I recently had a personal revelation about color palettes…and age…and embracing what makes you happy even if it’s predictable and basic. Sometimes I’m embarrassed at how predictable I am especially because my work and the design of our own homes have been so public – so out there. If you have eyeballs and are reading this right now you likely know my “palette” – Different shades of blues, whites, wood, brass hits of black, gray, and the occasional accent of blush and/or green. But as I looked around on the internet, I realized that I’m not alone, most designers have a go-to palette, at least for our own homes. And maybe most of you do, too.
When I did Secrets from a Stylist, I had to do a different color palette for each episode which was SO FUN (Lavender walls, yellow hand chair, orange! I used orange! With purple! In the same room!). But in our own home, anytime I’ve strayed too far away from that formula I’ve ended up changing it. As I’m designing the farmhouse, I once again am finding myself putting all these blues/whites together on mood boards and even I’m like, “Really? Again? You don’t say” and I’m ashamed I’m not trying something new. But then I realized that those colors not only make me really happy to look at but even more important I feel very comfortable surrounded by them. And these days isn’t that what we need most out of our homes? Comfort?? YES.
Even as the mountain house is more neutral, where I include color, it’s different shades of blue/green and blush. So today I’m owning my color palette and while the shades of blue have and will always change and shift, I’m just really grateful that I have a go-to color palette that does bring me any comfort. So let’s dissect WHY this color palette brings me comfort. Blues and greens are colors found everywhere in nature (green trees, blue sky). They feel calming and grounding and yet happy and youthful. They are cool-toned colors, which is why I’ve always gravitated towards accenting in brass, wood, and leather – to add warmth and balance. And bright whites and blushes add a lightness that keep it feeling airy, soft, and sunny.
So I’m here to tell you that having a go-to color palette in your home is not only OK, but actually GREAT. Listen…while we are at it, I like soup, like far more than is normal. I also like historical romance novels, like the ones with naked embraces on the cover. Oh and coming of age teen movies or series that involve a lot of gentle face touching and almost-kissing. I also like wearing athleisure and uggs and you know what???? I love walking on wall-to-wall carpet. I love Alamos Malbec even though I know that Malbec is a wine full of different grape varietals that wine connoisseurs joke about. I’m 41 and ready to own and really appreciate what makes me happy, and if putting a lot of different shades of blue in my home makes me and my family happy then gosh darn it that’s what I’ll do!!
So to prove that I’m not alone in having a go-to comfort palette we asked a few friends of EHD to weigh in on what their comfort color palette is and why it brings them comfort. Here you go.
Brady Tolbert
“I’ve always been one that has gravitated towards a neutral palette vs anything that is too bold or colorful. Don’t get me wrong I’ve dabbled in a few different colored palettes over the years and if you remember my DIY headboard then you’ll know that I do love a good olive green. But as my style has evolved I’ve leaned more into layered textures in neutral tones than a colorful space. Having a space that feels neutral, bright, layered, and textural will always be something that I’d like to call home.”
Emily Bowser
“My ideal color combo for the spaces I live in and my wardrobe has been: black, white, beige, olive green, and rust (sometimes a rusty-brown in a form of warm wood). I think it’s a pretty trendy combo right now but it’s actually been my go-to for most of my adult life. In the way that Emily Henderson is into blue, I have always been drawn to greens, and I prefer a beige to a grey. I think it’s the earthy nature of the colors, l feel very grounded in my space which is very important to me. Some people prefer to feel “light and airy” (blues and greys) for example or “bright and happy” (pops of color) or “chill and tranquil” (whites) and I definitely like to feel like my feet are planted firmly in the earth and that always seems to bring me back to some version of that color combo.”
Orlando Soria
“I think the reason the color palette (pink, ivory, beige, and other light neutrals) keeps coming to me is that it feels simultaneously vibrant and neutral. Pink is an exciting, lively color but it can be light and airy which means you can keep a space bright. And I love what happens tonally when you start mixing different hues of ivory and beige – it’s almost tone on tone but really shows subtle contrast without feeling busy or too graphic.”
