Every time I see a granny square project, with bright colors against a white background, I am amazed how gorgeous and cheerful it looks. It seems that there is no better color than white for pairing and bringing any bright colors together. Any color you pick for your project will work great on a pure white background.
However, every time I finished my own project with white as the background color, I felt disappointed with it. It didn't fit me or my living space. It looked like a foreign object, an eyesore. It took me some time to realize, that as great as this combination was, it didn't work for me.
There are many factors which put me off using white as a background color. Speaking of garments and accessories, the color theory of four seasons, which places each person into one of the four seasonal types (and their subtypes), doesn't recommend using white for those who belong to Spring and Autumn types. We, spring and autumn girls, need other neutrals, not as clear and crisp as white.
The high contrast created when white is combined with other colors is another issue. Style is all about harmony and balance, and dressing according to your natural contrast is important. Wearing high contrast items with low contrast face (or vice versa) creates an imbalance in the overall look. I didn't pay much attention to this, but the feeling that something was wrong was enough to make me put my newly crocheted scarf on the shelf.
Speaking of home crochet items, I realized that projects with bright colors on a white background needed much more work and taste to make them fit my room. This color combination is as beautiful and cheerful, as it is naughty and demanding. It emphasized the flaws of my room instead of making it look better.
Now, whenever I am about to start another colorful project, I force myself to forget about oh-so-cheerful-white color and pick some other quite boring neutrals: light grey, soft beige or cream. And this makes wonders.
Colors still pop, but in a subtle way which compliments my appearance and fits my home. Here are three examples of when I switched to another neutral color:
