Think neutrals are boring? Think again!
Neutrals - blah! Right? Not a chance, not if you know what to do with them, that is. Neutrals play a big role when decorating your home, and they play an even bigger role in extending your design dollar.
Neutrals are the backdrop upon which to showcase accents and statement pieces—they assure that the eye is not overwhelmed with either too much pattern or colour or “stuff”, for that matter. Neutrals help bring focus to those unique pieces and special touches that warrant attention. If you think of neutrals as a backdrop, then envisioning where they should go should be easier. A neutral sofa, for example, can be brightened in the summer with bright and cheery stripes or romantic florals in the forms of cushions or throws. In the winter, making that same sofa cozy and dreamy requires a heavier, wool throw and perhaps a corduroy cushion or two or three. It does not require investing in a brand new sofa.
Bringing colour into your home need not be such a long term commitment if neutrals grace your walls. Overall neutral wall colours allow you to change up your art or experiment with bringing colour into your home without having to re-paint everything once you tire of bold and bright. Canvases with bold colours pop against neutral backgrounds, collections of photos need not compete with garish colored walls but stand their ground and demand the attention they deserve, statement pieces such as antiques and collectables stand out instead of competing with the background.
Neutrals allow the eye to rest, and thus to focus on what is important and what it is you want to show off. Neutrals are elegant, understated and always in vogue. They ground a room and are the perfect backdrop to the more dynamic and individual elements of your home.
Stella Severin is a designer in Sherwood Park, Alberta, serving clients in the greater Edmonton area. Her passion for dynamic interiors was sparked by spending countless hours decorating, furnishing and re-arranging, her homemade Barbie houses when she was a young girl, a trait now passed down to her two wonderful daughters. She can be reached at
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