Max Humphrey
“I grew up in the woods in New England so my comfort color palette is a combo of natural wood tones mixed with pops of Americana colors like red, white, blue (and sometimes green). I’m most comfortable wearing jeans and chambray shirts every day so it’s no surprise I use navy and denim-toned fabrics on upholstery and window treatments around my house. I love using red as an accent color either in artwork or textiles like a throw pillow or old quilt- just a hit of red is enough. Red reminds me of old barns and I’m always on the hunt for the perfect red paint color to freshen up a vintage find like a dresser or table. Bringing the outdoors in with the color green is a trick I’ve been doing since I lived in a downtown loft and needed a lil connection to nature.”
Ajai Guyot
“I love color palettes that inspire comfort. I’m a big fan of neutrals and hues, and my go-to’s are brown, tan, taupe, white, black, and gray. Brown, tan, and taupe are grounding neutrals that evoke feelings of warmth. Black makes spaces feel more intimate. White is simple and calming, and grey is tranquil. The perfect color combo for relaxation if you ask me. Because I work in an industry where I’m always having to enter other people’s world and home, it can feel a bit complex at times. So I like to come home to a color palette that inspires warmth, relaxation, and simplicity – this palette does just that for me.”
Jess Bunge
“I am someone who is comforted by warm tones. Being surrounded by them feels like the daily hug I need. Growing up, my home was filled with browns, rusts, reds, terra cottas, tans, you get it. It doesn’t require a therapist to draw the very obvious conclusion here. But like any “rebellious young adult,” claiming their individuality, I filled my first couple of apartments with cool tones because I wanted to be my own person dammit. HA. Well, while I of course love a heavy blue color palette, when I was designing my first MOTO and really imagined how I wanted it to feel in my home, I knew I needed a good dose of warm colors…and just a dash of blue. Again, there’s just a sense of coziness and calm and “at-homeness” I feel when in the presence of them. Now, I know my last MOTO wasn’t the poster child for a “warm-toned” color palette. That’s because, despite my childhood color pallete leanings, I have taken a quieter approach. See! I am kinda my own person. I love a more soft, neutral space and then I like to add those pops of glorious sunshine colors. I really don’t think that will ever change. Rust = Refuge… to me at least:)”
Ok, I’m back. See?! Having a color palette that can nearly guarantee a sense of comfort, safety and connection is pretty awesome. I think it’s important to check in with ourselves to see if how we are designing (or living for that matter) is truly in line with what we want and not a fear of being deemed “not bold enough” or “creative enough” or “cool enough”. So let’s hear it. What is your comfort color palette? And why do you think that is?? xx
This makes me think about how people talk about neutral colour pallets as comforting and how it’s entirely possible that neutral might mean different things for different people.
Neutral palettes make me *un*comfortable 🙂
Put together like this it’s so clear to see each others style and compare, this is so interesting!
I personally gravitate towards Jess’ and the mountain house style, warm and contemporary. White walls, lots of woods, a few colour accents and just a tiny bit of contrasting blacks.
Same!
Same with loving the mountain house esp. the kitchen!! It’s my dream kitchen lately! But I like a tiny bit more pops of color than in that house for my everyday house. 🙂
Love this post!
Black and olive green here
(ah yes, we have me and the “pink, orange, and green” brigade here, quietly sliding in and reporting for duty)
same! love those colors! and blue.
This was so fun!! I love all these designers so very much. I’d never noticed how consistently they use their palette!
It’s like having a signature scent – it’s not boring at all, it just means you’ve found the right fit for you.
I expect I’ll be coming back here because my palette is most similar to Emily’s (with a hint of Bowser) so it’s super helpful to see a bunch of examples in one place.
P.S. EHD – From a “post layout perspective” two photos side by side makes sense on a monitor but is hard to see on a phone.
I always have to zoom way in – not a big deal but just wanted to give that (unsolicited!) feedback 🙂
Love you guys and thanks for brightening my mornings!
Funny – I always read the blog on my work laptop, so I was thinking how nice it was that they were side by side so I didn’t have to keep scrolling up and down 🙂
If you use reader view on your phone, the photos are no longer side to side. It’s actually a really comfortable way to read the post. I’m on an iPhone using Safari, so I’m not sure how it is on other phone platforms, but you might see if there is a reader view.
Thanks for the tips all!
Tried reader view (iPhone safari) and it does work well!
