The New Neutrals & How to Decorate With Them

A deep dive into the return of cream, terracotta and brown, my go-to paint colours and how to use them in your home

I promised you a deeper look into the top colours I saw at Milan Design Week e voila! Cream, terracotta and brown are the new neutrals to fall in love with this year and I hope this article will offer some inspiration on how to bring them into your home.

Cream

Oh Cream. Related to magnolia, this colour has had a bad wrap for a long time and we have done everything we can to steer away from it. But now it’s back and I've got to say....when used right, it looks really good.

Cream is warm and inviting, it’s a subtle ray of sunshine and can really often a space no matter which design style you gravitate to.

How to decorate with it

Light cream is the perfect neutral if you want to create a bright and airy space, but one that is filled with warmth. When it comes to dark rooms with cool or little light, we often say embrace the dark with a moody colour. But what if that just isn’t for you? Well say hello to cream. With its warm yellow undertones, cream can feel cosy and reassuring. Add a touch of black pigment and you’ve got a deeper neutral like Lucy William’s bedroom sanctuary painted in White Tie by Farrow and Ball. This room is north-facing (in the UK) and White Tie just adds that blush of warmth while still feeling light. Yellow-based hues can still work in rooms that receive direct sunlight, but depending on how much you love the notes of yellow, ensure to observe your paint samples throughout the day. Soft and subtle cream can quickly feel dirty in the wrong room.

If you live in a new build or a property with no period features, I recommend wrapping the colour over onto the ceiling in any given space. This will create the illusion of more space and ensure the whole room feels thoughtful and curated. If you’re lucky enough to have coving or period features, why not pair cream with a purer white to offer a subtle contrast, highlighting your design features, like Danilo and Paolo from Home in Heidelberg have done in their living room below.

Lick White 05 on the walls paired with off-white on the ceiling and skirting. Design & photo by @homeinheidelberg

Another space where I think cream works beautifully is in the kitchen, especially if opting for a bolder or darker colour on the kitchen cabinets. One of my recent colour clients had an open-plan kitchen with black, white and green accents. The dining area was filled with light from the velux window and patio doors, while the living space and part of the kitchen felt cold and dark in the back of the room. She was looking for a wall colour that added warmth but that still felt light, offering a subtle backdrop to her gallery wall. We opted for Duvet Day by COAT - a light beige that feels a touch deeper than cream. We wrapped this colour over onto the ceiling and kept the woodwork white to offer interest and draw the eye around the space. It’s safe to say, the space looks gorgeous.

Open-plan spaces can sometimes feel a challenge but they lend themselves to varying yellow-based neutrals from pale cream to soft earthy beiges, just like Imma Galiana’s open-plan kitchen below.

COAT Duvet Day on the walls by Imma Galiana.

Get the Look

• Farrow & Ball White Tie for a light, traditional cream

• Farrow & Ball New White for a fresh, milky cream

• Lick White 03 for a light, bright cream

• Lick White 05 for an oaty neutral

• Bauwerk Intention for a blush of warm white lime wash

• Bauwerk Calm for a light, soft beige hue

• COAT Safe Play for a warming off-white

• COAT Duvet Day for a soft beige

Terracotta

When you first think of terracotta, no doubt gorgeous ceramic tiles come to mind. While Milan Design Week definitely explored this material in its natural form, I want to extend this to paint colours. Terracotta is possibly one of the most popular colour choices with my clients, it’s like the cool (hot), colourful friend who brings the feel-good factor and never gets boring.

How to decorate with it

Terracotta looks incredible in a bathroom, injecting warmth and sunny vibes no matter what style you love or decor you have. Pair with moroccan hand-made tiles or natural terracotta tiles for the ultimate tonal escape or why not consider subway tiles and black finishes for a contemporary look.

Terracotta also looks beautiful painted on the skirtings and built-in furniture creating a focal point or highlighting a design feature, like Lucinda from This Hove Home has done with this sunny bookcase in her living room.

