A couple of years ago, white got a bad rep in interior design. It was perceived as boring and blunt. Nowadays, Pinterest and Instagram tell a completely different story. White is as immaculate as they come, and its neutralized nature allows you to experiment with bold pops of color in your home décor accessories.
Having this blank canvas that allows you to explore should be easy, but this usually isn’t the case. White can easily become dull and washed out with the wrong color combinations, palettes, and themes.
Here we’ll guide you on the appropriate colors to match with your white canvas and make an immaculate home even more beautiful.
First, before you figure out the appropriate colors to match up, figure out the shade of white you’ll use.
Is it the warmer white with yellow undertones or the cool white that looks very crisp? This will come down to the amount of light that floods into your room and generally what best suits your end goal design. Let’s dive in.
Beige
| Shade | Hex Code | CMYK Color Code (%) | RGB Color Code | Color |
| White | #ffffff | cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 0%) | rgb(255, 255, 255) | |
| Beige | #d3c2b4 | cmyk(0%, 8%, 15%, 17%) | rgb(211, 194, 180) |
While beige might seem like a boring matchup, how you masterfully pair up these two will set the tone. Beige and white are both neutral colors; therefore, the white color scheme with beige makes the house look clean and pristine. It’s the kind of house you’d see on a Pinterest board.
In your master bedroom, you can have white as your primary color, then add pops of beige in the throw pillows, throw blankets, lampshades, and others.
This will make the room look bigger than it is, and it will immediately work on your nerves as these two colors are paired together to inspire a serene mindset. If you’re the type of person that works too often, you need to come home to a calm and relaxing room like this.
Grey
| Shade | Hex Code | CMYK Color Code (%) | RGB Color Code | Color |
| White | #ffffff | cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 0%) | rgb(255, 255, 255) | |
| Grey | #b8b8ba | cmyk(1%, 1%, 0%, 27%) | rgb(184, 184, 186) |
Grey is the poster child for minimalist design. If you’re going for simple yet elegant, then grey is the color for you. If having a completely grey-inspired design is too dark or soppy, in your opinion, then a touch of white will bring the room back to life.
You can have a couch with a lighter shade of grey and then have your coffee table be a darker shade. Round it up with a fluffy white throw blanket that’s laid on the couch with an equally fluffier grey rug at the bottom.
That’s the other intriguing thing about grey, it has a multitude of shades, and they are all glorious when placed together. However, don’t dive too deep into your grey tones, as the room will lose the homeliness aspect.
You can breathe even more life into the room by having a patterned rug and pillows and also pops of other bright colors, like a huge green artificial plant in the corner. This makes the house look more like a home and not an ad in a magazine spread.
Gold
| Shade | Hex Code | CMYK Color Code (%) | RGB Color Code | Color |
| White | #ffffff | cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 0%) | rgb(255, 255, 255) | |
| Gold | #eee2c0 | cmyk(0%, 5%, 19%, 7%) | rgb(238, 226, 192) |
When people speak of top-class interior design, they are most likely speaking of this combination. Gold against white is so mesmerizing. It will drop your jaw every time you step into the room.
Brass taps, drawer handles, and lampshades against white marble in the kitchen are simply breathtaking. For your living room, you can have a majestic golden mirror, a gold-trimmed coffee table, and perhaps a golden chandelier; epic!
Green
| Shade | Hex Code | CMYK Color Code (%) | RGB Color Code | Color |
| White | #ffffff | cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 0%) | rgb(255, 255, 255) | |
| Green | #346424 | cmyk(48%, 0%, 64%, 61%) | rgb(52, 100, 36) |
Green is mother nature. It majestically oozes health, freshness, and well-being. Matched with white, green is pulsating because it inspires feelings of homeliness and peace. You can decide to use a lighter green, like celery green, as your backdrop, with a green patterned rug to pick the color of the wall.
Then have a white couch with some small artificial plants on the coffee table or big ones in a vase in the corner of the living room.
Now, much bolder shades of green, like emerald, will instantly elevate your living space to royalty status, so you could choose to lean that way. Emerald is an enchanting color that can’t go unnoticed. Get an emerald green couch, the tufted button kind, which is simply irresistible.
