Warm Neutral Color Schemes

Warm Neutral Color Schemes involve the use of subtle, inviting tones like taupe, beige, and soft browns to create a comforting and elegant atmosphere in hospitality spaces, aligning with brand aesthetics.

Warm Neutral Color Schemes: Elevating Hospitality Design

In the realm of hospitality design, color plays an essential role in shaping the guest experience. The right color scheme can transform a space into an inviting sanctuary or a luxurious retreat, casting a subtle influence on the mood and perception of all who enter. Among the myriad options available, warm neutral color schemes stand out for their ability to blend sophistication with comfort, making them a prized choice for hospitality spaces eager to offer refined yet welcoming environments.

The Essence of Warm Neutrals

Warm neutral colors encompass a palette that includes shades such as taupe, beige, soft browns, muted golds, and warm greys. These colors are characterized by their subtlety and versatility, which allows them to harmonize with diverse design elements. The warmth in these neutrals comes from their undertones, often tinged with red, orange, or yellow, which imbue spaces with a sense of coziness and approachability.

Creating Atmosphere and Mood

When guests walk into a hospitality setting, they are not just observing colors; they are experiencing an atmosphere. Warm neutral color schemes excel in creating environments that feel both serene and sophisticated. Unlike stark whites or bold colors, warm neutrals provide a backdrop that is both elegant and subdued. This is particularly important in hospitality settings such as hotel lobbies, where guests are looking for relaxation after travel, or in dining areas where a calming environment enhances the culinary experience.

Enhancing Guest Experience through Design

In hospitality, guest experience is paramount. The use of warm neutral color schemes contributes significantly to this goal. These colors invite guests to unwind and feel at home while still providing a sense of luxury and exceptional service. A thoughtful application of warm neutrals can elevate a brand’s image, creating consistency across properties and offering a memorable aesthetic that guests associate with their experience.

Strategic Application in Spaces

The strategic use of warm neutral colors can impact various zones within a hospitality space:

  • Guest Rooms: Using a palette of light taupes and warm greys can make rooms feel larger and more inviting, promoting relaxation.
  • Lobbies: Incorporating earthy beiges and muted golds can enhance the grandeur and welcoming nature of entry spaces.
  • Restaurants: Soft browns and deeper taupes in dining areas create an intimate atmosphere conducive to social interaction and enjoying meals.

Complementing with Textures and Materials

A well-curated neutral palette is often complemented by an array of textures and materials that add depth and interest to the space. Textured wallpapers, linen upholstery, wooden accents, and stone finishes can all enhance the richness of warm neutral colors. This combination brings a dynamic visual interest without overwhelming the senses, crucial for maintaining an elegant yet unobtrusive design.

Aligning with Branding

For hospitality brands, alignment with aesthetic identity is crucial. A neutral color scheme offers flexibility, allowing for subtle incorporation of brand colors through accent pieces and decor, thus reinforcing brand recognition while maintaining the primary color narrative. This means a brand known for its understated luxury can consistently convey this identity across its various properties.

The Psychology of Color in Hospitality

Color psychology reveals that neutral tones are associated with calmness, stability, and reliability. For hospitality entities, integrating warm neutrals can communicate these values effectively. Guests may not consciously recognize these associations, but they undoubtedly contribute to an overall positive perception and satisfaction.

Case Study: A Success Story in Warm Neutral Design

Consider a luxury resort that recently revamped its interiors using a warm neutral palette. By shifting from a stark minimalist approach to warmer tones, the resort experienced a notable increase in guest satisfaction. Feedback highlighted feelings of comfort and homeliness, with guests often referencing the inviting nature of the lobby and the soothing environment of the rooms. The use of complementary textures like velvet cushions and oak wood furniture not only added visual appeal but also enhanced the tactile experience.

Conclusion

Warm neutral color schemes are more than just design choices; they are powerful tools in creating memorable and engaging hospitality environments. By fostering an atmosphere of warmth and luxury, these color schemes help forge deep emotional connections between guests and spaces. For any hospitality brand aiming to enhance guest satisfaction and promote brand loyalty, embracing warm neutrals could be the key to crafting unforgettable experiences.

Recommendation For You

Bed Frames with Under-Bed Storage

This article dives into the world of bed frames with under-bed storage, covering their advantages, practical uses, and expert tips for selecting the right one. Learn how this multifunctional furniture can optimize your space and enhance your bedroom’s aesthetic.

Branded Exterior Lighting

Branded Exterior Lighting involves the strategic use of lighting design to enhance the exterior of hospitality venues, aligning with brand identity and creating inviting atmospheres that draw in guests.

Towel Racks in Bathrooms

This glossary article dives into the world of towel racks in bathrooms, exploring their benefits, types, materials, and design tips. Learn how to choose the perfect towel rack to enhance both functionality and style in your bathroom.

Typography Based Branding Interiors

This glossary article explores the concept of typography-based branding interiors, where text and design merge to create memorable, authentic spaces. Learn about its benefits, uses, examples, and practical tips for incorporating this innovative approach into your interior design projects.

Themed Dining Experience Design

This glossary article explores the concept of themed dining experience design, its benefits, and how it elevates restaurant ambiance and brand identity. Learn about its uses, examples, and actionable tips for creating immersive dining environments.

Luxurious Guestroom Seating Areas

Luxurious Guestroom Seating Areas refer to the thoughtfully designed and opulent seating arrangements in hotel rooms that prioritize both comfort and aesthetics to enhance the guest experience.

Branded Ambient Music Selection

This glossary article explores the concept of branded ambient music selection, its role in interior design and branding, and how it creates impactful, emotional connections in designed spaces. Learn about its benefits, practical uses, and expert tips to integrate sound design seamlessly.

Custom Vanity Areas

Custom Vanity Areas are personalized, branded spaces designed to elevate functionality and aesthetics within hospitality environments, enhancing the guest experience and reinforcing brand identity.

Vending Machine Niche Design

This glossary article dives into the concept of vending machine niche design, focusing on how creative and functional design can elevate user experience, improve functionality, and strengthen brand identity. Discover practical tips, examples, and benefits of thoughtfully designed vending machines.

Timeless Design for Heritage Properties

Timeless Design for Heritage Properties involves creating interiors and exteriors that respect and preserve historical features while integrating modern amenities to ensure functionality and longevity.

Emily Layton

Graphic Designer

Emily Layton is a graphic designer and creative with a BFA in Graphic Design & Digital Media with action sports emphasis from Laguna College of Art and Design. Adept at aligning brand goals across formats, market trends, and consumer behavior, she translates insights into compelling visual narratives. Her experience spans corporate decks, brand books, and apparel collections—ensuring brand consistency, clarity, and impact. She values strong creative collaboration and brings a thoughtful, solutions-oriented approach to every project.

Project Experience:

  • West Creative Agency, Costa Mesa, CA
  • Huntress Decor, San Diego, CA
  • La Jolla Group - O’Neill Irvine, CA
  • Gotcha Digital Design, Virginia Beach, VA
  • Veterinary Emergency Group Various Locations
  • Nostos Grocery Store Panama City, Panama
  • Tribute Hotel Nob Hill Albuquerque, NM

Priscilla Bueno

Interior Designer

Priscilla is a Cal State Long Beach alumna with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design. She has worked across residential, hospitality, nonprofit, and wellness sectors, with a focus on creating spaces that support emotional well-being and human connection.

Influenced by her interest in psychology, Priscilla approaches design with a deep understanding of how physical environments impact how we feel, behave, and connect. Her work combines material sensitivity, spatial clarity, and user-centered thinking to foster environments that help people feel grounded and safe.

From luxury spas to trauma-informed nonprofit spaces, she designs with a clear goal: to shape interiors that invite presence, foster restoration, and create a true sense of belonging.

