The new rules for using neutrals at home

Trends come and go and nowhere do things fall in and out of favour more than in the world of paint. Of course, there are those of us who approach colour wholeheartedly, opting for rich tones throughout the house and then there too are those who enjoy a more pared-back feel with a neutral base and maybe some colour layered over the top. Whatever side of the coin you fall on, even those who aren’t about to start creating their own beige havens can see the attraction in their quiet monotone; “it can get to a point where it seems that our possessions own us, rather than the other way around – and that can feel a bit overwhelming,” says Olivia Outred. The question is how to do a neutral look now, and how to do them well. For while a cream cashmere blanket laid over the arm of boucle-upholstered armchair that sits on a sheepskin rug certainly sets a scene, it’s not a whole room.

The set of The Sopranos is the ultimate naughties example of beige core.

Todd Plitt/Getty Images

There are interior designers for whom this look is their stock trade – Guillaume Alan is famed for his chalky ‘craie’ palette – but online, or at least on TikTok, the references appear to have mostly evolved from other images seen on screen. Y2K dressing goes hand-in-hand with hotel interiors from the same period (think Ian Shrager rather than Kit Kemp) and a new appreciation for shows such as The Sopranos and the mob-wife beige of Carmela Soprano’s New Jersey kitchen and sitting room, not forgetting the gold accents on the glass coffee table. We suspect that the aspirational houses we see on Selling Sunset play a part – and “is this a trend that the Kardashians may have had an influence on?”, wonders Stephanie Barba Mendoza. She suggests that some of the appeal may also come from the apparent ease of execution; “it’s often thought that mixing different items that are off white or cream colour does not require huge amounts of talent.” Except that we know that, actually, it does.  There’s a fine line between serene and clinical, and badly put together colourless interiors can, if we’re honest, look horribly soulless. Nobody aspires to American Psycho – or, as the artist David Batchelor put it when discussing chromophobia, “endless like an egg must look endless from the inside … aggressively white.”

The first thing to establish is that this trend is not new. Elsie de Wolfe, possibly the most famous decorator of the first decades of the early 20^th century, who counted among her clients Vanderbilts, Fricks and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, adored beige; on seeing the Parthenon for the first time, she allegedly declared it to be “my colour!” In London, Syrie Maugham, sometime wife of the novelist and playwright William Somerset Maugham, was known as the ‘Princess of Pale’ on account of her all-white drawing room on the Kings Road, which is where Cecil Beaton often chose to shoot his society portraits. Fast forward half a century or more, and there’s Kelly Hoppen, whose interiors caused quite the stir when they first rose to serious prominence in the 1990s, and whose name has become synonymous with neutral palettes.  She declares neutrals “the equivalent of the ‘little black dress’ – the classic staple that never dates and can be worn in so many different ways.” Between these interior designers – and others – there’s a lot we can learn.

The first thing to understand, says Kelly, is “the essential differences between two very distinct neutral families: sand and taupe. Sand has an undertone of yellow. Taupe has an undertone of grey and purple. They do not mix and are rarely comfortable together.” In other words, do not try to combine cream (which is in the sand family) with the wrong sort of beige, which can be in either  – to which end, be careful with your beiges. “It is crucial to collect together as many samples of fabrics and surface finishes as possible and view them in your own home at different times of day and evening,” Kelly advises, referring not just to the fabrics and textiles, but also any wood (such as the flooring), marble or ceramic tiling you intend on using.

The other reason that this gathering of samples is important, says Kelly, is because though “colour is one of the driving forces of the decorative side of design, it makes no sense to consider it in isolation from texture.” Olivia confirms that “texture is how you add interest,” adding that “shiny eggshell walls and ceiling can work brilliantly, giving you a glossy, warm canvas, and will show off a white linen sofa very well; the other way around, a shiny sofa is very hard to pull off!” (Although, returning to The Sopranos, that beige leather couch does have a faint reflective quality to it.) “A chunky woven rug will help give warmth,” continues Olivia, “and adding some wools and mohairs to the mix will enhance the pales you have chosen.  And don’t be afraid to go all out: tile the ceiling as well as the walls in the kitchen and see how the whole space shimmers.” William Smalley (no fan of strong colour because, as he asks, “what if you get bored of it?”) –  favours working with lime-wash and plaster on the walls, which creates texture via small-scale shadows. Rose Uniacke has created a similar effect by using lanterns encased in imperfect antique glass.

Speaking of light, it’s worth considering how much a room gets, and what is outside; in some instances, that becomes part of the decoration. Pallas Kalamotusis has channelled the palette of the Greek islands in her all-white bedroom in Kensington, explaining, “I wanted to create a holiday feel.” Between her view of the green communal gardens and the vibrant blue canvas hanging above her bed, it is effective.