March 22, 2024
Color Service: How to Decorate with Shades of Beige, According to Designers
In its many forms since the 90’s—matching upholstered furniture sets to wall-to-wall carpet— beige has ruffled feathers through the years. Home-improvement network TV made every suburban dream home a poster child for beigification and it’s never quite left. We’ll be the first to say it: too much beige on beige can look snoozy fast, as far as color palettes go. But it’s still one of our favorite hues. Why? The answer lies in the context—how much you’re using and the shades to avoid.
Interior designer Lauren Lerner of Living with Lolo says you might be sizing up beige all wrong. “Beige has this perception of being overrated. Often considered a safe and neutral color, some may view beige as conventional, but it is timeless and has a versatile nature.”
Sometimes successful decor can come to fruition by focusing on weaving in one consistent neutral. Using beige particularly through elements like a rug to tone-down your atmosphere, can bring warmth, sophistication, and versatility. Beige doesn’t distract, it isn’t punchy, and it doesn’t command any authority—instead, it’s comfortable laying low in the background. Consider this: choosing a neutral color on the floor provides enough of an anchor to allow you to go bold elsewhere.
Living with Beige
Beige is malleable: it can sway organic and natural as your favorite Scandinavian or dessert style trends, but it can also bring together the traditional and modern. “Colors that mimic natural landscapes are always easy to use and appealing,” says Revival Design Director Christina Tullock. “Think of the shade of beige sandy beaches or a beautiful expansive desert. Beige has the neutrality of white but it’s the warmth of it that gives the appeal.”
The simplicity of beige is the perfect starting point to build on with out-there details like a vibrant bed quilt, increasing your pattern play, or going energetic with paint. It gets better: you can count on the fact that incorporating beige won’t ever feel intimidating. Lerner says once you have your beige rug in place, consider layering patterns to add more depth and create contrast with furniture pieces in their silhouette. Be playful experimenting with mixing shades on the color wheel and utilize textures with impact.
Tips and Tricks
From pale brown to creams to tan, no two shades of beige are the same, and some won’t land based on what you’re mixing. Warm undertones tend to play nicely with other warm undertones, while cool undertones work well with cool undertones. Lerner says to steer clear of anything too yellow or muddy. “I tend to especially avoid beige shades that have a strong yellow undertone since they can appear even more yellow under certain lighting conditions.” To get a sense of if your beige is too yellow or muddy to your liking, look at the color swatch or material against a pure white piece of paper. The white will help better identify its undertones.
If you prefer to be enveloped in a neutral-hued environment, prioritize texture. “When people are using lots of beige in one room, I would encourage them to use different textures – such as jutes, wools, cottons, finer weaves combined with chunkier and shaggy weaves,” adds Tullock. You can showcase your texture variety through rugs, throw pillows and poufs, framed textiles, sofas, headboards, quilts and blankets.
We earmarked our favorite beige Revival rugs which have inspired us to never doubt incorporating the cream-color in our palette. Take a look ahead and transform your space to feel that much more lived-in and harmonious.
Previous Post
