Lately I have been really attracted to neutral rooms, which is a big change for someone that LOVES color! I NEVER thought I would ever consider having white walls again...but like the saying goes..."Never Say Never"!
In this economy neutral makes great sense! Choose neutral colors for all your expensive pieces like sofas & flooring and bring in hits of color as your accent in art, flowers, vases, pillows, drapes, rugs.
In this economy neutral makes great sense! Choose neutral colors for all your expensive pieces like sofas & flooring and bring in hits of color as your accent in art, flowers, vases, pillows, drapes, rugs.
That way when you get tired of your room or space you can just change the color of the accessories and get a whole new look for your room!
To Create a Neutral Room
Add Texture. If you are keeping a monochromatic color scheme, whether it’s beige, white, green or blue, you need to create visual interest in the room. And texture is a great way to do that. By adding nubby pillows and a soft mohair throw on the sofa, woven wood blinds on the windows, and a sisal rug on the floor, you have added various textures to the room and created not only tactile but visual interest. The textures stand out against the neutral backdrop.
Add Texture. If you are keeping a monochromatic color scheme, whether it’s beige, white, green or blue, you need to create visual interest in the room. And texture is a great way to do that. By adding nubby pillows and a soft mohair throw on the sofa, woven wood blinds on the windows, and a sisal rug on the floor, you have added various textures to the room and created not only tactile but visual interest. The textures stand out against the neutral backdrop.
Keep your large furniture pieces solid. A large flowered, multi-colored sofa does not lend itself to a neutral color scheme unless the pattern is tone-on-tone (various shades of the same hue). The fabric on the furniture can have lots of texture, however, and even a small pattern. But the sofa needs to read as one color when you stand back. Keeping the large pieces in a solid color allows for maximum versatility. You won’t get tired of them either.
Use colorful artwork as your focal point. Instead of using color in your furnishings, let colorful art attract all the attention. Just like an art gallery has white walls to highlight the color in the artwork, a neutral background is ideal for featuring an art collection in your living room.
Add color with your accessories. It’s fun to use a neutral color scheme and add color with pots, baskets, art, vases, flowers, candles, and collectibles. Then you can change the color with the seasons or when you get tired of it. You can change the accessories as new colors come into fashion. Much cheaper than redoing the room every few years.
I won't be able to redo my whole house in Neutrals, but I will be doing my bedroom in neutrals and my accent color will be aqua...it will be a very calming pallette.
So, do you think we will all go back to neutral color interiors & white walls??>
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15 comments:
Beautiful! I love the kitchen & the suitcase nightstand the best!
I don't think everyone will go back to neutrals and white walls....there are just too many people out there that LOVE tons of color.
I LOVE all your inspirational pictures....I wouldn't mind ANY of those rooms!
I appreciate the calming effects of being surrounded by a nuetral pallete and what a nuetral room can do for featuring a pop of color or 1 awesome piece of art. I love the pics you've posted. Inspiring.
Blessings
T
I was bitten hard enough by the neutral bug last year to repaint most of the inside of our house. Went from golds, reds, green ceiling in one room, purple luandry, flamingo daughter's room. The colors I chose when we built 12 years ago were hard to give up but it was time for a change. I'm totally loving it! Didn't do an all white room but now wish I had. We used sand, greys, cream, and a hershey color for drama in the dining room. Lucky for me when we built the house I used neutrals in all the hardscape so i didn't have to change any of that. (We did do new carpet upstairs cause it needed it!) To me these colors just "go" with my house so much more than the old ones did! Like what was I thinking 12 years ago? Guess I just had to go through the color thing. You can see some of my new look in my Christmas photos under Winter Wonderland Tour I and II in my archives. I've found with the neutrals your stuff doesn't look as busy. You will love it and once you do one room you will want to do another! Thanks for sharing all the great pics this morning! Have a great week!
Blessings!
Patti
As much as I adore color, I'm all about a neutral backdrop for all my colorful accessories. As you said, it makes changing things out so much easier! Love all these beautiful images you shared! :)
Beautiful rooms, Darlene!
I love all of these choices. I lived with neutrals downstairs for years, and I brought in color in accessories and art. But I have to have color in a bedroom. We're in a different house, and I'm trying to live with some of the colors, but I'm craving a neutral dining room because I love to use a variety of china. The colors now fight with half of what we have. It's the drapes. The walls actually aren't bad. But I hear you. And I like all the photos of rooms you selected above.
XO,
Sheila :-)
I'm a huge fan of color, but have got to say...those neutral rooms are beautiful. I've been pondering changing up the colors to something a little less dramatic for my house and those have given me some great ideas. Thanks! Hope your feeling better.
Beautiful rooms Darlene!
I have to say...I am a color person...although I have been seeing some wonderful neutral coming in...I don't think it would ever work for me. I do love to look at it...but that's as far as it goes.
Yes Ma'am you can show your deep burgandys...that is red too!!! Cant't wait to see them!
I'm liking the neutrals these days too. My daughter is in college and swears she's "not coming home this summer, except for maybe one week" so her room is getting a make-over. Still keeping her furniture but making it sort of a craft room for me. I'm thinking neutrals for a change...very soft tans, browns, and cremes! I can't wait to pull it all together.
Hi, Darlene, I sure am loving my new rug!
And yes, I'm loving the neutral DR that I just did too, although I probably won't be changing out everything else, I still do love color too. Neutrals sure are calming though & so classic looking, I'm drawn to them in magazines. Love all those inspiration pics.
You were asking about our floorplan. we are in a split foyer house, which means you walk in the front door to the little foyer & can go upstairs or down. Our main living area is upstairs, with the LR/DR, kitchen, master bed/bath & 2 bedrooms. Downstairs is our large den, the beachy guestroom & bath, as well as my office nook & laundryroom. So that's how it lays out.
hi, thanks for coming by my blog today, still working on it,i'm just learning..
very beautiful all the pics you posted i think i'm starting to like neutrals also.thanks again ..silvia..
Neutrals just always look so classic and timeless. I loved these pictures, but I will not be going neutral any time soon. I'd have to get rid of EVERYTHING and start over. With the current economy, I'm sure that's not going to be a possibility with many people. laurie
Lovely, classic rooms. Good taste comes in all colors, thank goodness. I especially like the kitchen near the top of the pictures. Gorgeous! Cass
I couldn't agree with you more, Darlene.
My favorite rooms have a neutral color palette. I find them to be such soothing places to be.
Your post is quite convincing. Beautiful images.
xo
Brooke
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