Interior Design Rules You Should Break

The phrase “pop of color” is one of the most overused clichés in the design (and now fashion) lexicon. But painting one wall red or adding yellow pillows to a couch isn’t a magic pill.

There’s nothing wrong with an accent color (or three), but don’t feel obligated to add color to a neutral room. Shades of gray mixed with metallics, mirrors, furniture, and accessories in a variety of textures and materials can have as much impact as a room full of bright colors. The eye doesn’t tire of neutrals as easily as it does of color, which can be introduced in transient details: a bowl of lemons or clementines, a vase of flowers, or the changing wardrobes of the people who pass through the space.