Earth Tones: A Natural and Harmonious Touch to a Living Space

Today’s earth tones are a thoroughly up-to-date decorating concept.

They’re nothing like your mother’s or grandmother’s color palette.

Forget the avocado green shag carpet and harvest gold kitchen appliances you remember from your mother’s or grandmother’s house.

Soft and warm, earth tone interior design elements take the chill out of a cool, autumn evening. These gentle colors make rooms feel cozy and relaxing, never harsh and cold. And since the hues mimic the colors of nature, the blending between indoors and outdoors is seamless, especially if you have large windows.

Earth tone interior design elements and hues blend well together, so they’re not as tricky to combine as other color palettes. In fact, decorating with earth tones makes it easy to coordinate your whole house, without colors clashing between rooms, even if the exact hues in each room are not identical.

For earth tone interior design, think beiges and browns, tans and taupes, even sage greens, soft rust tones and muted golds – the colors of wheat, straw, sand, rocks, trees and soil.

An earth tone palette can be smooth and sophisticated, rough and rustic, or dainty and feminine – it all depends on the tones you select and the style of your furnishings.

You can add white to brighten an earth tone palette, or introduce black to add drama. Then incorporate patterns and textures for added nuance and beauty. Obvious earth tone choices are in upholstered furniture, drapery fabrics, paint and accessories, but you can also use earth tone hues in in flooring – wood, stone and carpeting – and in mantles and countertops.

Come down to earth with your decor this fall. Add earth tones for a natural and balanced look.

Copyright Hunter Douglas.