Decorating with a Neutral Color Palette: 6 Helpful Tips!

The phrase “boring neutrals” kinda makes me cringe – when neutrals are done right, they’re anything but boring!  You just need to know a few little tricks for decorating with a neutral color palette that will make your neutrals-filled room every bit as interesting as one full of color. Today I’m sharing the tried-and-true ones that have worked for me! (post includes affiliate links; full disclosure statement available {here})

Throw In a Few Patterns

A room full of solid neutrals tends to feel a bit bleh but mixing in a few patterns will immediately add interest. For example, all of the pillows in our bedroom are neutral colors, but the mix of geometric and patterned prints keep it interesting:

Patterns also don’t need to be limited to fabric – instead of solid colored walls, adding pattern with wallpaper or a stencil like I did in our budget bathroom remodel is something to think about:

Load Up on Texture

Every room with a neutral color palette needs some interesting textures – nubby fabrics, plush throw rugs, and woven baskets are a few of my favorite textural elements. For our master bathroom remodel, I added {this lidded basket} to use as a hamper and {this small basket} to hold washcloths – they both add a lot to this space that’s full of hard surfaces:

You can get all of the sources for everything in our master bathroom remodel {here}.

In our hallway, I have {this large basket} hung as art which is another way to add warmth to a space:

Add a Little Color (If It Needs It)

I don’t think that every room needs color but I do think that some rooms benefit from at least a small dose of it. Our home office is pretty much neutral everything (furniture, art, walls, etc.) so when choosing fabric for drapes, I chose something with a little pop of color (citrine yellow!) to liven it up:

Notice that I added a highly textured rug in here too!

Choose a Paint Color with Depth (If You’re Not Using a White)

This tip might just be a personal bias of mine but I feel like there’s nothing that makes a room feel more boring than a dull shade of builder’s beige paint on the walls. My preference is to use a shade of white on the walls or go with a paint color that has some depth to it like the Pratt & Lambert Ever Classic paint color in our guest room that has such a rich feel:

You can check out my favorite white paint colors {here} and my favorite greige paint colors {here}.

Add Layers, Layers, & More Layers

Layering is key! Layering texture upon texture, tone on tone, and even physically layering art and accessories creates interest! For example, tip #3 from {this post on bookshelf decor ideas} shows how layering a few neutral accessories makes your decor look so much more interesting:

Add Warmth with Natural Woods

Natural wood pieces bring warmth and depth to a neutral color palette! Almost every room in our home has a wood toned piece whether it be something small like the wood lamps in our guest room or larger pieces like the wood credenza in our office or {this natural wood table} in our kitchen eat-in space:

Get all sources for our kitchen eat-in and see more pics of this space {here}.

So that wraps up the tips that have worked for me in creating neutral rooms that I love – do you guys have any other tips or tricks of your own to add?

XOXO,