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A Neutral Renaissance – The New Interior Trend

Harriet Goodacre

November 16, 2021

As winter fast approaches, we’re looking forward to those post festive celebration cosy nights in, and what better way than to transform your home. Calming neutrals create a safe and serene space in the home however, over time they can sometimes feel a little bland or too minimalist, making them feel cold.

This season, we’re looking at a neutral rebirth, or renaissance if you will. It’s all about warmer and darker neutral tones, any pop of colour is moody or murky, and the colour of the season is brown.

Warm toned colour combinations are interior goals so we’ve worked with our partners Dulux to create a bespoke colour palette from their colour wall to suit this trend so you can easily recreate the look in your home.

The Colour Story

‘Roasted Coffee’ takes centre stage, a warm espresso brown, perfectly complemented with warm beiges and greys like Buttermilk and Soft Truffle and enlivened with Honey Mustard and Teal Velvet. A sumptuous feast of colour for the colder months.

Give this neutral scheme depth by mixing in the accent colours with different surface textures like marble, fluting and wood grain.

So, chuck out that pebble grey and off-white palette and transform your home with a neutral renaissance. Let’s get styling!

The Tile Edit

Brown

Stadia Storm

This large format tile perfectly fits this trend, its warm grey-brown base tone is broken up with flashes of intricate light-toned veining, it adds interest and depth whilst making the most of the natural light with its glossy surface finish.

There’s a couple of ways to style this tile, go full on brown with a wood effect tiled floor, like Andira Smokey Brown with brass accessories, and clear glass fluting for added texture. In a bathroom, crisp white sanitary ware breaks up the darker tones but make sure you add in elements of lighter beiges to help soften the contrast between light and dark.

The play with various shades of the same hue will help a more compact bathroom feel bigger. If you’ve got low ceilings, paint it a similar shade to the tile so you create a seamless finish. If you’re working with a small space, paint it lighter to create a contrast and a cosy, intimate feel.

It’s easier to bring colour into a kitchen area, opt for Stadia Storm on the floor to create a dramatic foundation and then work in the muted teal in your tiled splashback, Lampas Peacock ticks all the boxes. The contrasting light wood table, with a fluted base, adds a modern touch; the matt black chairs are key to tying the light and dark together.

Mustard

Matrix Collection Mustard

Whether you opt for a matt finish or a gloss, this bold shade of mustard is a great way to add colour into a warm neutral trend. Using either size of the Matrix Mustard tile in a grid laying pattern creates a contemporary feel, most fitting for a bathroom, finish the look with squared off sanitary ware and matt black fixtures.

If you want something a little more rustic, try a different laying pattern like herringbone and pair the tile with softer beiges and taupe greys. Alternatively, work the mustard shade in using a different surface texture, velvet works particularly well.

Opt for bold coloured seating in a living room, you can create a contrast with a distressed black floor, here Andira Burnt Ebony ticks all the boxes. Back-lit alcove shelving, a dramatic mirror over the mantel and a warm toned wall colour tie the look in, perfect for creating that cosy night in front of the telly.

Taupe

Macrame Flint

A concrete textured tile is usually found in a contemporary looking space however, the Macrame range has a distressed feeling to its concrete effect and the decor tiles have an added rustic flair to them with delicate stitch-like designs. This makes the Macrame range ideal for a more worn aesthetic, the mismatch prints also work well with various shades of brown, grey and teal allowing you to create an eclectically styled space that feels homely.

Macrame can be tiled on both walls and floors but there are a few tiles that will break up the look if you don’t want a matching theme. Kanzi Walnut is a stunning warm toned brown, the textured tile looks like real wood, adding warmth and texture to your floor. If you want to a different texture to your walls, Espresso marble is a great option for a touch of glossy opulence.

We love a tonal taupe kitchen in a sleek matt finish, but you could also opt for a muted teal shade on your cabinets for added wow factor.

Buttermilk

Flute Terracotta

Typically, terracotta is a deep shade of orangey-red, the Flute range however is a much lighter shade of terracotta, adding a touch of warmth to a soft beige tone. This makes it ideal for a neutral colour scheme, working well with other neutral tones.

If you’re working with a smaller space, adding Pellier Sand on the floor will continue the warmth to your floor whilst making the room feel larger as its XL size means fewer grout lines. These modern feeling tiles work well with touches of white marble, light wood, and dark browns so you can go all out with your accessories.