There are two things that, no matter what, I could not live without in my home. The first is symmetry. (Shocker.) The other is color. Over the years I have had color on my walls, accessories and even flooring. (I still have wildly patterned rugs in my family room that I would love to ditch. Maybe someday.)
I used to have yellow walls in my living room…and we’re talking YELLOW. Bright and glossy and on certain days even slightly neon. I had red wallpaper in my entry. Red with gold fleur-de-lis (no less) and a bright floral rug. I couldn’t find pictures but I had a red sofa in my living room and floral window treatments in there too. Which, just for good measure, I also installed in the dining room.
You get the picture?
A few years ago I began to feel sort of over-stimulated. The eye had no where to rest in my main rooms. There was so much going on that it was hard to relax. So…I decided to begin the neutralization process.
I had to keep my beige carpet but I painted my walls creamy white. I hung simple linen panels at the windows. I purchased economical IKEA furniture and then upgraded the slipcovers. You can read about my Comfort Works experience here.
Eventually I had a completely neutral background. It took a while and I had to be patient. One step at a time. At this point I was ready to add some pops of color. For me, the only way to do that was fabric…my first love, my go-to decorating tool. I also threw in accessories that added color but interest as well.
Here is my fabric story (as Tommy Smythe would say.)
I added these fabrics on stools…
pillows…
and the seats of my dining room chairs.
My one concession to patterned upholstery are my Target slipper chairs. All I can say is love, love, love.
I tried to spread color around the room with my accessories as well.
Texture helps too. Combining color and texture is a winning double play.
So that’s what I do to add color to a neutral room. Like any self-respecting blogger, I am constantly changing my accessories. A neutral background allows this..without breaking the bank.
I think your living room looks beautiful.
Ann, it all looks so good with the neutral background. I really want to repaint the great room and adjoining foyer and walls up the stairs to a lighter color, but we just painted them last year. I may hire someone next time instead of doing it myself. Just getting too old to do that much work.
I’m with you girl. The days of up and down on a ladder are pretty much over!
Everything looks so beautiful, Ann. Your color palette & fabrics are wonderful.
I learned the hard way. As much as I loved color, and my orange family rooms walls and green (almost neon) dining room walls, nothing was better than when I finally went neutral on those walls. It makes such a big difference and now I can add color with my accessories.
Your room is lovely. I also prefer a neutral background with colour added and easily changed. I love your fabric choices and today I am most inspired by how you have displayed your items in the tiered piece and the drawer.
Your fresh summer colors really stand out against the white walls. I love having white walls too. They’re so easy to live with.
I love your style, photography and you! Looks great. :)
I love the lighter look you have created Ann. I know in my next house, I will probably paint the walls a light cream color too.
It is beautiful Ann….I love those chairs from Target also!
Years of moving from one military house to another, sometimes every year, gave me an appreciation for the flexibility and importance of colour in accessories. Plates, paintings, cushions, throw rugs – they all play an important roll for me.
You have such a lovely home, Ann. I think it all looks just beautiful.
Your room is stunning! I love those Target chairs and the colors you chose for your accents. Your accessories are so much fun and really keep the room interesting. Very nice!
Ann you have done a beautiful job infusing your own personal taste for color in your neutral backdrop. I love how cheerful, crisp and clean it looks. I have to have a touch of color also, but right now I am working on my master bedroom and in there I like subtle color and no pattern. Funny that in my own personal bedroom I have to have soothing color and no pattern, maybe it is because I use to work with pattern and colors all day at work when dealing with clients so it is a respite for my eyes at the end of the day! Happy weekend,
Kathysue
Fun to see the old pics!!! I am a COLOR person. Still trying to figure out the whole neutral thing…
I love your fabric choices! Tommy and Sarah would approve, I am sure!
Ann I am a big fan of the before and the after, both looks are beautiful! I loved seeing all the pretty details up close!
I like the befores and afters too. Your choices in fabrics is always on the money and great choices.
Cynthia
I love how you have added color in your house with fabric and accessories. That is what I like to do as well… fabric is such a nice way of giving a room a little change for a new season. And I think texture plays such a huge role in a neutral room.
I love that you love yellow. I do too. It makes me happy to have yellow here and there with some blues.
Great post, Ann! I’m a color girl too. As beautiful as some of the all neutral rooms are, there’s no way I’d be happy living in a space like that every day. I’m chomping at the bit to get rid of my reds, greens and golds – furniture, accessories and everything in between. Alas, it has to wait until I’m ready to move on to the next house. No sense buying or recovering furniture that I already have since we’ll be downsizing! Patience, patience…
Your living room speaks out and it’s used. Love the dark tables and the light walls.
I have kept one colour throughout our home call Muslin by benjamin moore. Bringing colour in through accents is best.
Beautiful! Love all the calmness of the white.
I think you have the technique down perfect. Love the look of your rooms now. Very elegant.
I love your living room…so pretty! Be still my heart…love the wire tier basket stand!! It is holding all of my favorite things…blue mason jars, white pitchers, and old sewing spindles.
Cindy
I love those slipper chairs! I would love to be able to use a pair in my house but just don’t have a place for them. Is your white sofa and chair from Ikea? If so, how do you like them? I’m planning on buying the Ektorp sofa and possibly the Jennylund chair from Ikea…I hear nothing but good reviews on that sofa and some good comments on the chair as well.
You have such pretty rooms!!!
We go from white walls and lots of neutrals to lots of color and now neutrals are gaining again. I do like your new look!
