Neutral Living Room: How to Add Color to Your Space

The good news is that if you have simple, well-made elements as your anchor pieces, you can easily add color and energy to your space with these strategies: It’s crucial that these two elements are functioning properly before you make any color or decor changes to your living room. If you don’t have a trained eye, correcting scale and proportion can be tricky. If you have a neutral living room that feels boring, color might not necessarily be the answer.

Consider adding drama with a statement light fixture, an over scaled art piece, or shapely furniture. In the living room above, all of the elements are black and white but the contrast and shapes of the furniture create enough drama and energy to carry the space.

The wall art and mirror are also overscaled to the sofa so they create a strong focal point. If you have a neutral living room but you’re interested in perking it up with color, it can be tricky to know where to start.

They energize a space with color and pattern, plus they’re stain-friendly, hiding any ‘oops’ moment in your busy family life.

One thing to consider when shopping for patterned rugs is that they often aren’t as bold once you bring in other elements. In this bedroom, we used a grouping of three botanical prints to add color to an otherwise neutral room. These questions can help you narrow down a color before heading to the paint store.

If you want to make a change but don’t want to commit to anything major, consider bringing in lots of small accents that give your room a color makeover. In the living room above, we’ve added lots of small accents of green — pillows on the couch, greenery and faux botanicals, and trim on the curtains.

Pull small items from other areas of your home and use them all in the same space to make a big impact. If you have a green thumb, consider grouping lots of plants together to inject energy into a neutral living room. We love the way houseplants in varying shapes and sizes add color to the top of this bookcase. One fabric used in several ways can totally transform a neutral living room.

As you’re layering elements into your room, find something to unify all of your choices like a rug or fabric. We love the way the living room above designed by Bunny Williams has a layered feel.