Design tips & trends

The Expert Guide to Decorating with Neutral Paints

30 April, 2018

Neutrals have been the most popular tones for the home during the first decades of the 21st century – and for good reason. There’s no colour like no colour. Many people feel comfortable when surrounded by carefully balanced colours that create an understated environment and make few demands on the eye.

Neutral paints offer infinite possibilities for making spaces airy and relaxing, refined and timeless, or elegantly sophisticated. However, it’s easy to fall into the trap of using bland colours – just wait until you see the subtle, complex palettes used by professionals such as Rawson’s colour team. Here’s a guide to living with neutral and white paints.

Light plays a huge part in how neutrals appear, which is why Rawson uses Taubmans Endure 3 Coat Paint System to suit your walls and light conditions. Selecting a group is easy – you’ll be able to choose a couple of external paint colours for your house façade, then a colour for interior walls, a colour for ceilings, and one for doors, woodwork, and trim from a large range of colours to suit all tastes, styles, and settings. Rawson says modern new houses tend to benefit from the harmonious grey-toned whites and warm architectural neutral hues. Check out Rawsons virtual selection centre to play around with colours to suit your needs.

ARCHITECTURAL NEUTRALS are the ideal bright, white paints for those wanting a feeling of spaciousness while avoiding a clinical look, and are very easy to live with such as Taubmans Big White, Crisp White and Tahira White for interiors. Great for sunny rooms, where they will enhance the connection between indoors and out, these whites are most often used on Rawson interior walls and ceilings to create a seamless space.

CONTEMPORARY NEUTRALS The magic of colours like Taubmans Pebble Bay lies in the fact they have an underlying lilac tone, which lends an urban, clean edge while bringing warmth. So they are perfect for a family home because they will never have the gritty industrial feel of colder, bluer greys. This colour is often used throughout an entire Rawson house. It could feature in a hall for drama while half-strength shades will make living areas feel light.

Here are the 10 go-to white and neutral paint shades from award-winning Rawson Homes:

Interior: