Let’s talk about the best white paint colors for your home.

the best white paint colors and a remodeled galley kitchen view of side of refrigerator and door to bedroom

What is it about white paint colors?

There’s no denying that white is in. White paint colors have been around for a long time and yet they are as popular as ever. Whether your painting kitchen cabinets white or your walls, there’s a white for everyone.

I started my quest for the perfect white paint color when we were planning our kitchen remodel in our Illinois house. I checked out a lot of whites but ultimately narrowed it down and shared some of my favorites in my 5 popular whites for kitchen cabinets post.

5 popular white paint color chips with their name

While they’re all pretty colors, I did end up finding a favorite out of the 5. One thing you need to know about me is that when I find something I love, I stick with it. I used my true love white on the kitchen cabinets, as well as the rest of the kitchen, and now use it in our little cottage. Before we get to my all-time favorite though, I want to share another pretty white I’ve used.

Sherwin Williams Alabaster

I can’t take credit for choosing this color because it was already in our house when we moved in. I had no idea what color it was until we started our fireplace makeover. The previous owner was nice enough to leave all of the old paint, so I was able to figure out what it was and color match it.

SW Alabaster is a soft, warm white. It’s a pretty color but if you’re looking for bright white, this isn’t it.

the best white paint colors and a white brick fireplace with large tv on mantle

We also used it on the bathroom door. Actually most of the doors and trim are painted with SW Alabaster. I’ve changed a few rooms, like the powder room and guest bedroom we’re working on, but for the most part it’s all SW Alabaster.

The best white paint colors and a DIY towel rack made from a porch baluster hanging on the bathroom wall with a striped towel hanging on it

So, what is my all-time favorite white paint color?

Benjamin Moore White Dove

I can’t get enough of it. It’s the perfect white for kitchen cabinets, ceilings, trim, bathroom vanities…

You get the idea.

In my book you can’t really go wrong with it. Just like SW Alabaster it’s a soft white. Actually, they’re very similar, but I prefer BM White Dove.

Our kitchen remodel in Illinois? The paint color turned out to be the main attraction. We painted the tongue and groove plank ceiling in a pearl sheen and the kitchen cabinets were done in a satin sheen, as was the trim. All of it in BM White Dove.

The best white paint colors and white painted cabinets with brown granite countertops in small galley kitchen

Because I loved how it looked in our Illinois kitchen, we have continued to use it in our new little cottage. Initially, I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to use it in our new house. After all, lighting in a room plays a big part in how paint colors look in your house. I pulled all of my sample boards out when we moved in and I was thrilled to see that it looked just as good as it did in our old house.

The first test to see if it really worked was in the powder room we just finished. I used it on the plank walls, ceiling and trim. Even with no natural light it looks great.

The best white paint colors and a small powder room with gray vanity and silver mirror

The trim in the guest bedroom, the powder room barn door and the closet mirrored barn door all got the same treatment.

The best white paint colors and a barn door and toilet in tiny powder room

What can I say, I just love it.

The best white paint colors and a small closet with gray wallpaper and sliding mirrored barn door

So, how can you find your best white paint color out of all of the hundreds of options? You need to test some out…in the room that you want to use it in. Picking out a little paint chip in the store, without looking at it in your room, isn’t going to cut it.

What do I do?

I like to paint a sample on a large piece of poster board and then I put the board in the area that I want to paint. Keep it there a few days. Look at it in different light. I promise you’ll find your perfect match.

The best white paint colors…what are your picks?

 

pin this for later graphicFavorite white paint colors in a white kitchen, small powder room with white planks on wall, closet with wallpaper and sliding barn door

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Creative Flower Gardening Ideas

old rusty flower window box

I don’t know about you but I am so ready to get outside and do some gardening. Planting veggies is definitely on my list but right now my mind is on flowers…planting them anywhere and everywhere.

That was my goal when we lived in our Illinois house, too. I wanted to add some color to our plain garage so I set out to find the perfect window box for flowers.