Walls & cabinetry painted in Farrow & Ball Red Earth

If you’re feeling brave, terracotta looks fabulous colour drenched in a room, on the walls, ceiling and woodwork like this guest bedroom in Mary Charteris home. If you love this look but not sure if colour drenching is for you, why not consider painting your ceiling and pair with a soft pink neutral on the walls. The colour orange will visually appear closer, and therefore create the feeling that the ceiling is slightly lower. 

Lick Red 03 on the ceiling by Steph from @houseonthecorner_16

Get the Look

• Bauwerk Casa for a bold terracotta lime wash

• Bauwerk Medlar for an earthy terracotta colour

• Little Greene Tuscan Red for a deep red terracotta

• COAT Baked for a deep hue with notes of grey

• Lick Red 03 for a soft terracotta

• Lick Red 01 for a burnt umber

• Farrow & Ball Red Earth for a light terracotta red

Brown

Brown has always been part of our interior colour schemes, from wood finishes and furniture, both of which are quite easy to get right. Recently, it has started to creep into our paint colours too and this can feel a bit more challenging. I’m excited about this new neutral, because there are so many variations of brown to choose from, but one in particular that I’m loving, is umber. From dark raw umber to red-based burnt umber, this hue was everywhere during Milan Design Week and boy, did it look good.

Brown is soulful. It’s cocooning and warm, it’s earthy (another popular word amongst colour clients), it’s a natural colour that feels familiar and comforting and provides an element of safety and security.

How to decorate with it

As lovely as brown is, painting brown on all four walls can feel overwhelming, especially if the surrounding colours and decor don’t balance the dark backdrop. With this in mind, one of my favourite interior schemes that showcases brown paint at its best is

Kate Watson-Smyth

‘s former living room.

Photo by Mark Anthony Fox for Kate Watson-Smyth

This colour scheme is all about brown yet doesn’t feel overwhelming, so what makes it feel and look so good? Dropping the light ceiling colour down to the picture rail creates more surface area for the light to bounce around the room, creating the illusion that the room feels taller while simultaneously snug and intimate. The black, brass and wooden accents around the room offer a tonal contrast with the deep brown walls, painted in Fallen Plum by Atelier Ellis - a rich burnt umber with notes of red that feels hand-picked straight from the outdoors. Nature’s neutral perhaps? Kate has created a subtle nod to the red undertones in the paint colour, by adding red and dusty pink accents in the fabrics and upholstery. This offers just enough contrast to create interest, yet soft enough to ensure a calming space that makes you instantly want to sit back and put your feet up.

Another look that I think lends itself to the colour brown and inspired by MDW, is lime wash. Brown is a primal colour, it’s evocative and adds depth to any space. Add in the texture and natural pigments of lime wash and this colour truly transports you. Unpick the undertones in your brown wall paints to introduce pairing colours and curate a harmonious colour scheme.

If you’re anything like me, and you admire the deeper browns but they’re not quite for you and your home, head to the softer side with mid tones like Bullrush by Bauwerk, a soft warm brown with undertones of pink that feel restorative. I adore this interior scheme painted in Bullrush by Plantea Estudio, paired perfectly with natural finishes including terracotta, marble and warm wood tones.

Design by Plantea Estudio. Photo by @salvalopez

Get the Look

For deep browns, why not take a look at…

• Cola by Farrow & Ball for a rich, red-based brown

• Axia by Atelier Ellis for a plum-based cocooning brown

• Fallen Plum by Atelier Ellis for Kate’s chocolate brown hue

• London Brown by Edward Bulmer for a chocolate hue with notes of black

For softer browns, I recommend exploring lime wash…

• Bauwerk Umber for an earthy mid-tone

• Bauwerk Bullrush for a warm, pinky brown

• Bauwerk Palm Sugar for a warm, light brown

• Bauwerk Bali for a tan brown

So…which new neutral will you be exploring this year?