home
Beige is making a big comeback in interior design. Kerrie Kelly Design laB
Bring on the beige Light and airy earth tones edge out grays Our interior world is getting a lot more beige. After years of cool or industrial grays, light and airy earth tones are making a comeback in home décor. Often pulled directly from natural elements or materials, these earthy colors reflect a desire to reconnect with nature. These beiges are softer, friendlier tones. Think beach sand, not concrete block. “Items made by hand using sustainable materials like jute, rice paper and clay will be all the rage in 2020 and are ‘bringing on the beige’ to the design market,” said interior design expert Kerrie Kelly of Sacramento’s Kerrie Kelly Design Lab. “These elements go far in grounding a home, allowing its inhabitants to be in touch with the Earth and their roots.” We’ve seen this natural trend before, Kelly noted. This time around, it’s about texture, not just color. “The incorporation of natural materials popular years ago – like caning, rope, seagrass and bamboo – has a strong and
easily incorporated influence over modern furniture silhouettes and décor details such as occasional pieces, area rugs and wall coverings,” Kelly said. “Elaborately embossed wall coverings – like gold rivets and metallic accents – give surfaces a beautiful tactile sensation and modern ambiance.” Furniture trimmed with brass tacks or metallic accessories add to this mix of natural and metal tones. Grayish beige or “greige” is being replaced by a neutral with more warmth, but not necessarily more yellow. “Warm beige is slowly edging out cool gray tones, giving a fresh take on neutrals,” Kelly said. “While the tone is warm, the yellow undertone is downplayed. Cashmere shades and colors like Sherwin Williams’ ‘Accessible Beige’ and ‘Shiitake’ provide a modern warmth to a space.” As a neutral, beige plays well with several other colors, but some combinations look more current than others. What contrast or accent colors work best with this current shade of beige? “Classic motifs could easily tie in shades of navy and brass while more modern scenes may accent with black and white,” Kelly suggested. “The beauty of beige is that it plays beautifully with saturated and more muted tones depending on your home’s aesthetic.” By DeBBie Arrington
This column is produced by N&R Publications, a division of News & Review separate from SN&R Editorial. For more information, visit www.nrpubs.com
08.08.19
|
SN&R
|
29