I could have built one but, as luck would have it, I found the perfect piece to use at a local flea market. Rust and vintage goodness included. Click over to see the before and after of my rustic window box.

drilling a hole in a rusty old flower window box

Looking for more flower gardening ideas? Check out all of the beautiful inspiration from the rest of the DIY Housewives.

Happy gardening!

graphic for the DIY housewives with names of the blogs participating


 

pin this for later graphiccollage with flower gardening ideas and a large graphic on top

 

You can also find me at Between Naps on the Porch, Worthing Court, Savvy Southern Style, French Country Cottage

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Spring has definitely sprung here at the cottage (inside anyway) and it all starts at the front door with this pretty tulip wreath. I usually hang a basket on the front door and add some flowers to it but I wanted something different this spring. You can’t get any different than a big bunch of pink tulips.

Pink…lots of pink. It’s not my usual color palette, that’s for sure, but there’s no denying that it screams spring. Plus I love it with my new front door.

pink tulip wreath hanging on a blue farmhouse front door

Supplies for Tulip Wreath

  • wreath form
  • ribbon
  • faux tulips
  • wire cutters

Cost is a factor in every project I do and this one was no different. I knew that I would need a fair amount of tulips to make the wreath look full so I waited for a sale before I pulled the trigger. It ended up taking 13 bunches and I was able to snag them for $2 a bunch. The burlap ribbon was another steal at just $1 a piece.

For the wreath form I chose a wrapped straw, thinking it would be the easiest to work with, and easiest to stick my flowers in.

Supplies to make tulip wreath. Tulips, ribbon, wreath form and wire cutters.

I knew what I wanted my finished wreath to look like but I had no idea if it was going to work. The idea was to wrap the wreath with the ribbon so I could stick the stems in the seams and have them stay in place.

Through a bit of trial and error I learned that the ribbon should be wrapped on the loose side. Not loose enough that it will move around, but loose enough to allow you to stick the stems in the seams.

wrapping straw wreath with pink burlap ribbon

Next, I cut off each stem from the main one using my cutters. I tried to keep each stem fairly long in the hopes that they would stay in place better.

clipping stems of pink tulips with wire cutters

As far as placing the flowers, my plan was to use the dark pink and add the light pink in a few spots here and there. I ran out of dark flowers pretty quickly so I resorted to Plan B.

Plan B…not a real plan…I just ended up eyeballing it, spreading the light and dark around until it looked good.

creating a DIY pink tulip wreath

Adding the stems was so simple.

I just worked my way around, pushing each stem into the seams. Some of the stems ended up going through the plastic wrapping of the wreath form, which was added security. I didn’t worry about each one going all the way through, though. As long as they were all the way in the seam, they were good.

adding pink tulips to a DIY tulip wreath

That’s it…easy peasy.

A little fluffing and she was ready to hang on our new front door.

I asked the hubs what he though about it my cute tulip wreath. His answer?…”well, it’s pink!”

Thanks Captain Obvious. 😉

Looking for more spring inspiration? Check out my spring home tour and my easy tips for creating a spring vignette.  And don’t forget to hop over to the post on my new front door and the pretty paint color.

Pink tulip wreath hanging on blue painted farmhouse door.

pink tulip wreath hanging on a blue farmhouse front door

 


 

 

pin this for later graphicpink tulip wreath hanging on a blue front door

 

You can also find me at Between Naps on the Porch, Worthing Court, Savvy Southern Style, French Country Cottage

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I already shared my spring home tour last week but today is all about creating a pretty spring vignette. If you’ve followed me for awhile then you know that I usually like to keep my decor simple. Our cottage is pretty small, and we don’t have a lot of surface area for decor, so I like to spread spring around with a few simple but pretty spring vignettes.

spring vignette with purple tulips, white bunnies, blue straws in a glass bottle and a navy bowl with candy eggs

If you’re stopping in from Kingsbury Brook Farm, welcome! I’m so excited to be joining Kendra, from Joy in our Home, for her Spring Festival Blog Hop today. There are 23 more blogs joining in on the hop, in a few different categories, so make sure you check them out.

