Architecture & Design // 4 min Read

Behind the Design: Carrying Color Throughout the Home

Written by Palmetto Bluff

Any good designer will tell you that a neutral palette is a great backdrop to create a well-curated interior. In fact, an amazing way to add a stylish cohesiveness throughout your home is by using neutral decor. However, there’s been a significant shift away from a neutral color palette in interior design. Designers are being adventurous with color; instead of one bold room, we’re seeing it throughout the entire home.

Designer Shell Neely from Kelly Caron Designs is an expert at incorporating bright colors throughout her interior design projects. Her latest project in the South Wilson neighborhood at Palmetto Bluff features traditional Lowcountry elements such as shiplap walls, wood beams, and brick details mixed with pops of vibrant colors, textured fabrics, and bold patterns. The result is a fresh, modern Lowcountry home that is a reflection of its owners’ fun personality: a place where entertaining is made easy.

A fun Barbie-pink Moke is the first hint of color welcoming visitors at this colorful Lowcountry retreat.

Contrasting bold and neutral done right. Here, the dining room really shines with its neutral interior paired with a bright and chic pattern on the ceiling and chairs in bold fabric.
Pink and blue in various shades are carried throughout the house: every room has some variation of one or both of the colors. This gives unity to the house even though many different bold patterns in wallpaper and fabrics were used.
Embrace darker shades: the vibrant blue mudroom is striking enough to take center stage, yet has an easy-living and beautifully balanced neutral feel. The deep, blue color of the custom built-ins adapts effortlessly to its surroundings, exuding a quiet intensity and breathing life into the space.
The neutral trend continues to subtly move away from cold grays and traditional creams and towards warmer, more natural colors and textures as shown on the screened porch. Earthy, stonier tones can be used in all areas of the home adding warmth as well as a sophisticated, complementary canvas for fabrics, wallcoverings, and furnishings. The result? A warm cocooning space that feels intimate, inviting, and familiar.
Contrasting black with white creates visual impact, but the key is to vary the proportions. A 50/50 split could feel cold, instead pair dark cabinets with bright, white marble and another vital ingredient: texture. Accessories and bold, patterned wallpaper will also break up the space beautifully and give a pleasurable richness and depth, as shown in this powder room.
Another element that unites the home is the use of natural textures. Natural oak wood floors throughout, reclaimed wood beams, and lots of cane and wicker details are a great backdrop for smaller accent pieces like pillows and coffee table books that provide just the right amount of color needed to make a space feel renewed and refreshed.
Say goodbye to the traditional, neutral cabinets! Painting your doors, window frames, trim, and cabinets lets you integrate a bolder color in just the right amounts. Here, the bold blue cabinets paired with the bright and airy lemon patterned wallpaper in the back kitchen lead the eye to the natural light coming in. Helpful in smaller spaces, this design trick helps the room appear expansive and roomier.

Ready to build your perfect home at the Bluff? Contact the Palmetto Bluff Real Estate company at 843.706.6400, email us at realestate@palmettobluff.com, or stop by our real estate office in Wilson Village to connect with a member of our sales team. You can also view all available Palmetto Bluff home and homesite listings and schedule a real estate tour.

Club Life
The Latest Issue of the bluff Magazine: Uncovering More Stories of Life at Palmetto Bluff

With the excitement and activity of summer on the horizon, this edition of the bluff magazine captures the moments and memories that define life at Palmetto Bluff. From the magic of watching dolphins strand feed along the local waterways to secret dining exper...

Mar 2026

Club Life
Palmetto Bluff Club: Experiences That Go Above And Beyond

Becoming a Palmetto Bluff Club Member means each day offers something new to explore, learn, and create. A thoughtfully curated annual calendar ensures residents enjoy experiences that extend well beyond traditional club programming. Each April, the RBC Her...

Mar 2026
Palmetto Bluff Real Estate

Real Estate
Inside 42 Flicker Street: An Inland Waterway Trail Home in Moreland at Palmetto Bluff

42 Flicker Street: $5,250,000 Palmetto Bluff Real Estate on the Moreland Inland Waterway Trail   42 Flicker Street claims one of Moreland's most coveted positions; set along the inland waterway, with a covered dock and water trail views that extend all the wa...

Mar 2026
Palmetto Bluff Golf

Club Life
Three Courses, Three Experiences: Golf at Palmetto Bluff

At Palmetto Bluff, no two rounds of golf are the same. The tides, the wind, and the light shifting across the marsh all play their part. Three courses, each crafted by a legendary architect—each offering golfers a distinctly different story to experience. E...

Mar 2026
Palmetto Bluff Conservancy

Conservation
What the Palmetto Bluff Conservancy Does—and Why It Matters

How the Palmetto Bluff Conservancy Protects 20,000 Acres of Lowcountry Land Every Day Set at the confluence of the May, Cooper, and New Rivers in South Carolina’s Lowcountry, Palmetto Bluff spans 20,000 acres of some of the most ecologically rich land on the ...

Mar 2026

Food & Wine
Blueberry Bundt Cake with Lemon and Thyme: A Recipe from Palmetto Bluff’s Director of Food & Beverage Operations Rhy Waddington

Photographs by Lindsey Shorter Ingredients 2 ½ cups butter Zest of 2 lemons 3 cups thyme sugar ½ cup salt 2 tbsp baking powder 3 cups cake flour 2 ½ tbsp vanilla extract 12 eggs 1 ¾ cups lemon juice 2 cups blueberries Thyme Sugar 2 cups ...

Mar 2026

Conservation
The Power of Prescribed Burning at the Bluff

The Palmetto Bluff Conservancy plays an active role in caring for the land and wildlife that make Palmetto Bluff so special, and you might be surprised to learn that fire is one of their most powerful land management tools.  During the winter and early spri...

Mar 2026
Palmetto Bluff Real Estate

Real Estate
The Numbers Behind the Bluff: A Look at Palmetto Bluff Real Estate in 2025

Palmetto Bluff Real Estate Market 2025: Home Values, Sales Trends, & What’s Ahead  There’s a certain kind of community where the market data tells more than a financial story—it tells a human one. Palmetto Bluff is exactly that kind of place. The people w...

Mar 2026
Palmetto Bluff Real Estate

Real Estate
A River Road Retreat: Inside 11 Skeet Road at Palmetto Bluff

Palmetto Bluff Real Estate: A $4,195,000 Four-Bedroom with Screened Porch, Private Courtyard, and Carriage House Some homes are beautiful. Others are beautifully considered. At 11 Skeet Road, the difference is felt the moment you arrive—in the Savannah brick ...

Mar 2026
Anson point golf course

Sporting Life
Anson Point Golf Course is Now Open at Palmetto Bluff

Anson Point: A Coore & Crenshaw Masterpiece Across 500 Acres of Lowcountry  After years of anticipation and careful stewardship, Anson Point golf course is officially open at Palmetto Bluff. This isn’t just another addition to the Lowcountry’s golf landsc...

Mar 2026

CURIOUS ABOUT LIFE AT THE BLUFF?

Sign up for our newsletter

LIVE
Community Villages
Experience
Palmetto Bluff Club
On The Water
The Arts Initiative
Events
Conserve
About Us