Grey is one of the trickiest colours to use in decorating. Here are ideas to make it work.
By Diane Franklin
If you keep an eye on colour trends, you undoubtedly know that grey has been one of the most popular hues in home decorating for the past four or five years. As a neutral, it works well in large spaces, such as great rooms, living rooms, dining rooms, home offices and bedrooms. However, its chameleon-like quality of changing appearance under different lighting or contextual conditions can make grey a difficult colour to nail down.
Fortunately, if you understand the properties of grey, you can use the colour successfully to add elegance and cohesion to your decorating scheme.
Finding Your Grey
In the paint world, there are literally hundreds of colours that can be classified as grey. It can be a whisper of colour, just a touch beyond off-white, that can serve as a nice neutral for a suburban home with an open floor plan. Or it can be a steely, industrial-like hue that proves the perfect backdrop for a downtown loft apartment. Another option is charcoal grey, which looks gorgeous in a home office or as a contrasting colour to white wainscoting in a formal dining room. Grey works with every style and evokes every mood, from understated elegance to contemporary chic.
Arriving at the perfect grey for your home setting can be a challenge. The grey you choose may look perfect on the colour card at the paint store, but it could look very different once you take it home and view it under different lighting conditions surrounded by the existing colours in your home. It may look purple, it may look blue—possibly even green, beige, tan or white.
Purchasing sample-size containers as a way of “previewing” the colour can help—but be careful. Many consumers make the mistake of painting a sample of grey directly onto their walls, not realizing how the existing colour will influence the look. For instance, if your existing wall colour is yellow, the grey sample may appear blue.
Instead of painting your choice of grey directly on your wall, paint a sample board instead. This will give you a truer rendition of the colour—plus a sample board is portable, so you can move it around from wall to wall or even room to room. Make sure you view the colour in various lighting conditions—from natural lighting to the overhead lighting or lamp lighting you use in the room.
If you’re still uncertain about your colour choice, turn to the expert advice available at your local paint store. Many stores have in-store colour experts who can help you make your choice—or they can go into your home to do a colour consultation to help you pick the best possible grey to go with your décor.
How to Use Grey
Grey works well in virtually any room of your home, but it is especially effective as a backdrop for public areas, such as foyers, great rooms, living rooms and dining rooms. The colour can even work well in children’s room and nurseries as a backdrop for other more playful colours in the furnishings and accessories.
Many greys have an undertone such as blue, purple or green, so keep that in mind when selecting your coordinating colours. For instance, if your grey has a hint of purple, you may not want to pair it with yellow as this may bring out the purple undertones more forcefully than you intend. Instead, you may want to go with blue or purple accents in your fabrics and accessories so that the grey on your walls appears more neutral. Cream-coloured or tan furnishings also will keep the purple undertones in the grey from seeming more purple than you intend.
With grey as your neutral, you can ensure that other colour choices for furniture, floorcovering, window coverings and accessories will work well without clashing. Because grey is a great background colour, it frees you up to use vibrant colours in your accent pieces. For instance, a black foyer table will contrast well with the grey on your walls. In a living room or great room, go for “pops” of colour with throw pillows, area rugs, wall art, draperies and accessories. Pick a particular colour—such as cobalt blue—to repeat in several pieces to give your room a more cohesive and coordinated look.
Colours That Work Well with Grey
Since grey is such a versatile neutral, virtually every colour goes well with the hue. Here are just a few ideas to consider as you work with the colour:
White baseboards and moulding. White works great with grey, but particularly with a charcoal grey, white baseboards, moulding or wainscoting will really pop!
Black accent pieces. Consider black picture frames, accent tables and accessories as a way to contrast with light to mid-grey tones.
Bright colours. While the entire colour palette is at your disposal for coordinating with grey, some hues have a heightened level of sophistication when paired with this neutral. Just a few choices that will work well with grey include seafoam green, cobalt blue, orange and coral red.
Dark wood. Dark hardwood floors and furniture in tones such as mahogany or walnut provide a rich ambiance and elegance that complement grey walls beautifully.
Other neutrals. You don’t have to settle on grey as the only neutral in your room’s décor. Consider other neutral colours, such as a brown leather chair or taupe throw, to add some character and interest to the room.