So let’s talk spring vignettes.

I really don’t have a secret formula when it comes to creating vignettes. Like most of my decorating, I like to keep it simple and try to work with one piece at a time. One thing I know for certain is that there will always be fresh flowers involved.

For this spring vignette I went for a cute Easter, spring color theme. I don’t usually do a full-out Easter display but I found this adorable bunny cake stand from HomeGoods and couldn’t resist.

With one piece of the puzzle in hand, I was ready to start creating my spring vignette. The first thing I had to do was to find a way to corral all my goodies. I needed something big so I pulled out my old round wooden cutting board.

With my base in place I was able to start with the cute bunny cake stand, followed by a checked navy napkin, dessert plates and another bunny on top.

spring vignette with purple tulips, white bunnies, a navy bowl with candy eggs on a large wood cutting board

I’m still loving the blues, and I have a lot of blue accessories, so I stuck with that. You don’t have to go with all pastels this time of year. Decorating is using what you love, regardless of the season.

I added a pretty navy bowl filled with paper grass and a bit of color with candy eggs. Navy checked straws in a little glass rooster jar adds more color and texture to my spring vignette.

spring vignette with a white bunny, blue straws in a glass bottle and a navy bowl with candy eggs

spring vignette with purple tulips, white bunnies, a blue checked napkin, blue straws in a glass bottle and a navy bowl with candy eggs

Like I said, fresh flowers are my go-to for any kind of vignette I create. I splurged for this one and bought 2 bunches of purple tulips from Trader Joe’s. After I put them in my simple glass vase I felt like something was missing. $2 worth of limes was just the trick. I just plopped them in and arranged my stems around them.

And yes, in case you’re wondering…plopped is an official decorating term. 😉

I’m loving the pop of bright green from the limes.

spring vignette with purple tulips in a glass vase with limes, a white bunny and a navy bowl with candy eggs


spring vignette with purple tulips, white bunnies, and a navy bowl with candy eggs

It’s colorful, fun and pretty. All the things you need for a beautiful spring vignette.

A kitchen with a spring vignette of purple tulips, white bunnies, and a navy bowl with candy eggs on a dark gray painted kitchen island

The kitchen couldn’t have all of the spring fun so I added a bit of color to our small entryway. I tried something different with this space and styled it two different ways. Again, I went simple.

A pitcher with tulips, some faux greens (that I already had) in a straw bag and a wooden bird.

For the second one I just traded out the pitcher of tulips for a preserved boxwood under a cloche, while the tulips hang out in the straw bag. Real ones won’t last long but you could easily switch them out for faux stems.

Either way it’s nice to walk in the door and see spring color.

small entryway with spring touches of pink tulips and preserved boxwood with a big black lantern

I hope I was able to convince you that it really is easy to add some simple but pretty spring color to your home.

Happy 1st day of Spring! Thanks for stopping by!

 

pin this for later graphicpurple tulips and white ceramic bunny with bowl of candy eggs

 

 

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Who’s ready for a fun home decor giveaway? THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!

I know I just shared our spring home yesterday but it’s Thrifty Style Team Wednesday and I just had to join in on it. We usually share a thrifty find but this month is special because we’re offering a home decor giveaway.

4 wooden herb boxes sitting on a butcher block island with tulips, napkins, candy eggs in green paper grass and green wreaths in them.

The way it works is that each member of the team is giving away a gently used, beloved home decor item from their own stash. So it really is like 11 giveaways in 1. You can visit each member of the team and enter to win.

My prize is 4 hanging wood herb boxes that I bought when we moved into the cottage.

4 wooden herb boxes sitting on a butcher block island with tulips, napkins, candy eggs in green paper grass and green wreaths in them.

I was so excited to get them but broke a cardinal rule…don’t buy something unless you have a spot to put it. Our cottage is small, with limited wall space for decor, and I was never able to make them work. Unfortunately I bought them from a shop that didn’t accept returns so I had to keep them.

