Homes

Mood Board: How to Layer Warm Neutrals For a Bold, Inspiring Home Design

Paul Lavoie shares his mood board of neutral furniture and home decor that's anything but subdued.

By Western Living /
Room with long dark wood table, white chairs and a chandelier overtop with a palm plant and large black and white portrait in background
Credit: Eymeric Widling

For a new home in Calgary, designer Paul Lavoie creates a space that proves warm neutrals are anything but boring. It’s all about layering, layering and more layering.

Full body standing Paul Lavoie in a dark suit jacket and white pants in front of white staircase and white room
Paul Lavoie

Mood Board for Warm Neutrals

“Look for unexpected architectural forms in furniture pieces and accessories—they’re incredible conversation starters, as with this warm brown live edge table that I had made locally here in Calgary.”—Paul Lavoie,  Paul Lavoie Interior Design

light gold chandelier

To create a collected-over-time aesthetic, it’s all about mixing metals. Pick one finish as your focal point, as I did with this Fenwater chandelier from Hudson Valley in polished nickel, and then layer other finishes in the room to complement them. hvlgroup.com

This beautiful grasscloth wallpaper—Simple Sisal from Kravet—warms up the front entry in all the tones and colours I was after to bring this space to life. kravet.com

 

 

This room wouldn’t have felt complete without a touch of black glass on the railing, and the textured glass on the chandelier. These combine beautifully with a creamy wood floor from Vintage Hardwood Flooring, the Accolade from Sherwin-Williams on the walls and  S-W’s Origami White for the baseboards and ceilings. sherwin-williams.com, vintageflooring.com 

We are moving toward warmer, organic textures. I love the linear quality of this natural stone that we used in the principal ensuite.

I’ve been really drawn to creamy tones lately to help a home feel warmer—whites and creams with browns are making a full comeback. I used a warm beige fabric (Kravet Basics 30299-106) on one of my favourite chairs—the Aniston from Marcantonio Designs. marcantoniodesigns.com

Western Living

Western Living

The editorial team at Western Living loves nothing more than a perfectly designed space, place or thing: and we’re here to tell you about it. Email us your pitches at [email protected].