A neutral palette for your walls is an excellent starting point and means you will be able to match up your furniture and accessories with ease.  White is actually a very versatile colour and is available in many shades, from Stone White to Pure Brilliant White. However, for modern homes particularly it’s often best to bring some more warmth into your living space - without compromising on the light contemporary feel the palest shades will achieve. 

I think the perfect reference point is the Crown Colourmix Classic Collection.  It features a palette of neutral shades from the palest creams and beiges to deeper tones of mocha, seagreen and chocolate.  It will give you the scope to use varying neutral shades throughout your home, adding contrast and character yet achieving the contemporary neutral palette you desire.

If you have good natural light in your hallway, perhaps choose a shade from this collection such as F6.05.80, which is a stone colour with the slightest hint of green.   This will look fantastic against dark wood floors particularly, and would work well with natural Hessian carpets too. The colour should ideally run from the hallway up the staircase and onto the landing to give a nice flow to the entrance of your home and maximise the sense of space.

This colour scheme can be brought into your living room and dining room as well. If you decide you would like some contrast in the tones between the areas, you can go a shade lighter, such as G4.04.84 or consider a feature wall in a deeper tone from the same family of tones, such as G3.05.81 or F6.07.77 which is a light taupe / beige colour. 

Add colourful rugs to the hallway and living room to add warmth and hang a mixture of different sized and coloured framed photos of family and friends to add personality to your home.  Hang a large mirror in a hallway or on a large wall space in your living or dining room as the reflection will give a greater illusion of space.

You can run the one colour throughout the whole downstairs of the house but you might like to consider a different complementary tone for your kitchen.  Duck egg blues or greens will look great against the shades I have recommended for your hallway, living and dining room.  PN.02.82 is a gorgeous duck egg blue from the Crown Classic Colourmix collection that you can use on all four kitchen walls or just one feature wall.

Paint all the ceilings, skirting boards and doors in Pure Brilliant White as this really helps to lift the height of the room and open up the space.

For upstairs bedrooms, choose a variety of neutral tones to achieve a warm and inviting feel.  From stone whites to warm beiges, soft subtleties in colour can help create different atmospheres throughout the rooms, meaning you can personalise the décor and soft furnishing in each room rather than having the same colour scheme in each.

Hope these tips have helped and happy decorating!