Shades Of Whites can create a different look in a room. Taking enough contrast in off white colors brings a result of warmth, softness, and eloquence. One of the options I like doing when working with white tones, is to bring in a soft secondary color to use in your accents and accessories. If you look at the colors in the above photo, at first there may not seem like much contrast in any of these colors. The variety of white tones that are available today, have one or two more color pigmentation added to the base color. When decorating a room using white and off whites, think about what type of result you are looking for. This page will give you some very basic and simple ideas on how to take some off white shades and create that soft and warm feeling you are looking for.

To set the tone of decorating with off whites, lets think about the base color or walls and ceiling. Unless you decide on a true stark white color, most off whites will have one or two drops of yellow, brown, green, blue, or red tone. This gives you the little variation other than the stark white. When thinking about the walls and ceiling, also think about your floors. Do you want hard woods, tile, or carpet? Remember all interior rooms should balance out with color in the walls, ceiling, floor, furniture and accessories. If you are thinking about decorating in off whites, close your eyes for a minute and think about what style you want to create. Contemporary, formal, Gothic, and even informal designs come to my mind when decorating with off whites. Art Work in accessories can play a big part of this type of color scheme.

Take a picture like the one above and use colors and shades that are in this photo to create an entire room. Paint your room in an off white with a little bit of tan or a light brown mixed in. You can paint your ceiling in a little lighter tone than your walls. When you are looking at paint or wallpaper samples, look at the different shades in each square. If you are in the off whites with some tan or brown pigmentation, think about using the first color and third color for the walls and ceiling, or the second and fourth color. In the picture above, the walls should compliment the color tones in the photo. Your other accents should also blend in well with the base color. Your curtains could take on the same look by doing Roman shades. Do some Gothic style trim and also consider using Gothic posts as a focal point in the room. Put a few planters that create that Roman or Gothic feel. Take a look at matching wood shades and colors. This may give you some ideas if you are doing an existing room or starting from scratch. One of the keys in decorating with off whites is to keep the tone of the room in warm or cool colors. There is no right answer to using warm and cooler tones. Soft blues and grays create a cooler, yet refreshing look. Yellows, Greens, and a warm melon color create a cozy feel. Below are a couple of tones to consider and a few ideas for decorating with off white colors.