Is neutral just boring? #interiordesign

Most people seem to either love neutral, or think it is completely boring. We think of neutral and we see whites, beige, creams and either feel peaceful or bored, which one are you? Personally I love neutral when it comes to decorating and styling my home, yet I tend to be quite quirky and colourful when it comes to my personal style. But I don’t think neutral has to be boring! 

When we add our unique personality to any colour palate I think we can create a home that is far from boring. If you regularly stumble across my blog and my previous interior design posts you will know my number one tip is to style for yourself! Let your personality shine, style to the beat of your own drum, and show people who you are through your design. I feel the same when it comes to life, be yourself, be authentic, live in a way that makes you feel happy.

Whether we are talking interior design, or just life in general the same rules apply. Don’t be fake, don’t put on a false mask to impress others. You are unique, you are meant to be unique, so embrace it and let yourself shine in life!

Click to Tweet: You are unique, you are meant to be unique, so embrace it and let yourself shine in life. 

When people come to your home they come to be with you, to enjoy your company, not to judge you like you are on one of those home renovation or styling shows. Our home shows people who we are, who we aspire to be, and it shows if we are comfortable in our own skin. If we feel happy with our home we are usually happier to be around.

When it comes to my own personal style I like to begin with neutral base and build upon it depending on my mood. I am ruled by the moon and my taste and mood changes a lot, so a neutral base suits me. I like to add a splash of colour and my personality into my home. I love adding personal pieces, things I have collected through (my limited) travel and I also like to add my quirkiness to areas of the home so I can show my quirky, playful side. Approaching 40 I am more comfortable showing my weirdness to others and not worrying what others think about my personal style.

So how do you avoid neutral being boring?

One of the best ways to avoid a boring interior is to add texture to your home. Texture refers to the feel or tactile texture of an object, and the actual feeling of it, is is smooth, rough, fluffy or soft? The visual texture refers to how it looks, the person’s perception of how it would feel if they were to touch it. Texture is so important when you have a neutral palate as it adds a playfulness and invites people to use their imagination and make them want to touch the things that appeal to them. I am sure you know that feeling? When you see something and you just have to reach out and see how it feels, perhaps a fluffy blanket or a piece of wood with amazing texture.

To add texture think about using wood, a beautiful coffee table, a wooden sculpture, or wooden flooring. Add a fluffy rug, a jute rug or a textured rug to a wooden floor to add another dimension of texture. Also think art. There are many textured art works available that add texture to your walls. Think outside the box and add a rug to a wall or a crochet wall hanging. Add a fluffy cushion to a sofa or a woollen throw rug. A well decorated room should be a multi sensory experience that not only looks good, but begs to be touched.

Another way to avoid boring is by adding a pop of colour. Choose a colour that you love and add a pop of it to add interest to a room, a talking point. Maybe one colourful chair, an amazing vase or art piece. Don’t be afraid to add a splash of colour!

Layering is a must! Layering elements in your room such as cushions, curtains, rugs, towels and decorative objects creates a sense of depth, interest, and texture. Think about creating the right sense of balance, but this does not mean having an even number or matching everything, it means stepping back and spending time getting the layers right. You will know when it is right (you really will), if you just stand back and add and remove things until you say “yes I love it”! Think about layering with different textures and varying shades of your neutral colour. For example if you choose white don’t have the same white for every cushion, have varying shades of white. The same applies for greys, creams or beige. By using different shades you create warmth, depth and beauty. If you have a leather sofa add material cushions, think chunky woollen knits, maybe a faux fur cushion or throw, or a super lush cashmere throw. Don’t be afraid to layer rugs on your floor to create extra depth. When layering always start with the biggest objects and layer forward. Play, have fun.

Bring in nature. My final tip is to add a touch of nature. Bringing the outside in is very pleasing to the eye, and also good to purify the air in your home. House plants are all back in vogue, head to your local garden centre and grab a lovely big pot and an indoor plant. Ask the garden centre staff to advise you on the most suitable house plant, let them know where you plan on putting it in your home and how light the area is where it will be going. If you are not into greenery, think about adding a piece of driftwood, this adds nature and texture in one go!

I hope this post helps you gather some ideas to style your home and shows you that by adding texture, layering, bringing the outside in and adding a pop of colour, your home will be anything but boring!

Thanks for joining me, love Mackenzie xx

Is your style more eclectic? Try this post Style to the beat of your own drum.

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