What every neutral colour scheme needs

I love serendipitous events that add to my thoughts on an interior decorating topic.  I recently experienced this  as I was preparing to write about neutral colour schemes.  Just like a gift  La Dolce Vita, one of my favourite blogs, appeared  in my inbox with the perfect visuals to support  several of the points I wanted to make.  Paloma always finds the best spaces to present to readers! Check out her blog, you won't be sorry.

 Making a neutral scheme work requires skill.  Once you  remove colour from the equation you have to make the most of the  other elements of design especially: pattern, texture, value/contrast and form.  Of course the principles of design remain in tact. Every successful space  has  good balance, harmony, emphasis, scale/proportion and rhythm.

Sounds great, but what does that look like in a space?

Check out all takes of this  living room  by Bill Ingram & William McLure of Bill Ingram Architect.

 Quiz time:  Jot down what  you think makes  the space  work.  If you are used to colour being your main decor element you might need to shift gears for a moment to see the beauty in neutral schemes.

Contrast

The first element that jumps out at me is contrast.  You cannot have a successful room without good contrast, even when you have lots of colour.   It's the same way in art.   I wrote about this  topic in depth here.  You get contrast by manipulating your values from light to dark.  This space goes from black to white and has every conceivable value in between.

Texture

This space also gets an A+ for texture.  Not everyone can have the stone work evident in this space but you might have a stone  or brick fireplace   Check out the wood stacked in the open hearth, the tree stump table and the rough wood planters.   A variety of textiles are used from the subtly textured obviously wool carpet to the white smooth fabric on the drapery and chair.  The knit pillows are perfect by the stone,  nothing like the garter stitch for obvious texture. But the coffee table is the show stopper with its reflective high gloss.  Don't miss the folded fur throw on the chair.   There is also subtle texture on the frame of the gold chair, the doors of the armoire and the statue.

Pattern

Geometric motifs predominate with diamonds, stripes  and circles repeated around the room.

Form

This can be a hard one if you like everything matched in furniture style.  I think use of a variety of forms make this space.

My own element that every space needs -- organic elements 

Imagine this space without the two fig trees.  I rest my case.  You need organic references in every space and this one has it in spades.

Only one thing

If I could change one thing about this space it would be the scale of the artwork between the windows.  Love the art work, but it needs a little breathing space around the edges.  Too much competition with the grids in the window. Sorry, it's the artist in me.  On the other hand I love the large scale fig trees and they might account for the scale of the art!

True, this space might not be your cup of tea, but it is interesting; it invites the eye to move around and to touch the various elements in the space.

Now it's your turn...
What are your thoughts on this space?  Could you live here?

In praise of circles

What is the most used shape in home decor?  It's the rectangle of course!

Tables, sofas, beds, dressers, area rugs etc;  even the shape of our rooms are rectangular.  When you have that many  similar shapes,  it is important to bring in another  shapes to create some variety  in a space.  Of course, the perfect pairing with all those rectangles  is a circular shape .

 Nothing pleases me more than circles and spheres. I use them liberally in both my art work and in home decor.   I don't consider a space complete until I have several  circular shapes in a room.  I have a fondness for circular tables in particular. Then there are all those objects you can find that are circular: mirrors, globes, glass spheres, clocks, ... the list is endless and there are so many ways to weave them into a space.  A poke around my Pinterest vignette board  revealed lots of circular motifs.


I spy with my little eye lots of ...

  circles and spheres

 Moving your eye around a room by creating constants (shapes, textures, colours) is a well known design principle.  Can you see how this homeowner created  visual flow with circular shapes?

 Love the freshness of this arrangement.  There's nothing like the colours of nature  to attract our senses. There are circles/spheres everywhere here.

This arrangement of two circles inside a square is simplicity at its best.  Our eye is drawn to the juxtaposition in both shape and colour.  Isn't it interesting how contrast continually draws us? You could not sit in this room and ignore this wall.

This high contrast room has a similar design aesthetic to the one above, but there  is more variety in sizes.

 

 

 In this room we are first drawn to colour and pattern and the coloured spheres in the lamp add to the overall effect.    The lamp  is stunning and not easily ignored .  The second lamp looks almost insignificant and perhaps (in my mind) it needs to be a tad larger. Scale is so tricky! Purple and light wood- it doesn't get any better than this.

 One of my favourite tricks is to overlap shapes when I pair objects.  Love this simple mantle arrangement that sends your eyes round and round. Additional circular shapes are repeated with the table, vases and wheels on the coffee table.

Another circular shape overlapping a rectangle.  Notice how the handles and the tufting creates visual flow? If I could wave a magic want, I would make the mirror just a tad larger. 

 When you pair something red, with print and add in a circular shape, you have the ultimate pairing if you want to create a focal point.  The additional  rounded shapes in the carved letters move our eyes throughout the vignette.  This odd  assortment of objects is very eye catching.  I'd edit the hide rug because I would like to see the cabinet  without visual competition.

 A strong colour and  variety in shapes create an eye catching arrangement. Imagine how boring this vignette would be if all the objects were rectangular!


I think  the textures, light wood and circular motifs make this a very inviting room. I just want to see more of it. 

 

 Maybe you can have too much of a good thing.  What do you think?

Links to all of these rooms can be found on my Pinterest site highlighted at the beginning of this post.

How do you feel about circles.  Do  you consciously use them when decorating?

Create a wow powder room

 How often does a powder room get the royal treatment?   In many homes  powder rooms are  small,  windowless with functional aspects.  These elements usually defy  anything exciting happening in the space.  I'm out to prove that a powder room can be the star of your  house.

 Use tile as an accent

 FORMA Design via Houzz

Buy exciting accessories

Houzz

The contemporary nature of the wall mounted vessel sink and hand crafted mirror is further enhanced by  horizontal striping on the walls. There is no doubt what the star of this room is.

Choose a theme 

Willman Interiors / Gina Willman, ASID via Houzz

The subtle Asian details in this room have been duplicated in all of the pieces.  If you choose a theme for a room its success is always in the details.  

Use wood effectively

Marius Daugvila  via Houzz

This bathroom design is enhanced by the addition of the vertical strip of wood that backs the vanity and accentuates the asymmetrical placement of the sink.  A round mirror works against the vertical line. The vase of twigs (wood again) mimics the vertical lines and helps to balance the asymmetrical layout.

Andre Couture Coloriste Decorateur

This bathroom also relies on vertical wood  detailing for interest.   The pops of green bring  a natural  feel to the room.

Rely on large mirrors to increase your space

 Ownby Design

When you have a free standing vanity using a floor to ceiling mirror behind it enlarges the room significantly and it also creates strong vertical lines.  The dark cabinet with silver banding shows up well against the mirror.   

 

dSPACE Studio Ltd

Choose a bold wallpaper

Martha O'Hara Interiors

 

Go for contrast  

Atmosphere Interior Design Inc.

You can count on high contrast to bring a room to life.  There's nothing like black and white to create impact.