Neutrals are essential to me in 'grounding' a room.
Something to build on,
to add to...
...but it can be boring as well.
Take for instance this room on the cover of Restoration Hardware.
Can't say it is not a beautiful room BUT
where is the personality?
Where is the life?
While it's meant to be inviting with the lit fireplace, it still looks cold to me.
Why not toss some pillows with some fabulous fabric to add
a touch of 'you', your personality here?
This library is fabulous, I want to curl up here.
This hall could easily go neutral if just the hardwoods were exposed or seagrass were on the floor
and the colorful vases were not there, as well as, upholstering the bench in a light linen.
What would you do? Neutralize or keep the color?
This is a bit 'over the top' for me, but color is used quite well in this Miami home.
Lots of personality, I'll bet the owner is lighthearted and fun to be with.
Michael Smith designed room, great colors, inviting, warm.
Francis Janisch
I am in love with the wall color of this room designed by
Barbara Westbrook and Kim Winkler.
Imagine the color of the walls in the Restoration Hardware cover (which is fabulous) and these chairs in a neutral linen. While neither is bad/wrong/etc, the room would lose it's pop.
Ngoc Minh Ngo
I know you have seen these two rooms designed by Daniel Sachs for Nancy Tilgman, a CNN producer.
This is a great use of color....imagine all neutrals. What do you think?
This dining room is spectacular......can you see beige linen on these chairs?
Don't get me wrong...
I LIKE NEUTRALS
and even have plans for some re-do in my own home.
I want to challenge us to think about who we are and what do our surroundings say about us.
Are you comfortable with your home looking like a magazine?
Have you fallen in the rut of wanting to be like eveyone else?
That peer pressure is a killer!
or
Does your home feel cozy and inviting?
That is my goal when I decorate for others and in my own home!
A very good girlfriend of mine who lives in another city had a designer that
'wanted to take her to the next level' (his words)
and was creating a totally neutral palate. She was miserable, it spoke nothing of her and her personality. She by her own right is a fabulous decorator and truthfully did not need him. I went down to see her and together we worked on getting 'her' infused in her home. Today it is gorgeous and a true reflection of her.
A penny for your thoughts.
♥
I can make your home fabulously yours!
