White Is Right

I love this spread from Metropolitan Home's January issue. White makes a pleasant backdrop for color, but this series proves that the famous non-color can do a fine job all by itself.

The sepias and blue-blacks used by Joseph Montebello and Ron Leal in their design add weight to the rooms and prevent the all-white palette from feeling too frivolous. Says Montebello, with white "whatever elements you introduce into a room become important." The house makes excellent use of art (both photographs and rare books) but the collection is integrated seamlessly into the home's design. The overall impression is of a well-cultivated home - rather than having Annie Liebowitz and George Goursat's scream off the walls: An Art Collector Lives Here!  Classical furniture lines and natural fabrics finish out the spaces and evoke a Roman feel. While Montebello and Leal make use of fine art and quality fabrics, this is a look that could easily be achieved in your own home - a uniform color scheme looks effortlessly elegant.