Project Experience:

  • Vintera Resort at Napa Creek, Napa, CA
  • DoubleTree Gilbert, Gilbert, AZ
  • Alexan Long Beach, Long Beach, CA
  • Alexan Arcadia, Arcadia, CA
  • Babyletto, Los Angeles, CA
  • Cozy Earth, Newport, CA

Jen Khor

Senior Interior Designer

With a thoughtful and intuitive approach, Jen Khor brings strong expertise in hospitality design, as well as experience in retail, F&B, and corporate offices. Her user-centric, narrative-driven philosophy reflects local culture and context, creating spaces that feel relevant and resonant.

Jen has a deep understanding of hotel brand standards and leads quality control for custom casegoods with high attention to detail. Sensitive to client needs, she communicates ideas through tools like BIM, AI, and hand sketches. Jen is passionate about crafting spaces that evoke emotion, inspire curiosity, and foster inclusivity with lasting impact.

Project Experience:

  • Vintera Resort at Napa Creek, Napa, CA
  • Hotel De Novo - Tapestry by Hilton, Springdale, UT
  • DoubleTree Guestroom Prototype, Various Locations
  • Alexan Long Beach, Long Beach, CA
  • Alexan Arcadia, Arcadia, CA
  • Wild Greens, University of Arkansas, AR
  • Joybird Headquarters, Los Angeles, CA

Melissa He

Senior Interior Designer

With years of experience in working on various project types, Melissa approaches each design as a new narrative, infusing storytelling, cultural context, and personality into every space. Educated in Fine Art in China and Interior Design at Cal State Long Beach, Melissa applies a detail-driven and research-based methodology to craft spaces that are both visually compelling and deeply resonant. Her approach reflects a belief that each project offers a chance to explore new voices and challenge convention, leading to designs that not only reflect individual identities but also support the broader community. She continues to evolve her design practice through collaboration, curiosity, and purpose, seeking to create spaces that adapt, grow, and inspire meaningful engagement.

Project Experience:

  • Vintera Resort at Napa Creek, Napa, CA
  • Hotel De Novo - Tapestry by Hilton, Springdale, UT
  • Alexan Long Beach, Long Beach, CA
  • DoubleTree Guestroom Prototype, Various Locations
  • Alexan Arcadia, Arcadia, CA
  • Port of Long Beach, Long Beach, CA
  • Wolf and Shepherd, Manhattan, NY

Chris Gorney

Director of Procurement

Chris is the Senior Director of Creative Sourcing and Procurement at DyeLot. A proven industry professional, he has worked with many of the world’s largest hospitality and development companies. He can speak to the entire lifecycle of design, development, and construction as well as contribute to the minutia of bespoke fabrication and production. Using an open-book and collaborative approach, Chris has the advantage of understanding the nuances of millwork, furnishing, and custom fabrication in order to reach a true-to-concept product. He brings with him more than a decade of experience working across multiple disciplines within the design industry.

Project Experience:

  • Hotel De Novo - Tapestry by Hilton, Springdale, UT
  • Wayfarer Hotel, Los Angeles, CA
  • The Edwin, Chattanooga, TN
  • Downtown Marriott, Des Moines, IA
  • Lincolnshire Marriott, Lincolnshire, IL
  • Capitol District Marriott, Omaha, NE
  • The Ferrier, Temecula, CA
  • The Tin Building by Jean George, New York, NY

Mathew Vo

Senior Interior Designer

As a designer with a background in both architecture and interiors, Mathew brings a layered perspective to every project. Drawing on experience across diverse project types—from hospitality and food & beverage to sports and retail—he crafts spaces that balance performance, beauty, and emotional resonance. Inspired by his interest in theater and production design, Mathew focuses on creating immersive environments that take users on a curated journey. His command of design technology and documentation tools, including BIM, allows him to navigate complex projects while staying grounded in storytelling and purpose-driven design. Mathew continues to find inspiration in context, culture, and narrative—translating them into built environments that leave a lasting impact.

