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Interior Design vocabulary · Colour & Colour Schemes

Neutral

Meaning in interior design, with examples

/ˈnjuːtrəl/nounCore term

In interior design, neutral means: A calm, muted colour such as white, beige, grey, taupe or greige that goes well with most other colours; also used as an adjective, as in a neutral scheme.

In Turkish: nötr renk, nötr

How it is used

Often plural: warm neutrals, cool neutrals. Neutrals are the safe base of many residential and rental projects; the risk is a flat, boring room, which designers avoid with texture and contrast.

Example sentences

  1. The client prefers warm neutrals, so we've avoided cool greys.

  2. A neutral base lets the artwork stand out.

Common collocations

  • warm neutrals
  • neutral palette
  • neutral base
  • soft neutral
  • undertoneThe subtle colour that sits beneath the main colour of a paint or material, such as the pink, yellow, green or blue hidden in a white or a grey.
  • colour paletteThe limited set of specific colours selected for a project, often shown as samples or paint codes, from which every surface and item is chosen.
  • textureThe way a surface feels, or looks as if it would feel, such as rough, smooth, soft or grainy; in design it adds depth and interest to a room.
  • warm coloursColours on the red, orange and yellow side of the colour wheel, which feel energetic and cosy and seem to come towards you; blues, greens and violets are cool colours.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Colour & Colour Schemes

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