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How do we tell the true neutrals from the comfort colours, and what is the difference?

Ice-cream, coffee, chocolate, are just a few of the 'comfort' colour palette that makes us salivate. Why is it that the beiges, browns and warm white foods taste so good and evoke reassuring feelings of home and of comfort? There has been a trend in recent years to call these comfort colours “neutrals”. But this name is technically incorrect.

The term 'neutral' in Interior Design and Decorating means ‘without colour’. The true neutrals are black, white and grey. To call the beiges, browns and creams ‘neutrals’ muddies the waters so to speak and creates confusion.      

Let's turn to Colour Psychology to give clarity to the confusion around what is a true neutral colour palette, what is not, and what this means to how we perceive and use colour.

In scientific terms, colour is simply the range of visible light that humans can see. Black,...