Quick guide to using neutral colours
Neutral colours are the ones that don’t show up on the colour wheel – the greys, shades of white, ivory, black and beige.
Neutral does not mean boring, though!
Despite lacking bold primary colours, they certainly are not boring, coming in a vast range of variations and shades. Just ask the Scandinavians who have been using them for years and are arguably the masters of the neutral colour scheme. Think calm, zen, Fjords…(ABBA!?!)
Neutrals help accentuate texture
If you want to show off a range of textures: fabrics, timbers, ceramics in a room, neutral colours are your friend and can help you do this. Too many bold colours can become overpowering and risk drawing the eye away from your carefully chosen textures, whereas greys and other neutral colours won’t.
Neutral schemes endure for longer
Neutral colour schemes also tend to endure over time, which is great if you want to sort your room out for several years rather than having to revisit it in a few months because you’ve grown tired of those bold colours that were all the rage two years ago…
Neutral colours are more likely to go with existing schemes
For example, if you’re looking to breathe a bit of life into an existing scheme, grey wool throws make a fantastic addition. Not only does the grey add an element of calmness, but the wool provides texture. They’re also easy to move around, allowing you the freedom to experiment and achieve exactly the desired effect, or a completely unintended but equally satisfying result!
How to position a throw
With blankets or throws, the key is to do what feels and looks most comfortable to you. Folded in a rectangle at the end of a bed or simply tossed across a sofa or bed may work even better. Another option may be to drape a throw over the back of a sofa or chair. In general, there is no right or wrong way to display a throw. Make sure you experiment and have fun in the process…
For some more ideas about how to use grey colour schemes, take a look at this article on Ideal Homes.