4 Taboos of Decorating with White

Long gone are the days of white walls, carpeting, and furniture. Your home should show your personality and using white isn't it. I have never been a fan of white walls, floors, and furniture.

White Paint on the Floor

Just because Martha Stewart suggests using white paint to update your wood floors doesn't mean you should. I find painting over perfectly good wood to be tabu. I also know carpenters who would rip one of your wood planks from the floor, beat you over the head with it, and cuss you worse than a Marine for even suggesting such a thing.

Not only is it a dumb idea, it's a sure fire way to piss off your friends when you ask them to take off their shoes as suggested in "3. White Floors Highlight Every Speck of Dirt." By not even thinking of painting or having your floors painted in any color will save you time and money. Stained and sealed wood floors are just as easy to keep up. You won't have to paint them as often either.

White Carpeting

The Digiorno Pizza commercial where the husband and his pals track up the white or light beige carpet with their muddy feet says it all. White carpet does make a room look pretty, clean and crisp, but white carpeting doesn't work in a house with high traffic. It doesn't work well anywhere with high traffic.

The foot traffic, no matter how well you wipe your feet, will muck up white carpet. You'll spend more time with a carpet cleaning machine than you will with your family. As cold as tile and linoleum are, I'd rather have it than wall-to-wall carpeting any time.

Throw rugs come in different shapes, sizes, piles, and colors. Throw them down over high traffic areas in living rooms. You'll find throwing them over the clothes line and a few good whacks with a broom or rug beater goes a long way when cleaning. You will get a good workout, and not to mention taking out frustrations.

White Walls

If you feel you must paint your walls white, use a gloss paint over flat. Gloss paints makes it easier to wipe off the grime from hands around the light switches. It also helps wiping the splatter from around sinks, tubs or showers, stoves, and trash cans.

If you're not into the hospital look, go with a paint color that fits your life style. You'd be surprised at how you look at the world of washing the walls.

White Furniture

Unless you have a room specifically for adults who never make a mess or accidentally spill a drink, white furniture should be left on the showroom floor. The only pieces of white furniture I would ever suggest in a living room are faux pas leather. These are easy to clean compared to the carpet and walls.

Otherwise, go for a medium to dark colored fabric for the furniture. This won't make your guests feel uncomfortable while they are visiting, as they won't fear sitting on the couch or chair.