Simple Tips For Decorating With Neutrals, With Joanna Lily Wong

Ask any interior design expert: neutrals never go out of style! But neutrals don’t always have the best reputation, and it’s no wonder why: when they’re not done right, they can feel boring, stark, or just plain cold. But a space that’s tastefully decorated with neutrals? Seemingly effortless, inviting and warm, and of course, always in style.

We tapped into one of our favorite experts in all things interior design and feng shui, Joanna Lily Wong, for a few useful tips on how to decorate and style using a clean and calm palette of beiges, grays, and what she likes to call “greige”! Here are her five key tips when decorating a living room or other space with neutrals.

Keep things warm with texture

Neutral living spaces can sometimes feel a bit lifeless. If you've decorated with grey and your space feels a bit cold, incorporate more wood elements and highly textured fabrics like wools or linens. This will help bring more vitality into the space.

Get into “greige”

Sometimes when a room veers on the beige/tan side it can look outdated (in a not cool vintage way), says Joanna. And then sometimes, when a room is all grey, it feels cookie cutter and lifeless. So I like to use "cool beiges" and "warm grays" as a neutral color. My favorite neutral color is what I call "Greige".

Style neutrals with a pop of color

If neutrals feel too conservative for you, use them as a foundation, and then bring in a pop of color. A bright blue lounge chair, for example, or a fun textured rug.

Styling by @rachelkathleenhome, plant in photo: Rubber Plant in Nouvelle

Learn to layer

When decorating in neutrals, it’s important to layer. If you use, for example, only one shade of grey, and only one shade of white, throughout the room, it will lack dimension. Embrace different shades or dark and light, warm and cool.

Build from a foundation of neutrals

Neutrals are always a safe direction to go. Furnishing your house is expensive, and our tastes change. But if you have a neutral foundation, you can play with different styles and colors with your home accessories like table lamps, bedsheets, or vases.

What are the ways you decorate with neutrals? Let us know in the comments!