Ask A Designer™
Ask A Designer™: Gillian Atkins On Decorating A Space With White Walls
Updated on July 2, 2025
In this edition of Ask A Designer™, Gillian Atkins, senior designer at Lynda Reeves Design Studio, LRDS, shares tips for warming up a room with white walls.
The living room before.
Q: For simplicity, we painted all the interior walls of our home in Benjamin Moore’s Cloud White. I like the bright white feel in the eat-in kitchen, but the adjoining living room has a completely different colour vibe — the grey fireplace and sofa look stark against the white paint. I wondered about wood panelling for the living room ceiling and on either side of the fireplace, or perhaps we should replace some of the furniture? Do you have any suggestions for making a better marriage between two very different rooms? — A.R., Arden, Ont.
The living room before, reverse view.
The mock-up.
A: Before you start an expensive panelling project, why not try to soften the stark white rooms with lighter furniture, fabrics, art and accessories? Install full-length drapes on black rods in a large print in browns, greys and blues; they will draw the eye up and fill the empty top half of the room. Tall floor lamps will also help. On your fireplace, replace your art with a larger, moodier piece.
The mock-up, reverse view.
A: Swap out the white cabinet with a similar-sized piece but in a pale wood, and add a table lamp. Move your cuckoo clock and framed print to another room, and choose a more graphic artwork for over the cabinet. If you still feel like it’s too stark, then consider panelling the ceiling in wood, but you may find you don’t need to.
1. Lehman floor lamp, $199. Urban Barn. 2. Black Dominates I artwork by Malene Birger, $325. Mkt. 3. Alma fabric in Indigo by GP & J Baker, $324/yd. Kravet Canada. 4. 68″ Basque Weathered Solid Wood credenza in Light Brown, $1,999. Crate & Barrel.
5. I Miss This Place painting by Ashley Marie Richiez, $2,274. Tacit. 6. Anya Stripe ottoman in Demin, $278. Tonic Living. 7. Medium Beaumont Buffet table lamp in Aged Iron by Aerin for Visual comfort, $1,050. Robinson Lighting & Bath. 8. Dinsmore console, $1,799. Arcadia Modern Home.
Alex Lukey (Gillian's portrait)
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