How to Make the Most of Neutral Beige Walls for Chic Style

Whether you've chosen the perfect shade of beige to paint the walls in your newly renovated home or you're moving into a rental where you inherit beige walls that can't be repainted, there are ways to make this versatile neutral work for your style. Beige hues cover almost everything on the color wheel—from red-tinged beiges popular in the 1990s to cooler greige tones that are more updated versions of the color many people love to hate.

But there's no reason to pick on beige. Approach it as a backdrop instead of a focal point in a room, or embrace it if the paint color is one that you love. Either way, there's a lot you can do to make beige work for a beautiful space.

1. Beige Walls as a Backdrop

Beige walls can be the perfect unobtrusive backdrop for upholstered and wood furniture and framed artwork, as long as you choose the right colors in your decor. Be sure to select a beige paint that shares undertones with the fabric and accessories in your room, or if you're working with existing beige walls, bring in objects, throw pillows, and rugs that work with the paint, not against it. For example, some beiges lean heavily towards yellow, while others are much more green. If possible, take a swatch of paint with you to pick out furnishings in colors that won't clash.

2. Neutral Color Palette

Make beige part of a neutral color palette that adds sophistication and a calm atmosphere to interiors. Play up the beige walls by introducing variations of the paint color in lighter and darker tones. Find a paint swatch with your beige at your local hardware store (bring a sample if you can) or ask a paint consultant to help you pick colors in the same family, then choose furnishings and accents in colors on the same swatch. You'll find ivories, creams, and browns that will be harmonious with your beige walls for a monochromatic look.

3. Tone-on-Tone Texture

Bring personality to your beige walls by adding texture, including bouclé, chenille, nubby wools, or creamy silks via upholstered pieces, accent pillows, and area rugs that are also beige. Using window treatments that closely match the wall color is a decor trick for expanding a room visually, giving the beige walls more substance while adding luxury to the room with drapery.

4. Beige Walls and White Accents

Make beige walls impactful by creating contrast with white. Add white to trim, ceilings, and bedding to give a room a crisp, lively feel, as in this bedroom. Grasscloth wallpaper provides dimension to the subdued color, while the stripes on the bed work harmoniously with the blue undertones of the beige. The bedroom has a restful quality that makes it a welcoming retreat for napping, reading, and relaxing.

The Better Buy Podcast

Looking for more beige paint inspiration? Check out our podcast, The Better Buy. The Renovation Husbands, David and Stephen St. Russell share their tips for renovating a historic home and how they invented the Internet's favorite greige paint.