Project Experience:

  • DoubleTree Gilbert, Gilbert, AZ
  • Port of Long Beach, Long Beach, CA
  • Swing Set Productions, Long Beach, CA
  • Hotel De Novo - Tapestry by Hilton, Springdale, UT

Ava Javaheri

Senior Interior Designer

With roots in a family of entrepreneurs and artists, Ava’s passion for hospitality design was sparked early—surrounded by showrooms and inspired styling sessions in her family’s furniture store. Today at DyeLot Interiors, she channels that lifelong aesthetic instinct into creating immersive environments that elevate the guest experience. Ava approaches hospitality interiors as both a visual narrative and an emotional journey, blending function with atmosphere in spaces meant to inspire, delight, and linger in memory. Her creative process draws on everything from global travel and museum exploration to cinematic set design, all feeding her pursuit of detail-driven, unforgettable spaces where people feel genuinely transported.

Project Experience:

  • Vintera Resort at Napa Creek, Napa, CA
  • Hotel Maya, Long Beach, CA
  • DoubleTree Gilbert, Gilbert, AZ
  • Swing Set Productions, Long Beach, CA
  • Port of Long Beach, Long Beach, CA

Chaya Juntara

Procurement Specialist

As a key member of DyeLot Interiors, Chaya is dedicated to collaborating with clients and vendors to deliver an exceptional experience marked by reliability, accountability, and integrity. Her primary focus is executing each project vision on time, ensuring top-tier quality, and managing the budget with precision. With deep expertise in sourcing and FF&E, Chaya brings a strong technical foundation that is essential to the creation of remarkable hospitality interiors and furnishings—the cornerstone of our procurement practice. She has worked alongside industry leaders in custom furniture, providing her with a wealth of experience. Her unique background in both interiors and procurement allows her to offer creative solutions that consistently exceed client expectations.

Project Experience:

  • Vintera Resort at Napa Creek, Napa, CA
  • Hotel De Novo - Tapestry by Hilton, Springdale, UT
  • Hotel Maya, Long Beach, CA
  • DoubleTree Gilbert, Gilbert, AZ
  • Cliffrose Springdale, Springdale, UT
  • Nuri Steakhouse, Dallas, TX
  • The Tin Building by Jean George, New York, NY
  • Solis Park, Irvine, CA

Adam Ford, NCIDQ

Senior Interior Project Designer

As a Senior Interior Project Designer at DyeLot, Adam leans on his expertise in interior design and theatrical storytelling to bring designs to life. Having extensive full-service and focused service hotel design experience, he is attuned to both branded work with Marriott, Hilton, and IHG and non-branded/independent projects. Adam helps create immersive and functional spaces that resonate with guests and elevate brand identities. His collaboration with hotel brands has honed his ability to blend aesthetics with practicality, ensuring seamless guest experiences and maximizing operational efficiency.

Project Experience:

  • Hotel De Novo - Tapestry by Hilton, Springdale, UT
  • DoubleTree Gilbert, Gilbert, AZ
  • Where The Wild Greens AR, Fayetteville, AR
  • Camp Creek Golf Resort & Inn, Inlet Beach, FL
  • Hotel Cyrus, Topeka, KS
  • Delta by Marriott, Thornton Northglenn, CO
  • Tribute South Park, Austin, TX

Brittany LeBlanc, NCIDQ, CID

Senior Project Designer / Associate

With a multi-disciplinary design and architecture background, Brittany continues to create unique user experiences for diversified projects. Brittany concentrates on designing spaces that provoke interest, emotion and encourage brand longevity. After studying interior design, Brittany continues to grow and expand her knowledge of interiors and architecture by working within both disciplines. Brittany’s experience comes from a vast range of industries including hospitality, food and beverage, retail, and experiential marketing.

