat future-proof. You don’t want to be rolling back down to your blind-shop in 6 weeks for another round of rollers!
Opposites – Striking Contrast
Now, let’s think about the high-contrast solution of white walls with black or otherwise dark-coloured blinds. Maximising contrast creates a striking design. These blinds are designed to stand out – they’re not trying to blend in – and just as the blinds stand out, so too do the walls. Nuances such as texture and vividness continue to be important. Striking colour combinations can be classical; elegant; sophisticated; overwhelming; striking; masculine; feminine; cool; oppressive; unfriendly; stark; luxurious. This makes for a design choice which is also surprisingly adaptable. Black and white combinations, for example, are classical for a reason. Like white or black in isolation, these colours work together to create a palette which can shape-shift into all kinds of interesting directions in combination with other design elements. Is it the right choice for your family kitchen? Depends on your family.
The Importance of Fabrics
As you go through the questions of blind colours, never take your eye off possible fabric options. You can learn more about our fabric options here: Lavish Blind Fabrics. In blinds, it’s essential to understand the role of fabrics and their relationship with colours. The two are inseparable – every colour needs a fabric, and every fabric changes the way the blind presents. Light transmission can be achieved in various degrees by using different fabrics, and you should always make the most of the opportunities presented by screen or light filtering fabrics when possible. These connect your room with the outside world and enable you to access more light and space internally too. However, window orientation differences around your home can also mean a variety of fabric choices within the same tonal range for a unified, yet connected (with the outside) stylistic approach.
Achieving Your Design Goals
In summary, the best colour blinds to pair with your white walls is a matter of subjective judgement and design purpose. Different colours achieve different results. Performance can be measured in a result that won’t rapidly date, that will give you flexibility to adapt your design in the future, that will work harmoniously with the room’s purpose, and that will fulfil the function of the blinds – to block light, heat, glare, and create privacy for your interiors.
The big question is – what effect do you want to achieve in the room? It can be useful to take a step back and consider who will be using the room and what the room is being used for.
A bustling family kitchen may have a different vibe to that of, let’s say, a 90 year old ex-navy seal. Think about the personality of your home and your rooms. How do you want them to feel?
Let’s take a look at interior design now from an emotional perspective. How do you want your rooms to feel? We’ll see how different combinations of colour can achieve different results.
Cheerful Rooms
Cheerful rooms are welcoming, comfortable, bright and light-hearted. “Bright”, “Light” and “Warm” are all important for good cheer. Good cheer can be found through the moods of the day. From the rising sun through noon and into the mid-afternoon, there are many cheerful palettes on offer. Any room can have the goal of being a cheerful room, and why shouldn’t they? Cheerful rooms are best suited to common areas or gathering areas like Kitchens, bathrooms, and foyers / entrances, but all rooms are candidates for the application of some cheer. These rooms are often communal and collaborative.
Blind choices to suit a cheerful room should start with fabric, not colour. If there is an opportunity to utilise a screen or light-filtering fabric it should be considered, because by linking the interior with the outside world, you can access all of the good cheer that nature has to offer. With screen-fabric blinds, a sense of space is created. Seeing through these blinds means a diffuse version of the outside becomes incorporated into your interior design. This enables access to the light and cheer of the natural day.
If privacy considerations, direct / harsh light or lack of anything worth looking at take you to a blockout fabric, extensive possibilities in colour await. Good cheer can be found in all solutions, from white-on-white, semi-tone, mid-tone or striking contrasts, with success being measured by nuances in selection.
In all cases, pay careful attention to texture and pattern combinations. In low-contrast solutions, look for warmth and engagement. Mid-tones are a great way to add a splash of colour to the room without overwhelming it, and bright colours can be just the thing to kick everything into gear. Remember that you can always accessorise with other design elements to enhance the cheer of a room – just add a vase of bright flowers, for example. With some pattern into the mix, your blinds can quickly take on the heavy lifting of your interior all by themselves. This is a great asset with blinds – they’re easy to establish but have long-lasting and powerful results.
Design Tip: Making Space
When rooms are small, often a design goal is to enlarge the perception of the room by design choices. Selective use of screen and light filtering fabrics, when appropriate, can help rooms to feel larger by virtue of their connection with the outside and admission of natural light into the room. This isn’t always an option, but lighter colours in general are more conducive to a sense of space than darker ones.
Creating a Sanctuary
Ultimately, your home is a sanctuary and a place where you should be able to relax occasionally (if you’re allowed to). The same is true of work, except it’s harder to get away with it there. What constitutes sanctuary varies wildly depending on people’s inclinations – some like metal, others like yoga. Accordingly, the role of blinds in a sanctuary also varies quite widely. It may be blockout blinds designed to enclose the space and ‘block out’ the outside. Alternatively, screen or light-filtering blinds may be the answer – for an integrated look capitalising on natural light or a pleasant vista. Such decisions are often driven by the outlook and proximity of neighbours or streets.
Creating a Warm Room
For residential interior design, leveraging warm (as in, warm colours, not temperatures!) tones is a fine way to increase a sense of comfort and homeliness that is perfect for families. Warm rooms are welcoming and beg to be utilised. Hallmarks of warm rooms are furnishings and features designed to be enjoyed and used. The role of blinds in a warm room may not necessarily be a large one. Warmth isn’t about shouting – it’s about embracing. Accordingly, low-contrast blinds (white, or off-white) may be deployed for a neutral backdrop against which your furniture and accessories can sing their warm tones. The introduction of some texture or pattern into such blinds can boost their warmth, even when working with cooler colours.
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In Summary
In summary, white walls are a blank slate – but when you take into account the contributions of other elements, they don’t exist in isolation. Carefully consider who will be using your rooms and how you’d like them to feel when they’re doing so. A successful room design is ultimately one in which people can use it successfully for the purpose that they have in mind. And, needless to say, if you’re in Brisbane, Lavish Interior Blinds is here to help you solve all of your indoor blind requirements – regardless of your wall colour!
