If the walls are white, why bother to plaster?

I'm seeing a lot of white and off white venetian and other plasters in shelter magazines and elsewhere. E.g., this article in Vogue . The Misczynskis of Atelier AM are doing this very balanced, organic, but kind of minimalist look -- the article shows a Rancho Sante Fe home with walls of "gleaming" venetian plaster in an eggshell color. Floors look almost rough-hewn. Antiques. It is very effective. (Probably more so for me than most Vogue readers, since I can visualize how the plaster would look. In the pictures the walls just look . . .white)

Orange peel or skip trowelled textures are very common in spec homes and recently built homes - even multi million dollar homes. Even renos of homes built in the 20s are dealing with plaster walls that have many years of odd patchups where drywall hasn't been thrown up. The texture is just wrong as a starting point. No grace, no style.

A plaster finish gives you control over that texture. It gives you control over how the wall is going to reflect light. That's why you would do it, even if you are sticking to whites. --- the molto bene wife

Vogue Article Photographed by François Halard