This summer has been lovely. Pleasant weather, outdoor activities, and home projects make sitting at a computer not so appealing, so I've handled the desire to scan in favorites by just not finding them - I have a pile of unread magazines that is reaching a foot in height...
We are repainting our deck and just finished the first coat. After applying some of the chosen white (oh so white) paint I started having second thoughts about changing the look of our porch so drastically. A quick google and flickr search for images renewed my confidence, and a few rooms from this house increased my love of light rooms. I'll never be an all-white gal, (I love my blues, browns, and dark accents too much) but I do appreciate the look.
The most unexpected but logical bonus to a white deck? The back of our house faces North and leaves our sunless kitchen, eating, and family room areas dark and gray even with lots of large windows. The white deck and a little sunlight have easily doubled the light inside the back our home and I could not be more pleased. It also seems to extend the indoor areas into the outdoors because the white of the deck keeps your eyes going rather than cutting them off at the dark deck.
I'm still a bit nervous about how much I'll like the white after the second-coat is on and my pots and bistro tables are back up, but I think I'm going to love it.