Don’t be Blah: Neutrals That Don’t Feel Bland

Neutral sounds just so, well, neutral. Everything about the term sounds boring and bland. The definition of neutral is passive or impartial. At the same time, this is the most common color for walls in homes. Don’t be blah, here are neutrals that don’t feel bland.

Combine neutrals

Neutrals are an easy palette to work with when matching. Even the most cautious painters can put multiple neutral colors together. Mixing a grey, cream and brown or black reads stylish and sophisticated, while still being all neutrals.

Neutral and Grey

Go with a color scheme that is muted and earthy. Mix cream and browns together with touches of black, white or grey. The scheme will literally go together in any combination with these neutral colors. When working only in a more subdued palette, don’t be afraid to get creative with patterns and color play.

Entryway

Use your entryway to introduce visitors to your home by setting your style tone. There is no need to overwhelm their eyes with jarring colors and bright hues right way. A pattern of neutrals in a pattern gives a sense of style and elegance without assaulting the eyes. Use the colors in rugs, runners, wallpaper, textures and art.

Start with a piece of interesting furniture like an earth tone wingback chair or natural wooden table. Work the rest of the palette around that color. The combination will create a dramatic entryway with no eye-popping colors.

Use a light entryway to make the perfect setting for a bold and colorful oversized piece of art. This will allow the painting to shine through and take center stage, without overwhelming the room with color.

Living Rooms

Living rooms are the perfect place to go neutral and add a singular pop of color. Some bright shades or chic throw pillows are the perfect way to liven up a mostly earth tone room. The neutrals will bring the vibrance down, and allow the colors to be a fun portion of the room.

Another way to create drama in a more plain living room is through dramatic lighting. Artistic sconces or a beautiful chandelier can take center stage in a neutral backdrop.

Kitchen

Kitchen neutrals are very on trend right now, but a stark white kitchen has always been a staple in homes. Go all in on white and match appliances, backsplashes and cabinets to the white palette. Or take the opposite approach and use the white walls as a backdrop to stainless and colorful countertop appliances. This creates contrasting focal points.

White kitchens can tend to feel a bit sterile. Mix in textures in wood, tile, steel and waterfall glass to keep the medical feeling out of your eatery. A plain kitchen is a fun place to incorporate colorful textiles, cushions or barstools. It’s personality without going overboard.

Dining Room

Dining rooms can feel heavy and oppressive with large furniture. Keep the room light by adding a warm and light neutral color. Add warm lighting to avoid a cave-like feel. Add some flowers to liven up the room.

Keep in mind that neutral doesn’t mean no-color. Professionals have seen huge successes using colors just outside of neutral in dining rooms. The most popular is pale yellow. It is just slightly off neutral and brings warmth to the room.

Bedroom

Neutrals in a bedroom can create a calming effect. These colors matched with natural elements makes for a peaceful and rustic room. If you are looking for more style, try color block patterns on one wall as an accent. Combine shades a step up and down from the wall color for a subtle look.

Bathrooms

Most bathrooms are white. It’s just the easiest color when it comes to cleaning with harsh chemicals. Changing out the white for a cream or beige can take the sterile, medical feel to a warm retreat. Adding in a plant will put color in the room but read neutral because it’s natural.

Make sure your lighting is up to par for a small, neutral room like a bathroom. Warm lights in unexpected places will delight. Additional lights in unexpected places will help the warmth. Think of lighting under the medicine chest or around the bathroom mirror.

Still unsure of your neutral painting project? We’re here to help! Call today for a free, in-home estimate.