j. ellen Design, LLC is putting together some great infographics with tips and tricks on how to get the most out of your design. Today we’re going to talk about neutral tones and neutral colors, what they are and how they work.
You’ve heard the term “neutral” tone, or “neutral” color, but what is a neutral color? Why is it so useful and versatile? Neutral means that the color or tone is lacking in a specific hue or saturation. Neutral tones tend to be without preference to a certain color.
Why are neutrals so great?
A neutral color is great to use because it makes designing against it a breeze. For example, a neutral gray can match any other accent color you want to use — yellow, orange, red, purple, you name it, it’ll match. Neutral tones for walls and floors make it easy to update your decor when you eventually want to swap out colors or patterns. Check out the image above where we used a neutral color on the walls, and then we decorated with poppy color and light aqua-blue accents. Swapping out those pillows or rug will be easy with the neutral tone on the wall!
True neutrals
A neutral tone can have a color preference, however. Sometimes beige or taupe can have an undertone of pink or purple, maybe even gold. Finding a true neutral tone can be difficult, but being aware of undertones is important as well.
Here are some examples of some neutral colors:
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