Although I love color, when we were planning our forever home, I began to notice that I was drawn to a neutral color PALETTE. Therefore, I chose to paint the whole house in shades of white, grey and black. It’s a decision I’ve never regretted. Don’t get me wrong, I still love color but guess what? I get to use a variety of colors and I’m not spending a fortune to change my color scheme. Here’s how!
Here are the reasons I believe you should decorate with a neutral color pallet even if you love color. When you use a variety of paint colors within your home, it can be expensive to change your decor choices. However, when using a neutral color pallet, you can change your smaller accessories such as pillows, rugs and art to achieve a completely different design style.
A Blank Canvas
When choosing a neutral color palette you are basically starting with a blank canvas on which you can add a variety of colors. However, a blank canvas can be considered boring. Therefore, here are three tips that I use to keep a neutral palette interesting.
Shades of White
The first tip is to vary your shades. Although I choose white as my basic color, I was careful to use various shades of warm white. The ship lap is painted White Dove by Benjamin Moore which is a warm shade of white and all the painted furniture is a warm chalk paint. In addition, the sofa and side chairs are a slightly warmer shade of white.
If all the whites are exactly the same shade, then the space has no depth. It’s also important to decide if you want a warm palette or a cool palette which will assure color harmony.
Texture

The next tip is to add texture to your space. This can be achieved with upholstery fabric, accessories, etc. In my situation, I chose to use ship lap walls and a brick accent wall in the kitchen. In addition, I’ve added texture with pillows, rugs and throw blankets.
Natural Woods

Lastly, I chose to add natural wood furniture pieces, natural bambo flooring from Home Depot and doors stained for an aged appearance. As a result, the space is warm and inviting.
How to add Color when Decorating with Neutral
Now for my number one reason I love decorating with a neutral palette. Once you have your basic decor and paint selected in shades of white, gray and black, the possibilities are unlimited. You can add almost any color you choose and it will work. However, there is one caution. You want to continue with either your warm or cool theme. If you plan to add red’s to your warm neutral decor, then you should use warm shades of red. The warm colors will blend seamlessly with all your decor choices.
Add An accent wall

A popular trend is adding an accent wall in a fun color. Here are some great examples of how an accent wall can add interest to a neutral color palette.



Accessorize with color in a Neutral Room
The ability to add colors of my choice is the favorite thing about our guest room. Here you can see just a few of the transformations I’ve made to this room in the past. Just changing a few of the basic pieces completely change the feel. Notice that the expensive items in the room remain the same in each transformation.
(Affiliate links are used for your convenience. Read my full disclosure here.)
Add a Pop of Color with furniture
Another easy way to add color is to use a piece of furniture or cabinets in a fun or interesting color.




Add Color with Rugs & Pillows
An inexpensive way to add color to an otherwise neutral room is with rugs & pillows. Yes, they can be expensive, but if you shop around, you’ll see there are many price ranges that look fabulous. In fact, I have a 60% discount code that you can use at Boutique Rugs. The code is PONDS60 and can be used on this rug or any rug they offer.

Another tip is to purchase pillow cover’s to use with existing pillows to mix up your decor. They are less expensive and save you room when storing seasonal items. If you can sew, making your own pillow covers will really save you money. You can even make no sew pillow covers using fabric glue.

Shop My Farmhouse Style
Don’t forget the Exterior
In addition to a neutral interior, I wanted a neutral exterior for the same reasons. Here are some ways I’ve changed the decor on my front porch as well.


In conclusion, a neutral decor can certainly give you a lot of flexibility when it comes to changing you decor seasonally. Look for my next blog post for examples of seasonal spaces and get inspiration for Fall and Christmas.

Thank’s so much for stopping by today! Your support and comments mean so much to me. I look forward to sharing my next project and adventure with you!
PIN IT TO REMEMBER IT!
Did you like this post? If so, I’d love for you to share the custom pin below to your Pinterest Boards. Thank’s for sharing the love.

this was a great post! Very informative and helpful and LOVE all the pics.
thank you.
Joan,
I’m so glad you liked this. thanks for stopping by.
Rachel
This was a GREAT post. Thank you for all of the pics and information.
Miche,
I’m so glad you found this helpful. Thanks for stopping by.
Rachel
Nice post! My husband and I plan on building another home in a few years. One we will tag as our “forever” home. May I ask you how you will navigate the stairs as you age? We have stairs now and want our next home to be one level. However, I love our two story home. As a nurse, I know that a large percentage of us will have mobility issues and wanted your thoughts on this since you are in your “forever” home with stairs.“:)
Thank you.
Shelly,
Our house is completely livable on one level. The only thing upstairs is a loft which we use for our TV room. Although this is our forever home, I wanted certain features that I wasn’t willing to do without. Hope this helps.
Rachel
Fun post Rachel. Love the different styles in your choices of photos/accounts. I just ordered a Boutique Rugs rug and hope it gets here soon!
Cindy,
Thank you so much. I can’t wait to see your choice of rugs.
Rachel
Oh this was so good!! I love using ops of color…especially with painted furniture. Thanks for sharing your decor wisdom! Pinning!
Kelly,
I’m so glad you liked this post. Thanks for stopping by.
Rachel