7.13.2010

simply white

Instead of collecting images from the internet that show my love of white, I decided to take pictures of all my favorite white things I use on a daily basis around my house. I love white as it implies simplicity and cleanliness and I think it epitomizes summer living.

White dishes. I think food looks best presented on white dinnerware.



I only eat cookies that match my decor. You know I'm kidding - but did you know that oreos are vegan!



I love to serve grilled vegetables on platters like these from the restaurant supply store.




White slipcovers are a favorite of mine. I wash my Pottery Barn slipcovers about once a year.





Is there anything more refreshing than white cotton sheets in the summer?




Sweet dreams






Here is a little secret of mine. I buy my white cotton towels from Big Lots for $3 each. If you like big thick towels, these are not for you. But if you like a normal size towel that dries really fast, you can't beat these.




white orchids




white roses




feverfew




converse all stars




Hanes v-neck mens small t-shirts. Perfect for around the house and yoga class.





who am I kidding, I wear these everywhere!






This is a photo of our last cottage. We painted the floors white and I loved them. They were hard to keep clean but I really miss them.


As you can see, my love of white runs deep.

51 comments:

  1. Dear Janet, what beautiful photos, your cottage looks wonderful, so impressed by the neatness of your kitchen cupboards too!! Zut, must go now, being besieged by savages (small boys) Bxx

    ReplyDelete
  2. Gorgeous pictures, love your style! BUT, Janet ... how did oreos get to be gevan?

    S

    ReplyDelete
  3. So many fun things to see in this post! I love sleeping in small men's Hanes t-shirts. and I always love your kitchen. I'm not sure I could go all-white, all the time....dogs just aren't conducive to that :) But I do dream of it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I LOVE YOU HOME!
    It's so comfortable looking.
    I too have painted white floors and would miss them even if they get dirty quicker. I have recently discovered steam mops though and they make my life super easy!
    Have a blessed evening,
    Hugs,
    Donna

    ReplyDelete
  5. Janet,
    What beautiful images of your beautiful home. I love white too - you made me realize it with your great style! I only buy white towels too so I'll have to look into Big Lots.
    Love your head board and the sconce above it, so lovely.
    xoxoTrina

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wow, these pictures are beautiful and the epitome of summer.

    The beach house we just stayed in was all pine walls and white tables,white slipcovered furniture , and the occasional jolt of color from a beautiful painting (our friend owns a gallery in NYC) or a pitcher of sunflowers.

    I felt ethereal. I am not, but I felt it dammit.

    Your kitchen is inspirational. As are you.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Love these photos, so much better than a collection of internet ones. Your home is a constant inspiration to me to continue paring down and be focused on the look and feel I want.

    I love your subway tiles, kitchen shelves and sparse kitchen bench. You may joke about the Oreos, but I bet you wouldn't have bright pink iced cookies in that jar. They wouldn't look right!

    ReplyDelete
  8. hi sue,

    they took the whey out of oreos a few years ago. yeah. here's a link for more vegan snack foods.

    http://www.peta.org/accidentallyvegan/veganshoppingqs-snacks.asp?category=snacks

    ReplyDelete
  9. too funny! i wear mens size small white vnecks too!! they are the best! and i had no idea oreos were vegan. i'm starting to go vegan again. wish me luck!
    i just adore your beautiful white home:)

    xo,

    grace

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi Janet!
    I'm a white girl myself- white kitchen, white dishes, white platters- have tons of antique English ironstone platters, white flowers- have white orchid in the master bath/white roses by my bed/and white mini-carnations in the guest bath ALWAYS!, white towels and white sheets. And the only thing better than cotton sheets.... linen!!
    I loved seeing all the photos throughout your house! And as always, you're too cute!
    joan

    ReplyDelete
  11. oh I just love your post! Amazing and inspirational..Sinead

    ReplyDelete
  12. O Janet....what a beautiful whites !! your home is wonderful....i love it !!! happy summer.......love.........Ria......