Parsley wooden herb box sitting on a butcher block island with candy eggs in green paper grass.

So as they say, one woman’s mistake is another person’s treasure. Or something like that. 😉

These beauties are solid wood and they all have a hanger. They’re perfect for herbs or placemats or silverware…so many great ways to use them.

Thyme and Sage wooden herb boxes sitting on a butcher block island with tulips and napkins in them.

Ok, are you ready to give these herb boxes a new home? Make sure you go all the way to the bottom of the post for the rules and to enter.

4 wooden herb boxes sitting on a butcher block island with tulips, napkins, candy eggs in green paper grass and green wreaths in them.

Remember to visit the other members of the Thrifty Style Team to enter their giveaways, after you’ve entered mine. Each one will have a different prize and different rules on how to enter so make sure you read the rules.


How do you enter my giveaway? It’s actually pretty easy.

To Enter – GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED! THANKS TO ALL THOSE THAT ENTERED

Good luck!

4 wooden herb boxes sitting on a butcher block island with tulips, napkins and green wreaths in them.

 

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Happy Spring! Ok, so it’s technically not spring on the calendar but it is spring at the cottage. To celebrate the change in season I’m joining in with Carrie from Lovely Etc., for her Color Loving Spring Home Tour. There’s a ton more spring inspiration from my blogging friends so make sure you check them out at the end of the post.

A change of season usually means packing stuff away, getting stuff out and changing pillow covers. It’s not my fave thing to do, especially the pillow covers, but spring is different. It just makes me happy to see the bright fresh colors from flowers or pillow covers and the clean look of more pared down decor.

corner of sunroom with striped rug in center and bird of paradise plant in corner next to chair

It usually doesn’t take much to add a bit a spring to a space. A few spring colored pillows in our recently redone sunroom and the greens from my potted herbs and our rescued bird of paradise. It’s doing really well in this space, and recently sprouted two new leaves.

corner of sunroom that has a sectional sofa and lots of pillows with a striped rug

I packed up the faux fur throws and brought out a lighter striped throw. My DIY furry stool is a must in this room so that had to stay out.

Now we just need the leaves to pop up outside and this room will really look like spring.

vignette on ottoman in sunroom with a potted plant, faux air plant and large glass bottle on a round wooden cutting board

The kitchen and dining area are another easy place to add a bit of spring. Pillows and throws don’t help much in this area so I rely on fresh flowers. This spring I’ve been gravitating towards yellow…lots of yellow. Probably because we haven’t seen the sun a whole lot this winter.

a pitcher of yellow tulips and potted plants on a butcher block kitchen island with wooden shelves in the background

I finally took down the magnolia leaf garland from around the window and it really opened that area up. I have to admit that I miss it but it was definitely time for it to go.

A pitcher of yellow and orange tulips on a butcher block island with kitchen window and wooden stool in the background

The glass bottles that I found for $10 at a thrift store are still out and getting tons of use. Even something as simple as daffodils in glass bottles seems to scream spring.

tulips in glass bottles on white painted dresser in a dining room

I made just a small change on this wall with the addition of a new plant. I already had a small snake plant and wanted something bigger for this side of the dining area. They are so easy to grow and do well in low light conditions. Plus it gives me that spring green color that I’m looking for.

snake plant in modern plant stand next to a buffet with chalkboard above it in a dining room

I hope that my tour has inspired you to add some spring color to your home. Even if you just put away winter decor and add a bouquet of fresh flowers it will give your room a spring vibe. So simple.

Many of my home decor items are listed in my Shop My House tab, if you want to check it out.

closeup of daffodils in glass bottles on dining room buffet

Don’t forget to visit the rest of the blogs on the Color Loving Spring Home Tour.

Happy Spring ya’ll!

 

You can also find me at Between Naps on the Porch, Worthing Court, Savvy Southern Style, French Country Cottage

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