When it comes to my clients, I don't shy away from color.. if they want color I give it to them! I definitely don't go crazy, but I love to incorporate it in doses. I am wrapping up a project with an ORANGE ottoman. It's awesome. But when it comes to my own personal style I am completely drawn to neutrals.
I had a little chuckle when I was reading my blogs this morning and my friend Brooke said she was a neutral nelly. My other blog friend Stephanie coined the term. What a perfect description :)
To step outside my comfort zone, here are some colorful spaces that I really do love. Would I put them in my own home? No.. but I can definitely appreciate the awesomeness :)
[ Summer Thornton Design ]
[ Lonny ]
[ Tracery Interiors ]
[ Lonny ]
[ Tracery Interiors ]
ps - You know who does color to perfection? Jamie Meares. Check out this sneak peek she just showed on her blog:
I think neutrals are wonderful and I sometimes wish I could be a neutral nelly. But I love color!! What I have learned is that you should just be you and love what you love! If you love neutrals embrace it. You are so good at what you do and your style is so "you". That is one of my favorite things about you. Keep it up :)
ReplyDeleteNot being a "neutral nelly" myself, I really enjoyed all the colorful pics. That being said - I always enjoy your blog! Lovely, as always.
ReplyDeleteLove these! Love the "B" on my tab at the top of internet explorer! so cute! =)
ReplyDeleteKirsten,
ReplyDeleteYou are so GREAT at color! I love your house...it's so cool. Thank you for the kind words :)
How can you go so bold in your dining room if you prefer neutrals? Is it because you don't spend a lot of time in that room?
ReplyDeleteLove your dining room color by the way.
Don't feel bad. I'm a neutral nelly myself! Those rooms are gorgeous ( my fav is the orange bedroom), but using lots of color is more time consuming and difficult for me when I'm doing my own decorating. I like neutrals with pops of color. I'll stick with that for now! Great post!
ReplyDeleteI have a question, do you think you stick to nuetrals more because you know it will be harder to convince your husband to put bold colors somewhere? I feel I keep my decorating subdued more because it will cause less of a 'discussion' with the hubs.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more about Jamie. But I also appreciate you, Bryn! Thanks for this post.
ReplyDeleteI am the exact same way. I love color but there is very little of it in my own home. I am trying to incorporate more. Its not easy for me though!
ReplyDeleteoh i just love the one with the lilac walls and the pic with the orange couch! love the full saturation of colors, but Im definitely a neutral nelly myself :)
ReplyDeleteWell I do love your green ottoman, that's definitely not neutral :-) Great photos.
ReplyDeleteI too fit into the neutral category, but love the look of color. Brooke and i both have tried again and again with a huge fail.
ReplyDeleteI'm a neutral Nelly myself. I add color through accessories. My main motivation is $$$. I can't afford to reupholster or buy new furniture on a whim but I mix things up all the time, change is good. I did decorate our guest room/home office in red, orange and white and love working in there, but I find neutrals are so much more relaxing to "live" in.
ReplyDeleteI am a bit of a neutral nelly also, but I'm getting a bit more daring! I think I love your blog because of the neutral rooms you post:)
ReplyDeleteThis struck a cord with me, because it made me realize that lately I have been getting a little down on myself about not feeling like I am using enough color in my decorating, but I just don't think that's always who I am. I feel like neutrals have been getting somewhat of a "bad rap" in the design world lately and it's all about "more color everywhere is better" and it's making me feel like I have a boring house, but this is not true at all. I think I am simply a person who loves a neutral (not boring!) foundation with pops of color injected in. And a room with all neutrals (or whites) in different tones can be amazing! Who knows, maybe at some point I'll be in the mood for a bright blue sofa or pink ikat chairs, but for now, it's more in my budget to spring for a neutral sofa that I won't get sick of in a year and add some bright patterened pillows.
ReplyDeleteHa! see, it's too hard. I read Brooke's blog and I want to stick to white and beige, then I see all of these images and I think everyone needs color everywhere. Thanks for the shout out:)
ReplyDeleteThat is so funny that you said that, because am also a "Neutral Nelly" and was starting to feel so out of the loop that as a designer, I love to add color to other's homes, but in my own, I tend to stay in the neutral relm...I have for years and just don't feel comfortable with it the times I have tried to step out of my comfort color zone.
ReplyDeleteMy friend asked me a similar question. "Ray are you afraid of color?" im with you...nothing too jarring in my home...
ReplyDeleteMr. Goodwill Hunting
Love all the color...so pretty!