    ReplyDelete
  13. I love your Kitchen area....the mix of subway tiles and beaded board is lovely. Can I borrow your design? Please....Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I don't like slow drying towels at all!

    the best are those you bought in Florida in the 1980's on vacation, once thick. They became so thin, almost transparent.

    After reading how much you love the colour white I get it why you dislike the red facade of the cottage.
    I love white houses in the Bretagne. so crisp and fresh. :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. I love your whites....especially your kitchen...so zen.
    I find that this palette is very calming and elegant.

    I have some chartruese green dishes that I am not madly in love with anymore...they feel too retro and they are scratched from years of use...
    I just may get some all white ones like you have here.
    Imitation IS the sincerest form of flattery!

    You look so cute in your white top and jeans Janet...that is one of my favourite looks...today I have a white tank top on under a large white cotton shirt and my old faithful worn DKNY jeans.

    ReplyDelete
  16. How perfect to read this after posting my question about painting the table! I love your use of white. And the tip about Big Lots? Thank you! I am just about ready to buy more towels and that is a great idea.

    Who wouldn't love vegan oreos? I've had them, too! Oh, and I buy men's t-shirts often - perfect for that white t-shirt, jeans look.

    xo
    Claudia

    ReplyDelete
  17. Oooh fabulous! I now have to go and paint my whole house white!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Lovely pictures. I love white too, but I am totally a red girl! So I try to have the best of both worlds! For all those who love white towels...Costco has great white towels. I use them for my spa parties...lots of makeup, and they always bleach clean! They are soft, fluffy, and a generous size! Love them!

    ReplyDelete
  19. I can't do all white as I need color, but it is beautiful and fits you. That's all that matters and those white sheets look cozy! ;)bb

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hi J, you look so pretty in these photos and sort of serene too. I love your home it really is tranquil. Take care x

    ReplyDelete
  21. I love white linens the best. Sheets and table linens. I agree - food does look best on white plates, and I use them most frequently, but have lots of other plates as well.
    Beautiful simplicity in white.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Love white and love this post Janet.
    Are you happy with your fireclay kitchen sink? Am doing research for our next house reno and I like the look of these sinks but hubby is not convinced.
    Oreos are vegan..who knew!
    xx

    ReplyDelete
  23. anne marie - to tell you the truth, i could take it or leave it. it cost a thousand dollars and to me it's no big deal. i doubt i'd ever buy another one. a regular sink would have been fine. live and learn.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Thanks so much Janet for your honest appraisal, it's much appreciated and valued.
    xx

    ReplyDelete
  25. Janet- these images of your home are gorgeous and so are you! I share your love of white- white sheets, white towels and for us cream plates... the color displays food so beautifully...

    ReplyDelete
  26. Good Evening!
    Every time you show your home, I see something else that I love and put on my wish list! Love the rabbit pictures...
    Your house has such a calm feel to it ~ it seems very peaceful. It seems for as much as I am getting rid of things, I just can't get that same feel.
    I'm going all white in my house...white and simple.
    Janet, you are absolutely adorable! Did hubby take a break to play photographer? :)
    Looks like you were having fun...

    ReplyDelete
  27. I too love white. My kitchen is shades of white (yes there are shades!) and I am in the midst of the project to paint my kitchen floor white (ok - vermont cream). I love white sheets, and white plates, and white flowers, but my terriers preclude white slipcovers. I have the Pottery Barn ones in sand :) they go so well with paw prints. I'm coveting those white converse sneakers to go with my v neck Ts too!! Are we related?

    ReplyDelete
  28. What a beautiful post Janet... I am going to mark it to drool over from time - I so LOVE your house. You look fab in your Hanes T shirt and jeans too. Agree with white floors - I love them too and in the cottage before last I sanded and painted a wooden floor white - lovely to look at but a nightmare to keep looking good! x

    ReplyDelete
  29. Hi Janet, thanks for showing us more of your beautiful house! Love your kitchen BTW! And white towels are my favorite too...