Project Experience:

  • Vintera Resort at Napa Creek, Napa, CA
  • Hotel De Novo - Tapestry by Hilton, Springdale, UT
  • Hotel Maya, Long Beach, CA
  • DoubleTree Gilbert, Gilbert, AZ
  • The Wilder's Lounge, Springdale, UT
  • Anu Restaurant, Springdale, UT
  • Wolf and Shepherd, Manhattan, NY

Gustavo Neri

Director of Branding

Gustavo Neri serves as the Director of Branding, leading branding and signage/wayfinding campaigns for hospitality and residential projects Neri creates the narrative for a project before it begins – setting a strong aesthetic and identity for the project to ensure its message and character is carried through the life of the design process. Neri’s view of design is that it must be seen through the lens of the viewer, not the designer. One must take into account the experience of the person perceiving his work as they are guided through it, taking all elements into careful consideration and removing himself from the experience.

Project Experience:

  • Hotel Indigo, Savannah, GA
  • DoubleTree Gilbert, Gilbert, AZ
  • Hotel Amarano, Burbank, CA
  • Glenmark Hotel, Glendale, CA
  • Eminence Boston Hotel, Boston, MA
  • Hilton Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale, FL
  • Alexan Long Beach, Long Beach, CA
  • Wolf and Shepherd, Manhattan, NY

Krystle Fader, NCIDQ, CID

Design Manager / Senior Associate

As a Design Manager at DyeLot Interiors, Krystle brings over 15 years of professional experience in interior and architectural design to the team. With experience in a range of markets including food & beverage, multi-family housing, hospitality, workplace and healthcare, she brings her combined knowledge from each and is able to apply that to new project opportunities. With an education in interior architectural design and a passion for efficient solutions, Krystle has been able to grow into a leadership role managing projects from design concept though completion of construction.

Project Experience:

  • Alexan Long Beach, Long Beach, CA
  • Alexan Arcadia, Arcadia, CA
  • The Monde, Scottsdale, AZ
  • Partake Collective, Long Beach, CA
  • Port of Long Beach, Long Beach, CA
  • Swing Set Productions, Long Beach, CA
  • Din Tai Fung, Various Locations
  • Fogo de Chao, Various Locations

Add new name and Affiliations

Title

New Bio.

Hospitality Experience:

  • Update Projects
  • Update
  • Update
  • Update
  • Update
  • Update

Residential Experience:

  • Update
  • Update
  • Update

Alex Kuby, AIA, WELL AP

Associate Principal

Alex is a licensed architect specializing in hospitality and experiential interior design, with a foundation built on years of practice across high-end hotels, branded environments, and lifestyle-driven residential spaces. His work is grounded in architectural rigor and elevated by a narrative-driven approach that shapes immersive, memorable experiences. With a deep understanding of design theory, construction, and project execution, Alex brings a holistic, strategic lens to each project—bridging spatial storytelling with operational excellence.

Hospitality Experience:

  • Vintera Resort at Napa Creek, Napa, CA
  • Hotel De Novo - Tapestry by Hilton, Springdale, UT
  • Hotel Indigo - IHG, Los Angeles, CA
  • Grand Hyatt - Baha Mar, Nassau, Bahamas
  • Pullman Baotou, Baotou, China
  • Hilton Resort Wenchang, Hainan Island, China

Residential Experience:

  • Perla Luxury Condo Tower, Los Angeles, CA
  • Watermark Assited Living, Westwood, CA
  • Alexan WestEnd, Long Beach, CA

Jackson Thilenius, AIA

Senior Principal

As Senior Principal of DyeLot Interiors, Jackson operates at the intersection of strategy, design and implementation, driving innovative and authentic solutions to hospitality projects around the world. With over twenty-five years of practice in architecture and interior design, combined with a comprehensive understanding of the hospitality industry, Jackson collaborates with clients to establish project objectives which produce original designs and tailored brand positioning. Jackson has created a broad range of award-winning projects across the globe, leveraging his understanding of operational trends, local culture, and narrative-driven design.

Brand Experience:

Marriott
Hilton
Pacifica Hotels
Hyatt
Equinox
Loews Hotels
IHG
Karisma Hotels and Resorts
Oxford Capital Group
Marcus Hotels
Blackstone
Radisson Hotels
Starwood Capital