ReplyDeleteIt's funny, I don't really consider the purple I chose in my dining room that bold. if a color can be neutral, I'd definitely call it a neutral purple. I do love it though!! :)
ReplyDeletei need that grey rug in Jamie Meares pic! its perfect!!!!
ReplyDeleteI love this dialog that you started. I too prefer neutrals and mostly WHITE for my own home. But I do love looking at all the beautiful rooms (great examples you shared) with vibrant color and I like creating those rooms for other people. Years ago, when I was less confident with my own design esthetic, and tired of the comments from other people that my house lacked 'color' I switched and brought in more. I wasn't happy. The day I sold all that furniture and went back to what is really me was a good day! I think that for me, coming home to less stuff, less visual is calming especially when I have everyone else's rooms in my head. The other side to it is that I get tired easily of an idea and like to change. With my calm and simple palette now, I can interject a splash of orange, or turquoise ... or now even PINK and enjoy it for a while and then take it out (sell it to a client!) and I am not committed.
ReplyDeleteThis is timely, I was thinking about this after re-looking at the Spring 11 runways. I posted about Jil Sander on my blog; the color combos are really out there and I love it. I'm wondering how I can incorporate this into my home...I almost posted an M Design pic to go along with it. And I thought about Jaime's pic too... Must be something in the air! Ready for Spring!
ReplyDeleteI think it was me who left that comment a while ago! I absolutely love your designs (I even had you help with our bedroom), but I had noticed a lot of white rooms in your posts and I am definitely not one to shy away from color. I do love a good neutral room especially in a small space and the way you do neutrals is so much better than the "builder beige" that most people use. Anyway, glad to see some rooms with colors in them, they gave me so many ideas! So thanks for mixing it up a little, looking forward to seeing what you do next :)
ReplyDeleteThis is a good question. Perhaps I will go in depth into "why" I like neutrals someday on my blog, but I'll touch on it now. I am an anxious person by nature so I need my surroundings to be neutral and calm or else I get panicky. It's a true testament to how your surroundings really affect how you live! Although I completely appreciate tons of colors and patterns, I would never be able to relax if they were in my own house. So to answer your question, nope it's not my husband at all ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm like you Brynn, I love designing both interiors for clients--neutral and colorful. But, in my own home I stick with neutrals!
ReplyDeleteShannon Berrey Designs
I'm definitely become more and more of a Neutral Nelly! And it's for the same reason that you mentioned, lots of color makes me anxious and even feeling claustrophobic. I recently replaced my green & white patterned curtains with white ones because I was feeling so overwhelmed. Might have to share this on thefourteenthchair.com! Thanks for sharing xo
ReplyDeleteI am a TOTAL color fan- despite my attempts to steer toward the neutrals- the colors are always calling me! I love the pic with the orange prints on the wall and end of bed in contrast to the light gray-blue coverlette- perfection!!!!
ReplyDeleteI generally fall into the category of Neutral Nelly too (love that!) and I love your explanation that you are anxious by nature and need a calm environment (I can see that a bit in myself too) but my philosophy as been for years now that as designers we play with color all day (sometimes) and it's nice to come home (or down the hall) to a calm, neutral space to give our eyes and our brains a place to rest. Neutrals are comfortable and comforting because we need a break...and also it's so pretty.
ReplyDeleteI think it takes a lot of skill to do neutrals well! I LOVE them. But bold color is so beautiful, too. It's fun being a designer and having the chance to do both, right?!
ReplyDeleteLove the term "neutral nelly" and will totally be using it!
ReplyDeleteColor generally gives me anxiety (ironically one of these rooms is by our firm and I'm saying that!) but I've found, at least for me, it's all about moderation and being very deliberate about how you use color. These are some fun examples for sure.
ReplyDeletebe confident in your style, likes, and dislikes. you are talented and have something interesting to offer. don't feel bad about loving neutrals or not showing too much color.
ReplyDeleteIts interesting how most of these spaces have mix & match patterns ....i always admire how someone can put these interiors together & yet make it look so fab. The secret needs to be let out of the hat...i need to know.
ReplyDeletewww.madebygirl.com
madebygirl.blogspot.com
Hi Bryn!
ReplyDeleteLove your blog and have been a stalker for a while now :)
Your plan to use gray in your master has made me rethink my neutral lovin' ways...I'm loving the idea of doing my powder room a saturated gray to pop the crown molding.
Keep up the *lovely* work!
-Bri R.
fourifbysea.blogspot.com