Pair it with neutral-colored throw pillows like white, plush, and beige and also have emerald ornaments on the coffee table. Also, add striking wall art to bundle everything together, and the outcome is magical.
Black
| Shade | Hex Code | CMYK Color Code (%) | RGB Color Code | Color |
| White | #ffffff | cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 0%) | rgb(255, 255, 255) | |
| Black | #18181a | cmyk(8%, 8%, 0%, 90%) | rgb(24, 24, 26) |
When in doubt, go for monochrome. It will not desert you. This understated color combination gives all the elegance and glamour interior design has to offer without stretching too far.
These two colors make bold statements without being too bold themselves.
If you’re one to show off your sublime architectural finishes, then this combination will do the trick. This color contrast clearly details the intricate parts of the house’s molded design.
You can opt to go for full-on white and black colors or be a little more subtle by using black patterned floor rugs and pillows against an all-white canvas.
You may spice up your decor by throwing in a few pops of color like violet or lime green in your cushion pillows and also ornaments or flowers on the coffee table. This pop brightens up the room a little more by complementing these two elegant colors.
Blue
| Shade | Hex Code | CMYK Color Code (%) | RGB Color Code | Color |
| White | #ffffff | cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 0%) | rgb(255, 255, 255) | |
| Blue | #6aacdc | cmyk(52%, 22%, 0%, 14%) | rgb(106, 172, 220) |
With a color that’s a representation of the ocean and the sky, using it in your design will open up your mind and present serene tranquility once you’re in the room.
A pairing of a white couch with the blue patterned rug in your design will give off an impression of your living room swaying on the water, this giving off a vibe of endless possibilities because of the freedom blue symbolizes.
This blue can be incorporated into patterned throw pillows, flower vases, and wall art. You could also opt for a lighter sky blue on your walls for your backdrop and fill in white accents on your couch and rug, together with throw pillows.
To further elevate your design, you can add fixtures in gold, like gold table stands and chair stands, that will add that stunning bang of color.
Here are some inspiring photos with the color white paired with various blue shades.
Sky Blue
| Shade | Hex Code | CMYK Color Code (%) | RGB Color Code | Color |
| White | #ffffff | cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 0%) | rgb(255, 255, 255) | |
| Sky Blue | #afcee4 | cmyk(23%, 10%, 0%, 11%) | rgb(175, 206, 228) |
Royal Blue
| Shade | Hex Code | CMYK Color Code (%) | RGB Color Code | Color |
| White | #ffffff | cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 0%) | rgb(255, 255, 255) | |
| Royal Blue | #1f6fac | cmyk(82%, 35%, 0%, 33%) | rgb(31, 111, 172) |
Yale Blue
| Shade | Hex Code | CMYK Color Code (%) | RGB Color Code | Color |
| White | #ffffff | cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 0%) | rgb(255, 255, 255) | |
| Yale Blue | #415770 | cmyk(42%, 22%, 0%, 56%) | rgb(65, 87, 112) |
Brown/Wood
| Shade | Hex Code | CMYK Color Code (%) | RGB Color Code | Color |
| White | #ffffff | cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 0%) | rgb(255, 255, 255) | |
| Brown | #7d4037 | cmyk(0%, 49%, 56%, 51%) | rgb(125, 64, 55) |
White and wooden finishes are minimalist in an elegant way. While brown or wood color isn’t as glamorous and polished as gold, its natural touch makes the house feel more lively and personal, like actual human beings live in the space. When pairing these two up, it’s important to understand the delicate balance.
White is clean and airy, while wooden finish will brighten up the room with a natural tone. So you can use more white and then compliment it with wood.
Plus, pair up your furniture meaningfully. Instead of having block furniture of one color, one piece can have a combination of two of these colors. For instance, your white countertop in the kitchen should have wooden trimmings, the same as the drawer handles.
Yellow
| Shade | Hex Code | CMYK Color Code (%) | RGB Color Code | Color |
| White | #ffffff | cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 0%) | rgb(255, 255, 255) | |
| Yellow | #f7cf55 | cmyk(0%, 16%, 66%, 3%) | rgb(247, 207, 85) |
The color of sunshine, fun, and great summer times. Everyone loves yellow in theory, but often, when recommended as a color for home design, people hold back. Yellow is a very bold color that needs to be used in moderation in design.
