white on white

Almost every interior decorator I know of--amateur to professional--wants to design an all-white room. I believe it is a true challenge working with textures and patterns to create a visually stunning space in the absence of color. In modern interiors, white often serves as a blank canvas on the walls for showcasing art or interesting furniture, but white works well in traditional settings as well. While I personally need a little sass and pzazz (in the form of color) to occupy my own surroundings, I would love to see if I could actually create an all-white room that doesn't come across as cold or downright boring. Here are some designers who got it right:

Image: elledecor.com

If you're going to do it, do it. The 700-square-foot Santa Monica cottage of designer Brian Murphy is "a massive whiteout" in his own words.

Photographer: Fernando Bengoechea

Image: architecturaldigest.com

Is a white kitchen possible? Architects Michael Gabellini and Kimberly Sheppard prove it is.

Image: Kelly Wearstler Interior Design

Image: apartmenttherapy.com, Philippe Starck interior

Image: New York Magazine

In a Brooklyn brownstone designed by Lyndsay Caleo and Fitzhugh Karol, white permeates the bathroom where even rolls of toilet paper appear as artwork.

Photo: The Selby

Image: Interior Design Magazine

Sagaponack, New York home designed by Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz and Brian E. Boyle.

Before I create that "perfect white room" in my head, I need to zero in on the perfect shade of white paint (Benjamin Moore alone has 140 whites from which to choose). Of course, this perfect shade will cover the walls of my next house, which I don't even own yet...stay tuned.