As Suzanne says, there are ways to change how the page looks. If you don’t have an iPhone, you still have options. Microsoft’s Edge browser can be used on Android phones and Reader View is accessed basically the same way as what Suzanne does. For Chrome: https://www.androidguys.com/tips-tools/enable-reader-mode-in-chrome-for-android-how-to/
For Firefox: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/view-articles-reader-view-firefox-android
Firefox used to have plug-ins for its mobile browser that would also give you the same streamlined, optimized look but with more features to customize. Those seem to have all gone away with the recent update/overhaul of the brower by Mozilla, but some plug-ins may eventually come back after they’ve gone through the approval process.
The only other browser I’m familiar with is the Dolphin browser which still uses plug-ins and does have this ability, although I don’t know how to do it in the current build.
Thank you guys for this fantastic advice!!!
None of this worked for me. Pictures are super tiny and I can’t enlarge any thing either
Choosing colours for a new house right now and this is incredibly helpful. My colours are very much like Emily’s and I keep wondering if it’s too boring to repeat them in our new place. The other day my daughter said “I don’t know why you’re looking at all those different colours, we are a blue family” and this post makes me think she was probably right.
Helpful here too! We are planning a kitchen/first floor reno and I keep questioning if my tried-and-true “everything is a shade of green” palette is too boring. It’s terrifying to think about spending a whole bunch of money on a renovation, and then ending up unhappy with my choices! But you know what? I’m 40, my favorite color has always been green, and it’s pretty safe to say it always will be, so I’m just going to embrace it and stop second-guessing myself.
embrace it! it feels pretty darn good. xx
This is nice…reflective. Funny I keep coming back to blue and green yet when I see warmer colored rooms next to those cooler tones it’s cut and dry: Warm! I’ll have to figure out how to find hues that feel like pink but are not opposed by my husband. Btw: my brain so wanted a color swatch round up at the end to see blots of folks favs side by side. Might have been hard to narrow ‘blue’ down to one shade but would have been a great visual summary. P.s. I’m 42. Like the whole this is who I am/acceptance tone here.
I love using white and blue-green. Not really a surprise I love this blog. Why? I like things to feel airy, which to me feels empowering (like I could rearrange everything on a whim, or just pick up and move), so the white helps with that. My mom loves turquoise so maybe it’s genetic? Or it’s that we both love the beach. I like a warmer blue-green than her, I think because my skin has warmer undertones so it’s more flattering to me. If I’m feeling more adventurous, I’ll go for darker shades like teal. If I’m feeling safe, I’ll go for light blue or mint. In my wardrobe, I use orange-red and black a lot, but I don’t think those same energetic colors would feel good at home for me.
Love that insight into why you like ‘airy’. It’s making me think a little deeper about why I like it too and think it may be similar reasons.
I adore all the colors, lol. So much so that my first house I painted each room a different color of the rainbow. But as I’ve matured I’ve settled down some. I now prefer mostly blues with some neutrals (but I don’t love grey) and let my art/toy/cookie jar collections be the color depending on the room.
This reminded me of Grillo Designs (she recently posted something on IG about just loving a yellow/gray colour palette so why not use it everywhere if you know it makes you happy?) which reminded me that I should recommend her here in case you haven’t heard about her! She does beautiful design and she lives in a rental!? What, my appartment could look like that!? Amazing work + we should support more diverse women in the design world!
ooh i haven’t heard of her. thanks for the heads up!
My wife and I love teals, yellows, brass and jewel tones (with plenty of white/black/wood for balance.) Lucky that we both like similar palettes, though I like pink more than she does.
Now that we are a little older and in our second house we are drawn to more “interesting” versions of these colors (Farrow and Ball Inchyra Blue kitchen cabinets, deeper mustard instead of bright yellow, etc.) But I’ll always choose something in the teal family over something in the blue family that Emily uses 🤷🏻♀️
Just wanted to put it out there…. Ajai’s got some serious style. I’m usually not into the more neutral look, but her design gets it just right.
Also I love/appreciate Emily’s honesty about what she likes. Laughed out loud about the gentle face touching.
I was somewhere between a laugh and gasp of horror at the gentle face touching, which is the stuff of my nightmares. I guess it takes all kinds
but do you remember when you were 16 and falling in love and just wanted your crush to touch your face??? 🙂
Omg stop. that’s too cute, Emily.
