The Cleansing White of Winter

The window at our shop has just been transformed from the Christmas scene of ornamented tree and colorful gift ideas emphasizing lots of reds and greens to our winter scene of startling white and silver. It seems that after the bright colors of summer transform into the warm oranges and golds of autumn’s leaves falling leaving the enduring evergreens and contrasting rich reds of the Christmas season, we’re ready to cleanse our color palette and start the New Year with the “clean crisp white” as Votivo has aptly named one of its more popular candle scents.
Our feature statement, for the kid in all of us, is a fanciful prancing white carousel horse on a white blanket of snowy fabric surrounded with sparkling reflective cast pewter serving pieces, picture frames, candles and a spectacular bouquet of pearly and bejeweled white branches all contributing to a stunning display of white and silver brilliance.
As we settle into the next few weeks of winter, the crisp white and brilliant metallic of silver suggest snowy nights entertaining friends for cozy evening gatherings with sparkling serving pieces of pewter, sterling, crystal and firelight. Food enters my field of vision with delectable hors d’ oeuvres on those silver serving pieces, warming drinks in crystal glassware, lively conversation, smiles and good cheer.
In the design world, the conversations surrounding “white” are always interesting. Not only are there endless colors of white – put one next to another to test this fact – one will tint pink and the other lean yellow…some have a blue cast and others grey…it’s all about contrast and context. What one identifies as white changes dramatically when placed next to another version of the same – or supposedly the same. Yet, they are distinctly NOT the same.
When an interior – a tract home, for example – offers “white” walls, more often than not, they are an off-white, warmer yet still perceived as “white.” To that scene, in that context, the walls probably seem un-done – a non-color. They appear to not have been addressed and beg for color attention. However, white can also BE a color. If it is an intentional color in the Interior Design scheme, white can be as powerful as the most brilliant red or the most complex black. Save this in-depth discussion for another time.
Now, just nestle in for the cold winter days ahead with an eye on a fresh start for colors to come…light some candles, burn a fire and set out some silver trays of tasty treats, and sip from a crystal vessel finding warmth, contentment and promise in the start of this coming New Year.