How to create a calm, earthy living room

An earthy room is not a beige room. Beige flattens; earth moves. The difference is in where the light lands and how many tones you allow yourself.

Begin with the largest surface you are not going to change — usually the floor. Every other tone in the room should be able to sit next to it without arguing. If two tones are close but not equal, remove one.

Then cap the palette. Three tones plus one accent is the honest limit. In practice that means a ground, a mid, a dark, and something metal or gold that appears in small amounts — a handle, a rim, a lamp stem.

Finally, resist filling the walls. A calm room has one loud thing and it is usually the view.