Beige interiors is coming, if not already here people!!
If you’re reading my blog, you probably know that black and white is out (either from my blog or from being an interiors enthusiast).
HOWEVER, we’re not bringing beige back in the sense of “sad mom beige”.
Not only is that a hilarious claim, but I kind of love that it’s a saying right now because it just shows that we are PLEADING for color back in our lives.
It makes sense since black/white and also “sad beige” (aka all beige, all neutral) really BOOMED around 2020 and after during a time of such uncertainty and people were heavily drawn to anything that could provide a sense of both calm and cleanliness.
So how is beige back?
Think about the timeless, more expensive finishes/installs for your home.
Think beige in your flooring, maybe your, tiling, wall finishes, countertops/slabs, millwork (whether painted or stained), etc. – all the things that take construction and $$$$.
Making good decisions on your neutrals that will be your installed finishes will keep your home looking timeless (you can avoid riding trend waves, and the expensive (and unsustainable) replacing that comes with trendy installs).
Then you can inject your home with color with your cosmetic finishes that are much less expensive to update/change (paint/wallpaper, artwork, pillows, furniture, rugs, lighting, and other decor).
Here’s the thing with beige – it’s actually the most difficult color to work with/coordinate with because of all its undertones.
There are four different beiges: pink, orange, yellow, or green beige. True color expert Maria Killam is the best resource for all things understanding color, especially undertones.
Notice when these colors almost look like the undertones they have when next to each other (ex: a green beige looks green next to orange beige and vice versa). This is why understanding undertones is SO IMPORTANT, especially when you are spending more money on neutral/beige/white/cream finish installments. Say you what a white or beige kitchen, so you stick to “white” or “beige” when making finish selections. Fast forward after you swipe your credit card and you have a new kitchen that looks like it has a pink beige countertop and light green cabinets.
An easy fix for this injecting color. See below by simply changing the cabinet color makes the same pink beige countertop look simply beige:
OR if you really want that clean, light, airy kitchen that most people want, you simply need to choose other pink beiges. A good way to do this is:
- Choose your countertop,
- Use paint swatches to find the color swatch of the counter top,
- Then choose a paint color that is either lighter or darker on the color panel.
I’ll address how to avoid mistakes while working with neutrals in my post in two weeks!
Disclaimer: I’m not hating on any looks – just generally commenting on trends and existing phrases. As always, if you love black/white or a layered neutral look, then do what you love! And there’s good reason why these looks have so much popularity – there are plenty of examples where this look has been done beautifully.