2 Attractive Things To Do With an Ugly Popcorn Ceiling
By Christina El Moussa
A big part of my job as a real estate investor is designing the flip houses that Tarek and I sell. One of the most challenging things about designing our homes is choosing the best color palettes and shades for their exteriors and interiors. I have certain palettes that I personally like better, but I know that not everyone is in love with those. At the same time, if I painted every interior white and every exterior gray or mocha, I’d have the most boring houses on the market and they wouldn’t stand out to a single buyer.
I’ve learned a lot over the years about using neutral colors in ways that really shine. So, if you’re repainting your home to sell or you just like neutral colors but don’t want to feel like you’re living in a rental, check out a few of my favorite tips for making neutral colors more interesting and fun.
Let Colors Match and Textures Contrast
Nothing gives a room quite the same dimension and warmth as piling up contrasting textures in matching colors. Go with matte paint on the walls, a couple of leather side chairs, and a microfiber sofa, as well as a really plush area rug, all in the same mocha or beige, and you’ll have a really warm and inviting room that’s anything but boring. Add some drapes in another contrasting texture, and you’ll be on your way to a complete look that works really well without overdoing it on overly personal colors.
Have Fun With Different Shades of the Same Neutral Color
If your walls are an eggshell white, play with a lot of different tones of browns and beiges. Add heavy drapes in a dark chocolate with lighter (in texture and shade) curtains under them. Go with a few off-white accents around the room and some different beiges for the furniture. Dark natural wood is a great option for the floor in a room like this, especially if you add a lighter beige or mocha area rug with a dark wood coffee table on it.
Don’t Buy Matching Furniture Sets
Yes, buying a matching set of furniture will guarantee that your sofa, loveseat, chairs, and ottoman all match, but how boring can a living room get?! Instead, do some mixing and matching. Go with contrasting textures and different shades of color in the same palette. If you’re not sure about your decisions, grab a few swatches and place them next to each other to see how they work together.
Think About Shapes Instead of Colors
If you’re decorating a room all in the same neutral palette, you can get really funky with shapes without taking any really big risks. Go with a big, round ottoman, a cool coffee table, some not-so-traditionally shaped end tables, and modern lamps. Basically, the safer you play it with your colors, the more fun you can have with your shapes.
Whether you’re working with the living room, bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, or the whole house, you can turn a neutral palette into a designer’s playground if you follow these tips and use them as basic rules for creating more fun designs without adding a lot of really personalized colors. That way, you can create a space that’s totally you but that you won’t have to repaint if you’re selling soon. And, since your colors are neutral, if you decide to get professional stagers to stage the house for you, you’ll know that they’ll have lots of great material and furniture that will work well in your space.
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