Both can be nice but I alway prefer brights.

I prefer brights.

I find neutrals soothing, especially if they're all very similar within a space. And I have a life that needs 'soothing.' But a room without any color is just freaky. Your eye needs something to settle on as it's looking around. Current project is a gray and black kitchen with a pale blue backsplash.

To me, a neutral room says "we're trying to sell our house". A brightly colored room says "we're happy we live here".

I like white walls with pops of bright colors! So a mixture of both I guess.

@Craftybeaver, I couldn't have said it better myself. Always a good reminder, sometimes I see so many "white bright" spaces on AT that I start to wonder if I've overdone it in my own home with the colors... gotta remember that on dreary days the white would be less bright, and without the blown out photography white would quickly show all the scuffs, dents, spots, etc. that real living provides.

I'm with Kozy11--A neutral wall so I can have lots of fun with color everywhere else. All neutrals do nothing for me. Serene is over-rated. And kinda boring.

It's all about the scale, space, volumes, light, etc. Some rooms do look larger with darker paint, some look more spacious with paler neutrals. As a rule, I eschew white walls, but enjoy pale, pale versions of blue-grays, yellows, greens, grays. I do not like bright color on walls because I often find it reads as "cheap," or juvenile. But of course to each her own. My way is only one way. :)

I loved all the brights in these photos. Sometimes when I read AT it feels like I must have a garish apartment because of all the color in it, but I love color and it makes me happy!

@craftybeaver I totally agree!!! I just love the colour...

I definitely prefer the colorful rooms in most of the side-by-sides. I'm not aware of a time when white/neutrals were the "only accepted option for small spaces" but I understand the appeal of both. Still, I think I agree with @Noelle153, in person all-white spaces can look a little dingier, a little more scuffed, and a little more stark than the blown-out photos reveal.

In my home I try to let the house dictate the colour. It's an open concept "country cottage" with a lot of exposed wood which I love, but also with a lot of colour variation in the wood. I've used medium neutrals on the walls throughout to help blend wood colours, while keeping colour in the furniture. This is of course off-set by the kitchen which, while architecturally boring in comparison, has also been painted GRAPE! :) And I'm completely in love with it.

So, my answer - a little bit of both (though I can't stand white walls - too many white walls as a kid where we just weren't allowed to paint - yuk!).

Brights! Neutral rooms come off as so cold and impersonal to me, not soothing. And I've stayed in WAY too many tan/brown/taupe hotel rooms. Color adds warmth, personality, and hominess to a space.

I often get the impression here that AT writers think that all-white is the norm--or at least universally loved--and that they have to include explanations or disclaimers when they show colorful rooms. Like "limiting oneself to a neutral palette is no longer the only accepted option for small spaces"--it's never been true that you had to use only neutrals in small spaces!