Colour Story: Neutrals

As colour experts, our knowledge and expertise extends way beyond creating statement-making shades, and while we’ve worked hard to curate a palette that’s bursting with carefully considered colours that sit on just the right side of bright, it’s in our neutral tile collection where getting the balance right is actually most crucial.

Neutrals may seem simple but they’re so much more complex than they first appear. In fact, our white and grey shades are anything but straightforward - we add different hints of colour to create the tone we want to achieve, such as blue for cooler colours and red for warmer. Getting it right is about balancing small differences in tone to create the layered and effortless look we’re known for.

Our core neutral is Brighton Stone, a subtly warm greyish white, and it sits at the heart of our neutral palette. It’s joined by French Grey, Milk Yellow, Pearl and Limestone, and while they’re all subtly different, what they have in common is that each is elegant, timeless, and effortless.

These colours are a natural base for a layered look, and provide the perfect backdrop for warm woods, metals and linens. They’re natural partners to brass textures and tones and provide an overall feel of understated opulence. Team with bleached woods for a Scandi scheme or use matt blacks or striking bold oranges for a clean and contemporary aesthetic. Ever-flexible, they’re hard to go wrong with…

Wider neutrals

While neutrals are widely thought of as white and grey tiles, at Bert & May, we also see terracotta as a core neutral as it’s so easy to live with and genuinely goes with everything. Thanks to its ‘unfinished finish’ it provides the perfect base to build on and its raw texture adds depth to neutral interior schemes. Don’t be afraid to use it on the walls too, particularly as a herringbone. 

The gorgeous Chiswick Firestation uses neutral tones to create a wonderful feel of light and space. Our Reclaimed Rectangle Terracotta tiles were the perfect fit for this special project.

How to use neutrals in your home

Think about the size of your space. We tend to prefer warmer tones for a large space with a cooler white as an accent.

This super cool bathroom is big on pattern but still pared back thanks to the tiles’ beautifully neutral colourway. Read more about this clever project here

Consider the light. Colours look so different at different times of the day, so test the colour in the morning and evening light and at the times when you are most likely to be in the room.

Make sure you have enough variation in your chosen neutrals to see a contrast, however subtle.

Create focal points in neutral spaces with large house plants or interesting sculptural pieces. Hold out for a one-off piece and think less is more.

Cool white marble is a stunning backdrop for warm woods and natural textures.  

View our Neutral Gallery here