I Thought Neutral Rooms Were Timeless – Then I Realized I Was Decorating Out of Fear

Arch doorway looking into modern kitchen with wood and marble round kitchen island with three round stools, matching marble backsplash with shelves and two wall lights.

For years I decorated in a very narrow register. Stone, linen, plaster, wood. Warm whites and warm neutrals and the occasional black. I told myself it was about longevity. About letting the architecture speak. About not chasing trends.

Some of that was true. But some of it was fear.