Think of Dawson’s creek when Dawson and Joey were about to take forever to lean in for a first kiss!!! Felicity and Ben, etc. So with you on this Emily! Wondering if you love the movie Sense and Sensibility too? Willoughby, Willoughby! Yes, he was a jerk but all the almost kissing with her, as well as her sister who was in love with the Hugh Grant character still makes me swoon! And of course Pride and Prejudice. And lately it’s ramped up to some, “Daphne, I burn for you!” lol !!!
Coincidentally, I had a similar epiphany myself after I painted (finally!) the living room. I realized that over the years, I had inadvertently bought a lot of things in the same few color: a lot of greens and blue-greens. I was like, “Oh, I have a favorite color: green!” And I also realized that I had a lot of warm wood, brass accents, wicker. Realizing I had a “color scheme” helped me get rid of some stuff (after painting) and/or update a few of the outliers that had never quite worked. And going forward, I think it will help me make smarter purchases.
I’m firmly in the blonde wood with white walls camp. And use fabric and decor with blues, greens and pops of pink and black. I live in the redwoods by the sea so it feels right to be surrounded by sky, tree, sand and water colors. I never tire of it and people often tell me my house feels so relaxing which I find very gratifying.
thats what people say about this house, too. its really had to translate it in photos, that sense of calm and relaxing….
I wonder if it doesn’t shine through because it’s so you. Like, if it’s your calm and your relaxing in your home then … people feel that emotionally when they’re in your space? Maybe I’m romanticizing it.
I am firmly in the blonde wood with white walls camp. I use upholstery in blues and greens with pink and black as accents. I never tire of it and my guests often comment that my house feels so relaxing and calm which makes me very happy! I also live in the redwoods by the sea and the colors remind me of being outside here.
I tend to like calming neutrals while my husband prefers vivid warm colors.
This post is all a massive YES from me.
40 years old and for the first time in my life I have had the time for/privilege of genuinely sorting out a whole house colour palette:
COVID-bought a house. Moved in 2 days before Xmas. In holiday panic, lumped ALL 20+ years of my styling/ object acquisitions in one tiny room.
But then…it became BLINDINGLY obvs which colours/ materials I had naturally gravitated to over the years. Thus far easier for an amateur to get an overall sense of style and palette by seeing an entire house worth of accessories in one enclosed space.
It was like pinning but IRL with my *actual* possessions. And then, much easier to prune out and donate items that we too far outside my instinctive style to be relevant any more. I felt like genius but it was a total accident.
Know thyself and be free!
OOH. Congrats! Doesn’t it feel good?? and there are so many styles that i love, but i am getting so much better and knowing what is best for ME and our home.
I love that
I think my vibe is a mix of Bowser, Jess and Max, minus the red (although my living room rug is a brick red pattern…wot’s with that?) and this house has me all in love with butter yellow.
When I do my revamp on a shoestring, I’m introducing more aqua, teal and greens. Can’t afford a new kitchen, so I’m going to paint the cupboards some form of greenish-blue-hue and switch to a bit of open shelving so I can see my pretty dishes and honour the ceramics I made.
I also like a lot of textural things like woven poufs, rattan, and golden (aged) natural wood.
While I’m still embracing the dark stained plate rails, skirting boards and doors in the formal rooms of my Old Girl, it can be a bit heavy on the eye. I think that’s why I have vibrant colours here and there.
It’s great to see people owning the colours that make their houses feel like home.🤗
I love this idea of honouring the ceramics you made!!! I want to see! How long until freedom?
10 weeeeeeeks!!!😊
I’m so happy you are embracing your color palette and style. There is nothing wrong with having a look. Designer evolve slowly over time, and your style is no exception- Glendale to Mountain house is surely an evolution, but they’re both still you!
Designers should have a signature in my opinion. Scrolling through instagram, I love guessing who the designer is on a new project before looking at the name. And although the images may be a small departure from previous works, you can still feel the essence of the designer and I usually get it right.
Ooooh- what a fun post! I am drawn to so many colors and like to switch it up but I always return to warm colors (coral, terra cotta and other orangey pinks, sunflower and mustard yellows truly make my heart sing) mixed with blue (navy, chambray), warm woods, and brass. Right now I’m struggling a bit with mixing my go-to palette with my partner’s (green and gray are his favorites) since moving in together.
This sounds just like my go to palette too! I always describe it as the sun setting over the sea, with the full spectrum of pinks/orange/yellows/blues. It looks so good with wood and brass! I also love throwing pops of olive and sage into the mix to keep things grounded!
