If you’re one of those people who thinks beige is the planet’s most boring color, we at ICI Homes are here to convince you otherwise.
Any color can be boring if it’s overused, underutilized, or the tired default choice because “it goes with everything.” But there’s much more to beige than the color most of us don’t even notice
Read on for some fresh ideas on how to use this versatile, timeless color.
Beige is more than one color
The easiest way to understand this is to visit a paint store. Or, the paint department of a home improvement warehouse. You may not find a swatch named “Beige,” but you will find hundreds of swatches in that neutral-color domain.
So many, in fact, that you might instantly get where we’re coming from!
Beige can be the background or accent
Once you realize beige’s wide color spectrum, you might zero in on shades that appeal to you.
Beige as a background, grounds your space. It’s a warm or cool canvas to build upon. It also harmonizes with many colors, which provides multiple options for color contrasts and pairings.
A soft shade of beige and a clear blue is as classic as stark white and navy, yet a bit rounder and warmer.
You also can use beige as a accent. Perhaps your living-area walls are a light vanilla. You’d like to group some artwork or antique porcelean plates against one wall. A deeper cinnamon-French Vanilla beige might be just the specialness you need.
Multiple shades of beige add richness and depth
Warming up to the idea of using beige in your new custom Florida home?
A single shade may be perfect, especially if you like the neutral calm that beige can provide. As suggested above, furniture, artwork and decorative accessories can shine against a beige background.
If you’d like to retain that, yet add more color interest, consider using multiple lighter or darker hues of your background beige as accent colors.
Paint one wall a few shades lighter or darker behind, say, the padded headboard of a bed. If you have trim in your new home, paint it a different color of beige than what’s on the walls.
Don’t be afraid to stop at one accent! How about vertical stripes? Layering beige in a texturally rich way, beginning with your flooring color, wall color and ceiling color?
Furnishings can contribute, too. Undyed linen curtains or almond-suede sofas enrich the look, as does painted furniture of any beige hue.
Add contrasting colors and materials — fluffy pillows, or sleek brass or rough wrought-iron lighting fixtures — and you’ll have a more interesting interior landscape than one simply painted, “Beige.”
Choose high-quality materials
Working with a classic, timeless color that screams “NEUTRAL” also means more attention to its raw materials.
In the same way that premium olive oil tastes cleaner and purer than lesser-quality blends, a top-notch paint, fabric, tile or wood floor will be distinguishable too.
In paint, the finishes — typically satin, semi-gloss and gloss — make a difference. Each one determines how sleek or muted the color appears on your walls.
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