    ~kelley

    ReplyDelete
  30. Your collection of white pieces inside your home is very heavenly and serene. So many good choices in there. Luv 'em all!
    -marie

    ReplyDelete
  31. Hello Janet! Simply white and simply beautiful! It is great to be back and visiting you again. Thanks for the touching comment. Have a wonderful day! verbena cottage

    ReplyDelete
  32. I love these images~ so peaceful. I am also a HUGE fan of converse white tennies and mens Hanes tees~Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  33. I much prefer to see original pictures of your house. I like that you haven't taken white to the extreme. Like you, I love white orchids, white sheets, towels, plates etc. And, once had white floors that I liked the look of but they are soooo hard to keep clean. Love it. You wear mens undershirts so well--Never saw them look so chic!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Janet, I love seeing pictures of your peaceful cottage and you are so cute in your white T and converse. I can't wait to have my settee reupholsterd and have a white slip cover made. Seems like everything else keeps getting in my way...someday.
    Londen

    ReplyDelete
  35. I sure do admire your restraint, Janet. I just don't have it in me to decorate with so much white though I love to look at it in others' homes. Beautiful images, as usual. And thanks for the towel tip! Next time, I'll pass on the Macy's hotel towels that I was afraid to get dirty because they were too expensive!

    ReplyDelete
  36. What do you mean, Oreos are vegan?!?!!! If I gain 30kg in the next month, it's your fault.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Also, re: the towel issue, I mostly use beach towels! Towelling on one side and velour on the other.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Oh how I wish I could have a white couch but with two dogs that will never happen. It looks so refreshing! And I love the white floors!!!

    ReplyDelete
  39. When you have all white dishes and serving peices, do you find that there are a lot of different whites? I love the look of all white in the kitchen but if they were all different colors, I think it would drive me crazy. And isn't "Simply White" the name of your paint color?

    ReplyDelete
  40. steve - you are correct. my whites have a range from cream to blue-white but i love that. when the different pieces are on the table it gives the tablescape depth so it doesn't bother me at all. simply white is the interior color of my house.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Just painted the floor of my new studio glossy white--or rather, DH did. I love my plain white plates, white sofa slipcover (even with evidence of gray cat), white sheets and duvets, and white Becky shasta daisies. All the walls are a creamy white, the cotton curtains are white, the blinds are white and it's still not too much white!

    Happy blog birthday, too!

    ReplyDelete
  42. Beautiful white details from your home. Your home is beautiful!! Have a nice weekend:)

    ReplyDelete
  43. Gorgeous! All of it! I would love to do all white. But with four dogs of varying breeds and colors and a black cat, I think it would be a disaster. However, when my celery green dishes are replaced, I will be choosing white. It's so clean and fresh looking.
    Beautiful blog too....

    Adrienne

    ReplyDelete
  44. I, too, adore white. I just bought a white IKEA Ektorp couch which looks very much like yours. Two weeks into its life and it's already looking dingy. I'm amazed that you only wash your slipcover once a year!

    I adore your home and your blog. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  45. darling Janet, you are a so good looking girl!!! just my style for summer, lots of white shirts and jeans!!!
    all your inside and outside whites are absolutely lovely, so simple yet so charming!!! but, my god, white floors is a lot of work... do you want that for this new house? Hope not!!!!
    many hugs, my friend,
    maria cecilia

    ReplyDelete
  46. I have just this minute been contemplating whether I could get away with a wall of floor to ceiling frames in my bedroom...and there was yours! Thanks for showing me it can be done!

    ReplyDelete
  47. Your home is just beautiful- I ♥ it!!

    ReplyDelete
  48. Your home is gorgeous and I love, love, love all the white. I'll be renting again when I move, but my new place will have as much white as I can possibly give it. I'm now decluttering my old dishes and changing over to white. As a photographer, I totally agree, food looks so much better on white. ♥

    ReplyDelete
  49. I love it! Your cottage is so clean looking compared to my messy house, I have shirts all over the floor and you have things all nice and neat.

    ReplyDelete
  50. hi
    i would love to feature your home on my blog and also request you for a vegan recipe guest post on my food blog..pl let me know

    sudha

    ReplyDelete

kindness is never out of style.