• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • About
  • Contact
  • Featured in

Fresh Design Blog

The White Approach: Life in the White House

October 20, 2015 By Rachel Newcombe 6 Comments

Are you a fan of the colour white? It’s fresh, clean, versatile and contemporary and can look stunning when used in interior design schemes.

Karen Jones, from The White Approach, is devoted to white and has made working and living with white look like an utter breeze. In this special guest post, she invites you to take a peek into her beautiful white home and discover her approach to using and decorating with white.

Here’s what Karen has to say:

My name is Karen, I’m very lucky to be married to a very talented DIY fanatic.  Together when time and funds allow, we are transforming our run down 1930s art deco house in Devon into a beautiful white home.  We have 3 sons, including twins, so life is very busy.   I have been blogging on and off for about 6 years.  I write about interiors, lifestyle, home wares, DIY and all things white.

the white approach blog front door

Every home I have owned has always been decorated in white.  One friend once remarked my home was like God’s waiting room as it was so white and bright.   I find white restful and calming.  After a hard day at work I love nothing more than walking into my home and the feeling of peace it gives me.

Mind you it wasn’t always like that, do pop over to my House Renovation page and have a look at how our house looked when we first moved into it ten years ago with 6 month old twins and a very unhappy ten year old.

the white approach blog - white kitchen

We recently realised a long time dream of removing the wall between our kitchen and dumping ground of a dining room.

The result is a large, light bright space that we now can all use.  We are back to eating as a family around the table.  We have a large comfy sofa in the corner where we can sit and chat and the twins can do their homework at the table.  It’s probably my favourite room in the house now.

Kitchen design by the White Approach

Our home style is a combination of new and reloved.  I love to find and renovate old pieces of furniture.  The large white French style cupboard in the kitchen was once an unloved old wardrobe we picked up for just £30 and gave a makeover.

We regularly go to our local bootsale bargain hunting.  Our house is filled with treasure we have found.  It’s a very cost effective way of decorating your home on a budget and creating an individual style.

Hallway designed by the white approach blog

When we moved into our home the carpets were absolutely filthy, there was nothing for it but to rip them up and make the best of the original wooden floors.  We decided to paint the stairs – they have been several colours over the years including pink, which received many comments from visitors, but are back to white at the moment.

The beauty of painted floors and stairs is you can paint them as often as you want, they are very easy to keep clean and its no a major disaster if something gets spilt on them, unlike carpets.

Living room - by the white approach

The living room is the only room in the house where we were able to retain the original fireplace.  It is classically art deco in style and just needed a lick of paint to brighten it up.  It’s the focal point of the room and we are hoping at some point in the future to be able to put either a wood burner in the space or re-open the original fireplace.

When we moved into this house we had no wardrobes as our previous home had them all built in.

My hubby set to work building us some and a cupboard ,as storage in an art deco home is at a premium (no attic space).  I remember those days so well with toddler twins desperate to “help” daddy.  It was a challenge to say the least.

bathroom renovation the white approach blog

One of the priorities in a house with five people (especially with four men) was the bathrooms!  Again the skill and patience of my husband was amazing when he transformed our tiny upstairs family bathroom and airing cupboard into a lovely bright new bathroom.

Get more inspiration for decorating your home in white from Karen at The White Approach – http://www.thewhiteapproachlifestyle.co.uk/

4

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Pocket
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Filed Under: Decorating

Rachel Newcombe

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. KAREN JONES says

    October 20, 2015 at 3:02 pm

    Thank you so much for featuring me Rachel. x

    Loading...
    Reply
    • Rachel Newcombe says

      October 20, 2015 at 6:53 pm

      You’re welcome!

      Loading...
      Reply
  2. Marcel says

    October 20, 2015 at 9:49 pm

    Wow, your house is white alright Rachel! Ha ha.

    We are in the same boat as you with regards to kids. We have three boys as well but different ages. 7, 5 &3. Our floors are worn, our walls are mottled from scrubbing of marker and our table top is ruined.

    We are planning on renovating our attic and once that is done we’ll fix up our house. Believe me when I say that I am not wishing the time away but I have to be honest and say that I’ll be a little relieved when our house stops getting such a hammering. 🙂

    Loading...
    Reply
  3. Marcel says

    October 20, 2015 at 9:50 pm

    Oops, sorry. I was meant to say Karen. 🙂

    Loading...
    Reply
  4. Katy says

    October 22, 2015 at 9:36 am

    How lovely! I love white interiors so I would feel very at home here x

    Loading...
    Reply
  5. fantastic furniture says

    October 28, 2015 at 7:14 am

    It really so col.
    Those furniture also are looking good.
    But the contents are also awesome.

    Loading...
    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Connect with FDB:

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Categories

Popular posts

  • Apartment Names: 200 Best Cool & Creative Ideas
    Apartment Names: 200 Best Cool & Creative Ideas
  • 200 Creative Names For Villas: Unique Villa Naming
    200 Creative Names For Villas: Unique Villa Naming
  • Garden Pond Edging Ideas: Natural and Decorative
    Garden Pond Edging Ideas: Natural and Decorative
  • Creative Ways To Make Your Cathedral-style Kitchen Cabinets Look Modern
    Creative Ways To Make Your Cathedral-style Kitchen Cabinets Look Modern
  • How To Install A Drip Edge Metal Roof: Key Benefits
    How To Install A Drip Edge Metal Roof: Key Benefits
  • How to Use Travertine Tiles in Your Bathroom Design
    How to Use Travertine Tiles in Your Bathroom Design
  • Moldy Furniture? Here's What to Do (And When to Call Residential Mold Restoration Professionals)
    Moldy Furniture? Here's What to Do (And When to Call Residential Mold Restoration Professionals)
VuelioTop10Badge2025

Latest Pins from FDB

Visit FreshDesign Blog's profile on Pinterest.

Archives

VuelioTop10Badge2024

Join us

Join us
  • Contact
  • Cookie Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy

Footer

Fresh Design ranked in the Vuelio Top 10 Interior Design Blogs 2020
Fresh Design ranked in the Vuelio Top 10 Interior Design Blogs in the UK 2017
Fresh Design ranked in the top 10 UK lifestyle blogs 2016
Fresh Design ranked in the Vuelio Top 10 Interior Design Blogs 2019
Fresh Design shortlisted in the 2018 Pinterest UK Interior Awards for Home Styling Tips
Fresh Design ranked in the Vuelio Top 10 Interior Design Blogs 2018
Fresh Design shortlisted in 2017 Vuelio Blog Awards
Fresh Design ranked in the top 10 Homes & Interiors Blogs 2015
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

Copyright 2009-2025 Fresh Design Blog.

%d