I was just saying this to my mom!!! She was like… “ my whole house is different shades of blue” … like, YEAH MOM it’s because you love the water and your cabin on the lake, obviously you want to surround yourself with those colours. I’m constantly telling people to not worry about what’s “in style” and go with what you love ❤️. You can try out trends and trendy colours and patterns on your textiles and art and leave the main spaces with the colours and patterns that make you feel most at home. Well done Emily👍🏻
I’ve recently moved into a new age bracket a decade ahead of E.H. and can be found floating comfortably on my back in a pool of “this is who I am” -except my color pallete is more in the realm of a reader’s comment referencing a children’s cartoon starring an item/tool used in kitchens..? Of course I imagine/hope I’m leaning more towards the company of Beata Heuman, Meta Coleman, Rachel Chudley, and/or Frances Merrill of Reath Design but either way, after a brief jaunt into the neutral realm, I am luxuriating in the freedom that comes with self-acceptance. BUT, it was Emily’s style diagnostic in/on Secrets From a Stylist that initially gave me the confidence to begin exploring design in my home in the first place (I remember thinking “oh right, I know what I like to put on my body!” : ). Oh, and to answer the question: I’ve recently come to think of my color pallette as that of a mountain meadow full of blooming wildflowers that reminds you in an instant that ALL the colors go together!
Can I just say thank you for posting this comment with more colorful palette inspo? Perused the Reath Design portfolio and think I have found my favorite tour ever that is going to be a big influence on how we fill our new-to-us craftsman: https://www.reathdesign.com/georgina
I love their porfolio and their use of rich colors.
You are most welcome : )
I notice that I’m drawn to rooms in photos with yellow and blue in particular. Of the designer styles shown above, I’d say I’m some combination of Max, Bowser, and Orlando.
I think I’m all over the place, even as some colors also feel predictable for me. Yellow in living and eating spaces. Blues or pinks in sleeping spaces. Dashes of red and sage green as needed. I did go off course in my current house with some pumpkin spice in a small library. But it felt right for very Craftsman space. I actually use a lot of color, but it feels very subtle, probably because I have large doses of dark wood to subdue it. I also love white/ivory pottery, window coverings, and upholstery on my furniture.
I’ve done the trendy gray thing when it was in, I’ve done the crisp black and white and the neutrals…but now that I’m in my own home my pandemic painting pallet has revealed that we really are a COLOR family. Green and blue with a banana yellow kitchen and also a fair bit of pink/lavender. All of the colors are kind of an oversaturated pastel for lack of a better descriptor, except the back more private areas of the house (the den and the primary suite) where the blues and greens get more saturated and deep for added coziness. I have been told it’s a very intense look and not sellable but it’s our house not currently for sale so I figure we can do what we want!
I loved this–such fun to see the way each designer’s signature emerges. And of course you’re all so talented that I find myself persuaded by each palette here, but I think my own is white and cream and twill, grounded with navy and the occasional touch of rust/terracotta.
Charcoal, warm gray, white, greens, greenish-blues & muted pinks. Also adore the newer mustards and rusty warm colors, but not sure about their longevity for me. Feel aims are boho, turn-of-the-century traditional, earthy/rich, cozy, calm, warm. Pretty firm on rich, deep woods – went through a quick Scandi bleached wood phase, but quickly realized refinishing everything wasn’t going to happen any time soon. I should be in an arts & crafts, but I’m not, so.
I really loved this post SO much!!!
And I entirely agree with everything you wrote, Emily! YOU LOVE WHAT YOU LOVE!!!
My mom is, without a doubt, the most effortlessly cool person in every single way I have ever met in my entire life, and one thing she always has said, lived, and taught is that true “cool” (however you define that!) is unapologetically loving the things you love, knowing that your love for them is fully, completely enough, and then though they might differ from what you like, honoring entirely what other people unapologetically love and never making them feel ____ about that. All of which I think applies here!!!
Your mom definitely sounds really cool!!
When I moved into a new home and began decorating, I caught myself using similar color palettes for different rooms and tried to stop myself to make it more distinct. Then I realized a color palette can look many different ways and give off different vibes and the cohesiveness of the house as a whole is nice, too.
This is great! I too grew up in New England and I gravitate toward Americana colors (red, white and blue) and I use black constantly and wood tones. I like deep tones and painted woods and find it makes my space cozy and comforting. I wonder how much our location plays a roll in our preferences.