You have done a wonderful job of creating a beautiful and cozy room, Ann. I liked the befores but the neutral color scheme looks so easy on the eyes and also looks very updated. I remember in a post you asked for advice concerning what to put in the tiered baskets beside your chair. Don’t know whose advice you took or whether you just came upon the idea yourself but it looks great with the variety of items in each basket. ———– Shannon
You have done a beautiful job of infusing some color into your rooms. It is just enough for me- enough to be noticed but not screaming for attention. I am much more neutral now that I used to be, too. xo Diana
Ann, your home does look very elegant yet shows your interests and personality through your accessories. In the home we lived in previously, most all of our walls were yellow. Loved them at the time, but find myself moving toward more neutrals now.
Great post, Ann. Your changes to the room are wonderful. Love all the touches of color. We have been doing the same thing….neutralizing the furniture and using pillows and afghans to bring in color. I like being able to have blue & green touches in spring/summer, and change to red touches in fall/winter. Oh, our walls used to be a mustard yellow (#298 by Ben. Moore). I reached a point of – argh! gotta go, too! Linda
You’ve done a lovely job in bringing in touches of color to your room. It looks so fresh and pretty.
Mary Alice
Love it now….I’m hoping to do the same with my living room…someday!
Very elegant looking, Ann! I had a yellow living room in our old house and was ready to paint it a creamy color, but then we moved. Now I have a neutral wall color which works out great especially with my white slipcovered furniture and the black and white I’ve brought in. I do bring in color with pillows and accessories, too. Probably more so during the Fall and Christmas seasons. It’s perfect and warm feeling, which is what I like during those months.
I love your newer look. The former was nice too, but the present colour scheme you have is just lovely. Relaxing and pleasant but with a pop. Fabulous.
I, too, adore your latest look, it is very, very pretty. I love colour, too, but I add it very carefully. I don’t have the knack that you have of using so many different patterns in one room, I stick with one pattern only and have one or two colours that I use. I have a very neutral pallet these days and I add colour with pillows. I like to play it safe because I know that I will one day look at it and say “enough of that” and I will want to change it completely. Haha! It pays to know oneself!
Have a great week.
Hugs, Cindy
Hi Ann, you keep disappearing from my bloglist and I don’t know why, anyway I found you again and added you back on:)
Now I’m going to read some posts that I’ve missed, have a great evening!
We have a lot in common Ann. I have yellow and red on the walls too and I want to go neutral when I repaint. I have found I am limited with what I want to do and a neutral back drop would work for me. I love what you’ve done in your home. Your color is just right and the vignettes are lovely.
Hugs,
~Emily
The French Hutch
I love all the pops of color! Beautiful vignettes as well. Thank you for sharing. Saw you over at Natasha in Oz. Would love it if you would share this at my Make it Pretty Monday party at The Dedicated House. http://thededicatedhouse.blogspot.com/2012/07/make-it-pretty-monday-week-8.html Hope to see you at the bash! Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse
Hi Ann! I just found your blog from Creative Juices for Decor! I’m a new subscriber. Your sewing is awesome. I have one of your pillows and it is beautifully made. I’m looking forward to getting caught up on your posts.
Great fabric selection! Pinning them now!
Trends have to swing wide so we’ll all buy more stuff, right? I was with you on the every room is a different bold color. Now I also have white slipcovers and gray walls. Love your fabric choices and accents. I’ll be pinning for a while!
I seriously love this! It reminds me of growing up on the farm … so cozy and comfortable. And now I want a fabric story, too!! Thank you so much for linking up to our party!!
This room is deliciously divine! The colors are simply gorgeous and pop just the right amount! I want to drop by and read a book in one of your comfy chairs…everything is so incredibly inviting! Great job!!!!…hugs your newest follower : ) Thanks for linking up at All about color!!!
Ann, I love neutrals with a pop of color too! Your yellows and blue are so becoming! YOur yellow and wihte target chairs are love love love for me too!
I just keep looking at your pretty pillows and…. SIGH!
Thanks for joining TUTORIALS TIPS AND TIDBITS and bringing your color sense!
Wow, this post is full of gorgeousness and great ideas! Thank you so much for linking it up to my Say G’Day Saturday party! I will be back here again and again and again!
Best wishes,
Natasha in Oz
Are you saying you got those gorgeous gold and white chairs for Target??? Wowsa!
Brenda
I can’t live without color either!! You really know how to do it right! Those Target chairs are fabulous – you must never want to leave that room!
So glad you joined our Color party! Pinning this!
Kelly
(I had red walls once too)!
Are you still happy with you slipcover from Comfort Works?
Ann, I’m still working on neutralizing my home. I cringe when I look at what my kitchen looked like a couple of years ago. Still living with the red accent wall in the living room. Hoping it will go this spring (if hubby is up to painting) Your rooms are calm and serene and just enough color to make the room interesting. Love the Target slipper chairs! Your photography is amazing. You room looks just like a magazine spread with so many interesting touches! It’s true, when going with neutral wall colors and most furniture, it’s easy to change things up with pillows and accessories.
Ann,
You do have a talent! I really like the pleasing restful look you have going on here. I like you in the past have had vivid colors. My kitchen was covered in red…countertops red…wallpaper strawberries….great then but when I builit Hibiscus House wanted very neutral. Thanks for the inspiration…going to add a little color here too.
Dolly
I am drawn to the neutral background, colorful accessories look every. single. time. I love your home and your style!