Best Idea Ever: Super Neutrals!

Ever since the May issue of Martha Stewart Living arrived in my mail box, I've not been able to put it down. It's one of my favorites in a long time! And the best article of all is the piece on 'Superneutrals... colors that are muted in tone, with a touch of grey or white mixed in, so that the volume is dialed down a bit.' In other words, hues for the color-phobic amongst us!

We often talk here about how much we love color--vivid salmon, punchy cherry--but don't often use it in our homes for fear that we'll tire of it too quickly. That's where superneutrals come in. They're colors bold enough to make a statement, but versatile enough to lend themselves to multiple applications when you're ready for a change. 

Take the green on this wall, for example. It's subtle with warm undertones, so treat it as you would a beige. Blush upholstery and gilt accents feel posh and feminine for now, and in five years switch out the pink for a sunshiny floral to refresh the space.

Variations on purple make for fabulous superneutrals. Above, lavender chills with the washed-out vibe of limed oak and French grey. While below, the cozy glow of orchid acts as the perfect foil for spicy tumeric nightstands and a suzani bedspread. 

Pattern as superneutral? You betcha! Look at the shades in this wallpaper: the flowers themselves are a cool blue, while the background is mocha with a smidge of peach. The bright orange bench therefore feels right at home, not only because it plays on that hint of peach, but because orange is the complement to blue on the color wheel. It's science, people!

Use the concept of superneutrals not only to foster harmony in a single room, but also to unite multiple rooms with differing palettes. For example, my living room walls are a pale mauve and my hallway is pistachio, but because I chose colors with the same grey undertones, it flows beautifully. 

Now you tell me: Have you decorated with color? How do you make it work?

Image Credits: 1, 4. Martha Stewart Living, May 2010 2, 3. Canadian House and Home April 2010 5. House Beautiful 6. Living Etc.

Comments

[Jenny]

Such lovely images, I'm so ready for spring. The flowers on the table are so nice.

[Will]

Oh, to have that orange footstall in my home. LOVE IT!

[ashlina]

such beautiful photos. lovely colors. hope you had a great weekend love. xo

[Christina]

O, super neutrals, I love it. Can we make this into a comic book and make Super neutrals a crime fighting team against bland colors and decorations?

[The Design Notebook]

Absolutely lovely colours and the pics are just amazing. Must love supernaturals!!!

[Ana]

Too funny, the magazine is glued to my hand, too. I think I've actually read the whole article word-by-word several times.
By the way, I'm glued to your blog as well; I've been subscribed for a couple of months or so and I LOVE it.

[Connie at Sogni e Sorrisi]

Beautiful! Love the third especially.

[Sandy]

Neutrals are soo necessary in decorating... it's best to have neutrals and then spice up the room with pops of color (in my opinion) hehe!

[Sally@DivineDistractions]

Great information to share. As an artist, I think color makes or breaks a room. I am not a big fan of the really white and monochromatic rooms, but I think these "super-neutrals" have a lot of life.

[Maureen Sullivan Stemberg, Interiors]

Anne, simply lovely! Especially, liked Hmmmmm. All of them. The key here is that
punch of color that appears to just 'be there.'
that is the secret if one is 'going neutral.' As always, bravo to you. -Maureen

[Shell Sherree]

They don't mind if I move into room number two, do they? I'll keep it very tidy, I promise.

[Rowaida Flayhan]

Always looking forward to reading your interesting and amazing post so informative!
Martha Stewart Living is a monthly must on my coffee table. Thanks for sharing!

[Cyd]

I also loved this article! I am obsessed with super neutrals and am so happy to dub them as such. In fact, a couple of the colors in the article are colors we recently used in our new house. (Made me super excited that I picked those colors before Martha told me to...is that weird?)

My recent super neutral obsession include Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray HC-170, Benjamin Moore Quiet Moments 1563, and Behr Creamy Mushroom. (Appropriately named, it kind of looks like cream of mushroom soup. Only not lumpy and much prettier. ;-) )

[{this is glamorous}]

can not take my eyes off that third image -- gorgeous! especially the gold coffee table . . .

xoxo

[Kelly Oshiro]

I want to live in that kitchen. Perfection!

[Mona Thompson]

Wonderful images and i agree with and enjoyed the theory as well. Glad I found your blog via House of Turquoise today. I'm a new blogger. You might want to check me out when you have a minute. I think you would like some of the things I have posted.

[ARMSTRONGKatina22]

That is perfect that we can take the loans and that opens new chances.

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