When to go Neutral »

I love a chaos of colors and patterns in a room, but it’s important to know what should be flashy and what should be subtle. Shannon has a gorgeous new house that she is trying to make her own. The living room is ceramic tile, so she wanted a big rug to make it more comfortable.

She has fun style and loves warm colors and modern patterns. She was drawn to yellow and red patterned rugs, but for the price (some $1,000 and above), we decided she should stay neutral.

Chances are good that in a couple of years, she might get tired of the yellow pattern and want to move on. At $1,000 per rug, that won’t be cost-effective to replace.

Below is the image of the Pottery Rug she decided to purchase. With this tone-on-tone pattern, she can add colors in so many other ways in the room. And she doesn’t have to stick to those colors. She can switch out her accessories (pillows, candles, frames, vases) according to the season or her mood pretty inexpensively.

I put together an inspiration board for Shannon for ways to add color to her room, as well as interchangeable features that could help keep her room flexible.

Wall color - slightly musard yellow, flows well with the tan/yellow in the rest of her house, and looks great with many other colors: green, red, purple, brown…

Hanging wall vases - can be switched out for real flowers, faux flowers according to the seasons - spider mums for spring and poinsettias for Christmas {arhaus}

Side table - red looks great with everything, and brings life to her beige couch. Will be a great transition from the small pieces of red and fun greens in the kitchen {eboniste}

Hanging lamp - neutral and natural. This echoes the organic lines of the woodgrain rug, and gives some curvature to a boxy room. {target}

Floral pillows - also organic in pattern, ties the hanging lamp in with the rest of the room. {etsy}

Fireplace log bucket - Fireplaces are so cozy when you use them. If you aren’t using it all the time, making it look like it has been used can have a similar effect. {pottery barn}

Block candlesticks - Introduces a new shape, and is a great compliment to raw wood. {west elm}

Rugs »

Somebody please put me out of my misery, and buy this rug. I love it, but it doesn’t match anything I own, nor do I have such a need. But it is too cute to be left on the shelf. Please buy it, put it under your black lacquer dining room set with fuchsia painted walls, take a picture, and email it to me.

This rug is at Ikea and Pottery Barn.