Color or Neutral - White - Why not?

With the fantastic color choice of paint available today, we can sometimes get carried away and turn our homes into something that looks similar to a rainbow, which maybe harmonious in the sky but in our homes it can be overwhelming.

With the popularity of minimalist homes, decorating is lending towards using neutrals again. Keeping the interiors crisp white and clean, with often the use of subtle textures in kitchen bench tops, carpet or timber floors.

Previously we had the choice of white, cream or gray, the "safe" neutrals and every rental flat, apartment, hotel and a vast majority of our homes were decorated this way. Then we overcompensated to get rid of the institutional look by creating a preschool feeling - fun and lively but only for a short period of time, not to live in everyday.

 

All built in furniture are gray, adding a mid tone to the spaces

The use of subtle textures in kitchen bench tops.

This new home designed by Kerry Mason for Ann and Terry Casely, is a good example of using white and gray. Color consultant Rhonnda Carnevale of Colore Colore coordinated the colors. Her brief was to make their home accommodate a vast and colorful collection of artwork and eclectic sampling of furniture and artifacts.

Rhonnda decided to use white as the major color in the home, this way the colorful pieces of artwork could be displayed without interference from their backdrop. The window treatments, kitchen bench top, doors and all built in furniture are gray, adding a mid tone to the spaces. Black has been used around the fireplaces to create a small amount of dark tone in the living room. This way balance has been created in the rooms, ready for the finishing touches of furniture, artwork and artifact placement.

Overall the home looks contemporary and with the addition of furniture and artwork it creates it's own sense of well-traveled and long term collected style. A look that is unique and original.