02
May

Working with Neutrals

interior designer melbourne

Choosing a colour scheme for your interior design can be daunting, therefore many of my clients think that a neutral colour scheme is easier, and has longevity.  However, if not done correctly, neutrals in a home can make your space cold, stark, and unwelcoming, which often happens in a completely white space.  Here are my top tips on how to do neutrals;

  1. Choose your interior design style and then your base neutral colour eg: white, taupe, grey or blue. Most popular styles have colours which work best, for example if you like French Country then duck egg blue might be a good base colour.
  2. Even though you’re using neutrals don’t ignore the basic 3 colour rule of 70-20-10. For example if you choose a neutral scheme of cream, taupe and duck egg blue, 70% of your space (walls) will be cream, 20% will be taupe (sofa) and 10% will be duck egg blue (cushions).
  3. For your accessories such as cushions and rugs choose complementary but different patterns, to add depth and colour distinction.
  4. Different textures are also important for warmth, interest and balance.  For example if you like natural textures, combine cotton, wool and linen in your accessories.
  5. Contrast, every colour has different tones, choose your pieces with wide tonal differences to add contrast.

What I advise all my clients is to choose pieces with intention and attention, don’t buy everything you like, buy what you need that fits within the style your aiming to achieve and the colour scheme you’ve chosen.  But to be 100% sure, get it right and contact us for a fixed fee colour consultation.