Book Review: At Home with White

It's the Wednesday after a long weekend, and I suspect we could all use a little breather...I know I can! These images from 'At Home With White ' by Atlanta Bartlett are just what the doctor ordered. This book is an absolute must-read---you might have run into it before here or here---with more eye candy than you can shake a stick at!

The mother of pearl chandelier, the sequined toss pillows, the mile-high ceilings? I've died and gone to heaven! And I know I said yesterday that I'm a convert to dark floors, but these wide bleached planks might convince me otherwise.

Nothing highlights architectural details like a fresh coat of white paint; the monochromatic color scheme really lets the curves and crevices of this fireplace shine through. And can't you imagine hosting a charming brunch at this long, narrow table?

Total non sequitur alert: I spent a summer in the south of France when I was eighteen, and everywhere I went I carried a straw bag just like the one on the wall below. By the end of the trip the worn leather handles had snapped and the straw had frayed, but seeing this office space now reminds me of that sunny, carefree time.

Back to our regularly scheduled programming! The barely-there feathers on this stylish wallpaper bring an elegant and feminine touch to a sleek desk vignette. And of course I love little touches like a lucite container of all-white pencils.

Could a bathroom possibly be any sweeter? Maybe, but you'd have to search far and wide to find one as nice as this. That faucet is to-die-for, and the mirrors perched on wall ledges bring a touch of casual romance. Plus I'm a total sucker for a pitcher full of colorful blooms.

Is it weird to have paintings of strangers on your wall? Because there's one in the window of an antiques shop near my house, and I'm seriously considering making it my own. Maybe I could just claim it's a portrait of my great aunt Mabel...?

I don't 100% approve of this bedroom; the wire dress forms on the wall are a little too shabby chic for my tastes. But that light fixture? Be still my heart!

Okay, I saved the best for last. When the Wednesday crunch gets too overwhelming, just close your eyes and retreat to this space. Set a glass of sparkling lemonade on that tower of hatboxes, crawl under the covers, and dream of Saturday mornings drenched in bright, white light. Ahhh....

All images courtesy of 'At Home With White ' by Atlanta Bartlett, copyright of Ryland, Peters & Small.

Comments

[Anonymously Chic]

just the photos i needed to see to calm my nerves.

[christina]

That bleached plank floor and fantastic bathroom are screaming my name. Does white scream? Maybe it's more like they're whispering my name.

[Vicki Archer]

I love all these images Anne - and I think Aunt Mabel is a must. Sparkling lemonade....perfection. xv

[mary jo]

Love these images! I have been in the floor quandary lately--I'm thinking of redoing the upstairs and have been unable to decide between bamboo or bleached walnut or even white cement. Then again dark wood could work too...and of course I love your straw bag memory!

Hope your week is going well!

[Kristin @ Contented Me]

I'm in heaven!!
Must add this to my Amazon wish list RIGHT now.

You've gotta get Aunt Mabel... imagine all the stories that you can make up about her!

[tiff]

Wow - when you look at it this way, white is anything but boring.

[kasey]

i love these images...
especially the one with the long table with 2 benches.
i have to have that.

[caroline @ patagonia gifts]

oh my! oh my! these photos are sooooo gorgeous! I'm totaly in love with that mother of pearl chandelier!

[robin pulsifer]

ok, seriously beautiful spaces. that second photo with the mother of pearl chandelier takes the cake though, that light is stunning, dripping all the way to the floor like that. and the sparkle of those sequined pillows, i will always be drawn to things sparkly. aaaah, thanks for the breather!

[blair]

Oh, I love white interiors and these are just draw dropping! I am especially crazy about the third image with the wood so neatly stacked in the fireplace. I definitley this that I will need to add this book to my birthday wish list!

[Daniella]

Oh how I love that book... the desk with the feathery paper is so pretty! I'm going to have to read that book again, lol.

[nkp]

Seriously, I do. Lately I've been overcome with an insatiable urge to throw buckets and buckets of white paint all over my walls. So clean and fresh, a perfect tabula rasa. But reality is that my three boys would lay stake on that white in a matter of minutes.

Oh well, I'll escape to the beautiful images you've shared. My favorites- that perfectly arranged office and the striped bed on wheels.

[Liz@violetposy]

Great minds think alike! I have a blog post waiting to go about Atlanta Bartlett, I love her work it's just gorgeous. Thanks for all the lively images, I'd not seen that bathroom one, I love those blooms! x

[Rebecca]

Anne, you always have such a way with words. I love all the pics, especially the charming bathroom!

[TheBeautyFile]

Oh, these images are so evocative...I feel like I'm there...I love all the bright white...almost transcendental.

[Melissa]

I am in love with the fourth photograph and the feather wallpaper. That must have been amazing to spend a summer in the south of France!

[Pretty Little World]

I need.need.need that white bench!! It's so amazingly lovely!

[Jen]

I'm totally loving the fourth photograph too. That series of number prints and the casual benches. Also think the stacked hat boxes are such a good idea. I want this book!

[Melissa]

I love that capiz shell chandelier. I am still looking for one for my home. It is so elegant yet simple.

[vicki dvorak]

Gorgeous photos....thanks for sharing them with us. :) For some reason, I am loving white lately!

[Julia]

I just squealed out loud, there are so many yummy photos in here!

[georgia]

that cracked me up about the painting. i have often thought of framing really cool vintage photos that i find at antique stores and just saying they are relatives if anyone asks. :)

i say do it, Anne! i won't tell anyone.

if i can ever become a clean, organized and pristine person, i will try to pull off decorating with all whites like this. so, basically—it's probably not going to happen in this life time. :)

[Brandi]

SO gorgeous...I'm not sure what exactly is on the wall behind the bench, but I like that number art. The white is just so fantastically dreamy.

[Candace Rose]

Gorgeous photos, white walls are my absolute favorite!

[Shell Sherree]

I'm still in love with white on white on white on... and all the subtle details and layering and textures that go with it. Sublime.

That rolling bed reminded me of a neat thing I saw somewhere - adding heavy duty castors to shipping pallets and putting a walled cushion on top to make snazzy daybeds or ottoman kind of thingos. I guess it could become a coffee table too. Looked amazing!

[Rachel Follett]

There really is such a beautiful feeling that goes with an all white space. Lovely rooms!

[Catherine@simplynatural]

Seriously, I don't want to buy this book. But that's because I already have it! One of my faves, I picked it up again just last week for another hit of inspiration and it is still laying on my bedroom floor. I flicked through her new book last week too at the bookstore - looks lovely, but quite different.

[Tina {Luphia loves...}]

oh wow!! so much beautiful white, i need this book! :)

[Jane Flanagan]

I adore the desk image.

[anna j.]

i, too, have asked myself if it is weird to have a painting of a stranger in my home... i think it can be done but it'd gotta be done right... otherwise, it can be creepy :)

[The Lil Bee]

These are the most serene, beautiful images ever. I cannot get over that chandelier!

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