Role, not roll.
I am reminded of how my great aunt described her color preferences, “any color at all, as long as it’s blue.”
My number one is green, there is green in almost every room in my home. I also love yellow, blue and pink, brass, warm wood tones and creamy white walls.
such a great idea to hear from others! loved reading everyone’s origin’s of color and comfort.
My pallet has certainly calmed over time and compromise with my husband (who definitely has an opinion). We purchased a home two years ago and painted every room a warm white. Everything seems to be a variation of cream, black, grey and brown. It feels simple and clean, with a little edge to it.
I realized this years ago when I tried to do a room with blonde wood. Just. Not. Me.
It would have been nice to also feature some designers who aren’t into neutrals. I love ‘Oh Joy’ and ‘Jonathan Adler’ because sometimes I just want to see bright happy rooms!
Something traumatic must have happened between my childhood self and the color gray, because I abhor it. Don’t have a single gray decor item or wall in my house, so weird. I am glad that the design world is not obsessed with it anymore. I find that in rooms that get a lot of light I steer towards a neutral palette with pops of color as I love light and can’t stand any dark colors stealing the light. In darker rooms is where I love having more intense cozy colors like golds, brick red, greens, etc. I never thought about it consciously, but your post made me realize this.
YES! I love this post Emily, you so hit the nail on the head. I feel like I’m being one-note and “boring” when I gravitate to the same things over and over, but it just feels like home to me.
My go-to palette is deep and moody — blues and blacks, antique brass, warm woods, classic leather, with pops of mustard, blush, and white. I occasionally get a little wild and do green instead of blue 🙂
I just last month tried painting our music space a deep cabernet and while it’s GORGEOUS, I’m already repainting it, ha.
I have long shared Emily’s color palate preference but lately I am finding I am adding, or wanting to add some rust with my blush! I have also been liking more medium blues and greens lately as well, not super soft ones. And I am def over sage on walls or furniture. It just doesn’t do it for me anymore. Back in the 90’s after college I leaned toward it paired with cranberry. Kinda shabby chic then. Then moved toward Mid-Century and now Scandi with some boho, wimsy and/or funk. I never have lost my love for black and white and wood. Grey, I am looking at you. Not sure if I am ready to let you go, but your not my go-to anymore I think. It’s so interesting how we evolve in our style. Like you Emily, lately I have been leaning in to more neutral touches, or trying to create a more calm environment with not as much visual stimulation everywhere. But I can’t seem to let go of my need for whimsy.
My lifelong color story has been creamy whites, chocolate brown or a caramel/ochre, with deep green or grayed blue. Accents of black. If I ever get away from this palette, it’s usually in art. Anything goes there. In my present home, I have a guest room that’s mostly a neutral linen color with moss green and faded coral touches, that’s as wild as it gets. While I appreciate and sometimes envy those who can go crazy with color, I find it personally hard to live with. To each his own.
Malbec IS a grape variety that like any variety, can be used in blends or varietal wines. Depending on the area, wines only need to be about 75% of a certain variety to be labeled as a varietal wine. https://winefolly.com/deep-dive/what-is-malbec-wine/
My palette is saturated, cooler colors, especially blue. Out of the 6 rooms in my house, 3 are shades of blue, one is green, and one is purple. Only the living room is a lighter color, being a cool grey, but with pops of dark blue and yellow accents.
Beautiful examples of color palettes. For me, Linda Applewhite’s creative use of color brings comfort and joy.
Emily, I completely get your penchant for blue. I think that’s why I’ve always loved your design. It seems to be in line with my blue leaning self. 😉 I love many other colors but blue seems to always show up in my spaces.
I love multiple colors together. For me, it’s very much about the patterns the colors are in as well as the colors themselves – for example, I don’t like color blocking, certain stripes, checkerboard/gingham, and plaid, but complicated patterns like certain florals and ornate Moroccan-type patterns with movement and balance make me happy. Although they’re busy, I find them more restful than “neutral” spaces, which I tend to find boring and, sometimes, anger-inducing (I abhor beige – I don’t like any brown unless it’s wood). I also tend to avoid high contrast – I think it feels stark to me.
i love all of your blog posts! i am one of the people whose home looks “flat”. i need suggestions to add interest. PLEASE…