The word neutral sometimes has a negative connotation, especially among people that are new to decorating and in search of a fresh look for their space. Before I was familiar with interior design, I felt that neutral tones tended to signal boring, lifeless rooms with lackluster appeal. But my misconception quickly changed when I was introduced to some easy ways to use these versatile and fun colors within my home and space.
I am a lover of the increasingly popular modern design that is filled with clean lines and fresh vibes. Before, I thought that in order to be truly modern, I would have to either only use white, or find an overly vibrant hue to paint my wall. Neither of these ideas appealed much to me as I wanted a new living space that was chic but also welcoming. In my search for colors, here are a few of my favorite interior design findings that changed my previous idea of neutral being bland and instead changed it into a fun color scheme to work with.
Shades of Gray
via Curbly
The various shades of gray are not just a hit book trilogy. I once thought gray was so dismal, but in actuality, gray is a perfect wall color. I personally love using dark shades of gray to create accent walls. Along these walls I have used yellow which has helped bring out the interesting contrast of bright and dark in this modern color combo. For lighter shades of grey, blue and purple accents help to bring out this cozy color and turn it into a fresh modern look. No matter which shade is used, gray is the perfect color to combine with bright accessories to really bring out your space and make it modern and fresh.
Texture Transformations
I have also spruced up my neutral tones by adding texture to them. Now, white or tan colors look more fun and inviting without being boring and bland. Starting with the floor, I have experimented with various carpeting ideas, such as the one pictured here with a bamboo look. This is an easy way to turn a tan color into a fun and chic piece by still using neutral tones. For coffee tables, I have seen many ways texture can turn a regular piece into a sleek fixture in the room. Using white or gray glass or wooden materials can make the coffee table stand out in a fresh new way. No matter how you do it, mixing up textures can make using neutral tones more fun and easier to pull off in a modern room.
Achieve Balance
The most important part I have found of using neutral tones is to balance them well between dark and light. This can be done by using wooden floors and tan walls, or accent walls to make one area of the room stand out more. By balancing light and dark, your room can easily turn from boring to bold just by offsetting certain areas and giving the room different dimension. This is also important to consider with furniture. If you have darker furniture, you will likely want to paint your walls a lighter color so as not to darken the room too much. In any case, keeping the right balance between dark and light can transform a space and make it beautiful in natural tones.
Neutral colors do not have to be boring, and can actually help you create a fun and fresh living space. Use these ideas to create your most comfortable space with ease.
Tess Pajaron is part of the team behind Open Colleges. Her background stems from her exposure to their family-owned construction business. She is a lover of minimalist modern designs and architecture. On her spare time, she loves to travel.
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