White Walls or Bold Color?

I grew up with white walls. I moved on to more white walls. Now we have barely buttercup walls, with white below the chair rail. Now that we're thinking about repainting our living room/dining room/kitchen area, this tiny voice in the back of my mind is screaming "add color"!

But ... white walls are easy! Neutral walls let you change your decor on a whim, completely change the look of the room with a few curtains or pillows rather than having to repaint. Neutral walls are safe, secure.

Color is bold... am I bold? Not always. So we have a decision ahead... bold? Or safe? I'm wondering if maybe some lighter colors would be a good compromise. Maybe a light turquoise for the otherwise white kitchen. Maybe a nice light sage green for the living room/dining room combo.

Here are some inspiring photos that got me thinking.

This is Tony Shalhoub's house... I love the pure white, clean look it has. I love the bold accent colors (that could be changed in a day for little cost!).


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This is really along the lines of what I was thinking I liked. There's a bit of color on those walls, but not so much that it's terribly bold or overpowering. Our kitchen cabinets are white, as well as a very light counter top and light ceramic tiles. Perhaps a splash of light color would be good for the space?


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Here is another light splash of color that I really like. Dark wood, light walls with a bit of color.


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But then I see these dark walls, with the white accents to lighten it up, and I do love it. I wonder if maybe a bathroom or powder room would be a good place to experiment with a dark color?


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This is another one that I love. We wouldn't be able to do this in our living room since we have dark furniture, but the kitchen is all white... is a dark color too bold for the kitchen? Should I relegate it to the bathroom?


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I'd love to hear your opinion on wall colors! White? Light? Dark? It's such a big decision!