How to Decorate with Neutrals

I have a confession. Colour intimidates me. That’s why our home is primarily decorated in neutrals.

It’s not the only reason. I love colour, but I find a neutral colour palette to be soothing. Neutrals evoke a sense of calm and can make a home feel cozy and inviting. Find out what paint colours we’ve used in our home.

A friend recently asked me how to decorate with neutrals and still keep your home interesting. A neutral colour palette doesn’t mean your home has to lack personality. I think that is one of the main misconceptions about decorating with neutrals. Instead of thinking of colours like white, cream, beige or grey as boring, consider them a neutral backdrop to enhance the architectural details and beauty your home has to offer.

Decorating with neutrals can be a little tricky. You don’t want your home to end up feeling sterile, cold or stark. There are a few techniques to use when decorating with neutrals to create a warm and inviting home. Today I’m sharing what has worked for our home.

Add Interest with Textures 

Textures are important in any design, but especially when decorating with neutrals. Layering in textures helps to add dimension and interest to a room. Textures are important because they play on both our visual senses as well as our tactile senses.

There are so many ways to add texture to your home. Here are a few of my favourite ways to create that cosy feeling with textures.

Pillows and throws are an easy and inexpensive way to add interest to a room. I like to layer in chunky knits in the fall and winter and soft linens during the spring and summer. You can add texture to the floor with a beautiful rug. Sisal is one of my favourites. Or add dimension to your walls with a stone fireplace, panelled accent wall or beautiful backsplash in your kitchen.

Incorporate Mixed Metals and Wood Tones

I think one of the best ways to add warmth to your home is with mixed metals and wood tones. Using a mix of metals and different wood creates an eclectic feel and adds character.

I use a lot of silver in our home. I find it keeps things feeling bright and light. But we also add in distressed metals for an aged and rustic vibe, like our DIY industrial coffee table and picture shelf.

I also like to use a mix of weathered and worn wood in our home. Different wood tones immediately add warmth to a space, creating an inviting feeling. I especially love the use of worn wood against white, it’s a beautiful contrast. We’ve incorporated a lot of wood elements into our home with found treasures and DIY projects. We created this beautiful rustic chalkboard with a chunky wood frame, it’s the first thing you see when you walk in our front door. Vintage cutting boards, chippy windows and antique crates are other fun ways to add varying wood tones to a room.

Thank goodness the days of matching metals and wood tones is over. Creating a mix of metal and wood conveys a relaxed feel and gives the sense of a curated home. A home full of items collected over the years, beloved heirloom furniture and newly purchased items are the best way to build a home that feels lived in and loved.

Add Pops of Colour with Fresh Flowers

Who doesn’t love fresh flowers? A large arrangement of seasonal blooms is the perfect way to add a punch of colour to any room. I love vases full of purple tulips in the spring, bunches of colourful wild flowers during the summer months and bright, bold sunflowers and mums once autumn rolls around.

Fresh florals are an inexpensive way to add colour and life to a room. Have fun picking out different flowers at your local grocery store or picking some beautiful blooms from your own flower gardens.

Have Fun with Accessories

This is where you can really add personality to your space. Show off your favourite collection. Do you collect vintage cameras, globes, antique bottles, pottery? Displaying your favourite items is a great way to bring your personality to the forefront of your home. Not to mention it’s a great conversation starter.

You can also have fun adding art to your walls. Create an interesting gallery wall full of favourite photos of family, friends and mementos. Or think outside of the box and hang items that you wouldn’t normally think of as art – vintage signs, boat oars, woven baskets. There are so many possibilities.

Decorate with Plants

Just like fresh flowers, plants are a wonderful way to add life and colour to your home. They keep things feeling bright and relaxed. I especially love adding plants to our home in the spring, they bring a freshness to our home after the stark winter months.

One of my favourite ways to decorate with plants is adding fresh herbs to our kitchen or dining room. I love being able to snip a few fresh herbs for our dinners in the evenings. Our go-to herbs are basil, oregano and rosemary.

I’ve mentioned before that I have a brown thumb, so I tend to keep a lot of succulents throughout our home. They are so easy to care for and I love the clean and modern look they lend to a room when planted in a simple white pot.

I hope these tips and tricks help you when decorating your home using a neutral colour palette. The most important piece of advice I can give is to let your personality shine through. Decorate with the things you love and you will love your home.