Don’t wear white after Labor Day! If you wear a black purse you have to wear a black belt and black shoes! Only use brushed nickel - every light fixture and piece of hardware HAS to match! Don’t mix black and brown!
WHEW. That’s a lot of rules. We are here to tell you - throw out the rules and MIX those neutrals!!
Mixing neutrals - whites, blacks, browns, grays, gold, iron, and the silver family - can be done, you just have to be strategic. And when done right, it’s a very sophisticated and classy look.
This Sunroom started out with the requisite reddish brown brick walls and painted ceiling. We toned down the walls by painting the brick white and then added stained wood tongue and groove paneling to the ceiling. Starting with a crisp clean base is always a good idea! We then wanted to create a bright and sunny space so we went with a soft mixed neutrals color palette and lots of texture and pattern. TEXTURE and PATTERN are key to mixing neutrals!
There are so many textures in here from the soft leather on the wingback chair to the cool concrete on the coffee table and the speckled glass lamp. Pattern makes a strong statement in the rug, pillows and the background of bricks.
BALANCE is also very important when mixing neutrals. You want to make sure you are not doing anything with too heavy a hand. That’s pretty much Design 101 in general ;).
This modern farmhouse kitchen is a great example of mixing metals, which many people think is a huge no no. We added pops of gold, black and stainless steel and it stills feels cohesive.
We love how the black handles and knobs play nicely off the black stained wood on the island and hood. The stainless steel appliances are such the norm nowadays that they blend right in with any color scheme. Gold was the final touch and we used it sparingly but also intentionally. The light fixtures and faucet brought a touch of modern glam to the space! We also carried the black and gold into the kitchen dining area and kept it balanced by using a black iron light fixture and a band of gold along the perimeter of the table.
Let’s look at another kitchen that also mixed metals and neutrals but looks completely different. Neutral does not mean boring!
We were able to get creative with texture and pattern in the materials because we kept the palette neutral. Again, a great way to mix neutrals is to play up your texture and pattern! And we can’t look at this picture without SWOONING over those bar stools!!
Another great example of mixing metals, but more subtly, was in this master bathroom. Just because we used brushed nickel faucets and light fixtures, didn’t mean we couldn’t bring in black iron mirrors and knobs!
Last, but not least, this living space has just the right blend of textures and interest that you barely notice we only used browns, blacks and whites!
Moral of the story here: don’t be burdened with old fashioned rules when thinking about design in your home! Just remember to play up texture and pattern and to maintain a good balance.
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