Beware Blah: Neutrals That Don’t Feel Bland

Even just the word “neutral” screams bland. Colors on your walls tend to be active, passive, or neutral. The word itself means impartial which sounds a bit bland. The fact remains though that the colors in the neutral palette are used as a common decorating strategy.

Combine neutrals

Since neutrals match nearly any shade, they also match each other. There is no rule that you must stay within one neutral shade when decorating a room. Mix a grey, cream, brown, and black color combination together. You’ll get a stylish outcome that still matches any colors you can come up with.

Neutral inspired decor with grey accents

The neutral palette contains colors that are earthy and muted. It includes white, black, cream, brown, grey, and others along those lines. They are widely used in home colors because they literally go with anything. When painting a room with these colors, you can safely use nearly any color or pattern without fear of clashing.

Entryway

An entryway serves as the first introduction to your home for guests and sets the tone of your style. You don’t have to impress your visitors with bright hues right away. In fact, some homeowners have shied away from that because it’s jarring. A well-chosen pattern of neutrals will give an heir of elegance while not assaulting eyes. Try to incorporate the pattern into rugs, runners, wallpaper, and even art. Try a piece of interesting furniture to set off your entryway. A great wooden table or wingback in a neutral color creates a warm and welcoming aesthetic while maintaining the feel of natural neutrals. Creating a light neutral entryway makes a perfect gallery for a bold and colorful piece of art. It will emphasize the painting while not making the room feel overwhelming with color.

Living Rooms

A neutral living room provides the perfect place to give a home to a pop of color. Get some really chic throw pillows or bright window treatments to living things up in a mostly beige room. The neutral colors take down the vibrance of the pop allowing those in the room to feel a sense of air and breath. Making a living room in neutrals gives a great backdrop for some really dramatic lighting. A large chandelier or intricate sconces are perfect on a neutral background.

Kitchen

Kitchens in neutral colors are on-trend right now, but a white kitchen has always been a staple of homes. To make it feel like a seamless space, match your appliances, walls, and cabinets to the same, or nearly the same color. To break it up, contrasting hardware can give focal points. Avoid your kitchen feeling sterile by using similar colors but different mediums. Include neutrals in wood, tile, steel, and waterfall glass so your kitchen doesn’t get too medical. Plain kitchens are a great place to incorporate fun textiles, cushions, or barstools. It’s just enough color to have personality without going overboard.

Dining Room

A neutral dining room keeps the room light when it’s often filled with heavy wooden furniture. Include natural textiles to make a fully neutral dining area. Use lighting to keep the room warm and add glass or flowers to finish the decor. Neutral doesn’t always mean color-free. Pros have seen great success bringing in yellow as a statement color. It adds warmth without straying too far from the neutral palette.

Bedroom

Use neutrals to create a serene and calming bedroom design. Bring natural elements into the room like wood, rope, linen, and others for a rustic room. One way to incorporate a natural color scheme with a bit more style is to use neutral colors in a block pattern. Choose one shade and use two slightly different versions of it.

Bathrooms

Bathrooms are notoriously white. Neutral can easily swing into the category of sterile in small, all-white rooms. One way to increase the style in an all-white room is to add a plant. Because it’s natural it reads as neutral, but because it’s colorful, it will add a bright spot in the small bath. In a small room with required appliances, like a bathroom, lighting is crucial. Put warm lights in unexpected places. Try adding bulbs under a medicine chest or around a bathroom mirror.

Not sure where to start?

Here at CertaPro Painters^® of Northridge – Granada Hills, CA, we offer a wide variety of professional house painting services to assist you, including drywall repair, wallpaper removal, and installation, and color consultation. So whether you’re stumped and just want a second opinion, the project turns out to be a bit bigger than expected, or anything in between, give us a call at 818-714-7004 or schedule a free estimate online.