Neutral tones work as beautiful foundations and unique accents to your home. They range from silky charcoal to romantic creams, and can infuse a room with sophistication, traditional spirits or even a bit of a posh charm. Although a space filled with neutrals may seem a bit boring, we’re here to show you how to utilize these “plain Jane” tones and create interest with their subtly.

According toBehr, neutral colors are livable, flexible and classic, and create spaces that are both restful and soothing and warm and energizing. And the definition of a neutral are “those that don’t fall into any standard color families typically associated with the “color wheel.” Because of this disassociation with classic colors, neutrals are a way to support brights, bolds, pastels and more without causing any overwhelming issues or discordance.

Popular Neutrals

Taupeis a beautiful mixture of the classic neutral tones, gray and brown. It’s subtle, soft and truly makes a wonderful foundation for any room of the house.

Hazy Gray knows how to blend. It’s a versatile shade that can create a modern theme, help with a bit of a romantic vibe or conjure up a relaxing essence with just a touch of paint on the wall.{found on washingtonian}.

Crisp Whiteis exactly that, crisp. If you want a room that feels refreshing and sleek, then this is the shade to choose. Of course, chic whites are also a great way to compliment and accent a darker space as well.{found on dcistudio}.

Chocolatetones can be smooth and creamy, just like your favorite candy bar. If you’re looking to create a room that envelopes all who enter in a warm and cozy way, try out this richer neutral.

Blackest Blackdoes the same as a crisp white, create a chic and clean look – but with a much more mysterious and deeper ethos. Compliment brighter rooms and offset the lightness or be bold within larger spaces.{found on coleccionalexandra}.

Beigehas a traditional appeal and lightness that makes it a great choice for family homes. It’s a solid foundation to build on and easy to mix and match with.

Charcoalacts as a less harsh version of a midnight black. It creates the same boldness but one can also feel a bit of femininity in its presence.{found on ingridrasmussen}.

Oakdoesn’t quite hit the level of boldness as a silky chocolate tone but it’s not as light as beige either. Instead, it fits in the zone as a simple, classic brown that knows how to build a homey home.

Pros vs. Cons

Pros

Versatility in Theme: With neutral tones you have the power of cultivating any style genre within your home. From modern to vintage, neutral shades can help create that vision.

Less Fuss: You don’t have to pay attention to intricatedetails and matching up color shades, causing a bit of stress. Instead, neutrals can compliment on their own. It will also feel less busy inside a neutral-covered room.

Always in Style: Neutrals are always going to be in style because they’re necessary in both fashion and interior design. Colors from the color wheel, they will never be timeless, instead they flow with the trends.

Highlights Artwork and Furniture Pieces: When colors are omitted your artwork can stand on its own and your furniture’s design and textures are put at the focus.

Creativity in Accents: You have the versatility of accenting and accessorizing your home with colors of your choice. And it makes it easier to switch out those pieces within the seasons and without changing everything in a specific space.

Cons

Less Personalized: It’s much harder to get a sense of personality and style when diving into a neutral room, although clean and tidy, guests may notfeel super connected to your choices.

Some Find It Dull: Just like many will find an all grey room relaxing and romantic, others may find the space dull and boring. This is why it’s important to play up layers and textures to add interest.

Highlights Blemishes: When imperfections happen, neutrals shades can make them more apparent. Dirt on the beige carpet, a nick on a black wall or a strain on the cream-colored sofa, will all appear a bit brighter.

Lack of Light: When deciding on darker neutrals it’s important that you spend time thinking about lighting. You can make a room look darker and smaller without the proper ways of brighting the room throughout the day.

Without Contrast: Without a strong contrast a room may look at visionary or detailed as one may like, but again, that’s where patterns and planning come into play.

Best of Style Ideas

From mixing all neutrals to creating a monochromatic theme with your favorite, most relaxing one, there are an infinite amount of ways to style and create a neutral room. Let’s a take a peek at 10 of our favorites.

Masculine.

Mix your deeper neutrals and thick about some mix mediums and textures. Your home office or bedroom could have a timeless, masculine appeal with so much ease.{found on darrenpalmer}.

Organic

Create a light, bright and organic appeal with the use of creamy whites and beige textures. A pop of green inside and you’ll have an all-natural covered patio to enjoy.{found on jhinteriordesign}.

Subdued

If you’d like to create a space that’s very mellow without any business involved, go for a charcoal-covered room and then … just relax a bit.

Refined

Check out this crisp and refined bedroom covered in light and bright neutrals. The entire room was cultivated around a modern, chic theme.{found on cornishinteriors}.

Industrial

It’s quite easy to create an industrial feel when using neutral shades. And our favorite way to utilize the theme? The kitchen, which makes for the more functional and stylish spot.

Mixed

Don’t be afraid to mix both ends of the neutral spectrum. From the browns to the greys, they cane come together to create a mixed, interested look as well.{found on laraprincedesigns}.

Feminine

With the right shades and accents, your neutral room can mold into a femininely touched, cozy place to explore and enjoy. And remember, brightscan be added with ease when you’ve laid down a color-less foundation.{found on beckwithinteriors}.

Modern

Darker neutrals will always be a great choice for creating and cultivating a super chic and modern space. This dining room, for example, is simple but fashion-forward and contemporary.

Luxury

Creamy whites and golds can come together to make a room that seems much more posh and luxurious than one screaming with colors. Add gilded accents and highlight those golden, neutral hues.

Eclectic

Don’t forget that neutrals are the best way to create a foundation for any room. Then, you can get creative with accents from cottage to eclectic.