If you’re the simple kind of homeowner, then the idea of yellow simply repulses you. Yet, those that aren’t afraid to express their bubbly personalities in their design find yellow to be a great option to compliment their primarily white design.
The trick is to use one yellow feature like a yellow couch or a yellow one-seater in the living room. In the bedroom, get a yellow blanket with a few patterned yellow pillows in an all-white room.
These small explosions of yellow are enough to brighten up the room and give it a tad more personality. You could also go for the much softer tones of yellow, like mustard, that can be accessorized in more than one item since it isn’t as overbearing.
Orange
| Shade | Hex Code | CMYK Color Code (%) | RGB Color Code | Color |
| White | #ffffff | cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 0%) | rgb(255, 255, 255) | |
| Orange | #e77d1b | cmyk(0%, 46%, 88%, 9%) | rgb(231, 125, 27) |
The beauty of having a white canvas is that oftentimes, anything goes with the color assortments. It’s all left to how far your imagination will take you and what kind of styling risks you are willing to take.
Orange is a strike of fun and good times, so embedding it in your all-white design will liven up the room and make it cozier.
Orange is very prominent in boho designs like blankets, rugs, and pillows. If you’re leaning towards a clean and crisp home design with boho additions, then you probably already had orange in mind. This color will make your living space seem grounded but also chic.
Pink
| Shade | Hex Code | CMYK Color Code (%) | RGB Color Code | Color |
| White | #ffffff | cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 0%) | rgb(255, 255, 255) | |
| Pink | #c0a3b1 | cmyk(0%, 15%, 8%, 25%) | rgb(192, 163, 177) |
If you have a little girl, then you’re most certainly going to have to add flares of pink in her room since young girls are often drawn to the color, like a moth to a flame.
White blends beautifully with pink shades, especially with rose pink or salmon, that are subtle but still mesmerizing.
This isn’t to say that pink only belongs in little girls’ rooms. If you are daring and completely infatuated with tones of pink that often awaken your deeper feminine side, then subtle additions like pillows and a blanket can be incorporated into the living room as well.
Red
| Shade | Hex Code | CMYK Color Code (%) | RGB Color Code | Color |
| White | #ffffff | cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 0%) | rgb(255, 255, 255) | |
| Red | #ef2428 | cmyk(0%, 85%, 83%, 6%) | rgb(239, 36, 40) |
When it comes to red, there are a number of red tones, including primary red, tomato red, cherry red, and raspberry red – all can go well with white.
Depending on the style of interior you want, keep in mind that just some small items with red can raise the room immediately; so if you don’t want to have much emotion in the surrounding space, use red sparingly. If you love red for the bedroom, don’t make it an overwhelming color.
Just pop some shades of red in the decorative items such as vases, artwork, or a set of sofa/couch.
Where there are red and white tones in the room, you can consider adding other colors that complement well with them. Add black and gray for a more moody feel while balancing the red and white.
Add yellow or orange for a warmer and brighter atmosphere. Add pink or purple to make the space feminine and attractive. Add some shades of blue to bring down the red tone while complementing the white color.
Purple
| Shade | Hex Code | CMYK Color Code (%) | RGB Color Code | Color |
| White | #ffffff | cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 0%) | rgb(255, 255, 255) | |
| Purple | #6b2861 | cmyk(0%, 63%, 9%, 58%) | rgb(107, 40, 97) |
This lavender-like color is a great choice if you want to have a country-style yet still modern, feminine atmosphere. Purple might evoke the quiet yet comfortable feel of lavender fields or old country houses.
When not knowing how much you should add this tone, use it for some small decorative items such as pillows, rugs, piece art, and coffee tables, and you are totally safe.
Teal
| Shade | Hex Code | CMYK Color Code (%) | RGB Color Code | Color |
| White | #ffffff | cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 0%) | rgb(255, 255, 255) | |
| Teal | #038c9e | cmyk(98%, 11%, 0%, 38%) | rgb(3, 140, 158) |
White is a well-balanced combination with teal to bring serenity and relaxation to the spaces they surround. As such, they can be greatly used in every room in a house.
If you do not want to be overwhelmed with the darker teal shades in a white room, just add some teal shades to items like art, table lamps, and throw pillows.
