The latest decorating trend is painting
the spaces in your home in varying shades of gray. It’s a fabulous
elegant neutral backdrop to set off any color, adding depth to subtle
hues and making bold tones pop. Whatever shade, warm or cool, gray is
the new white and is one of the hottest go-to shade for designers. As
the dominant color, it’s a great choice for layering shade upon shade
upon shade. The opposite of depressing, as its name implies, it is urban
and compelling. But getting gray right is tricky: The “temperature” of a
particular shade—cool or warm—can evoke very different feelings and
have an enormous impact on the mood of a room. Light gray walls feel
crisp and airy, while darker tones create a sultry, sexy, cozy mood. A
common mistake that people make when selecting gray is using a ‘cold’
gray for a wall color. Grays with brown undertones can really help to
warm up a room. Try playing with dark charcoal for dramatic dining rooms
and use foggy gray for relaxing bedrooms full of natural light.
We have compiled a list of 51 incredible
gray spaces to help you find that perfect shade of gray and to inspire
you to select a space in your home where gray would fit perfectly. What’s
your favorite shade of gray paint? Have you painted any spaces in your
home with gray, please tell us in the comments section, we would love to
know!
Is it gray? Is it blue? A blue-gray is a
nice way to get the best of both worlds. It looks amazing with rich wood
or brown leather furniture.
Use flat paint, not semigloss or high-gloss, on walls.
“Otherwise, any beautiful gray you choose will look like industrial
metal—imagine a Dumpster,” says Mark Chamberlain, a New York City
painter and a color columnist for apartmenttherapy.com. Although flat white wall paint is often avoided because it shows smudges and fingerprints, “gray actually hides flaws.”
With gray walls, opt for creamy trim,
says Erica Islas, a designer in Culver City, California. Stark white
can look too jarring. White Dove paint is a good woodwork choice with
both light and dark gray walls (from $41 a gallon, benjaminmoore.com for stores).
In this gorgeous living room, warm-tone
charcoal provides the backdrop for different colors, patterns and lines.
It gives the room a nice weight and feels a bit more formal than white
would.
Gray walls grow up with the child and transition nicely to a teen room.
If you are going to use the cool gray in a
nursery, you may want to warm it up with some yellows or pinks. Not
every child’s room has to be a kaleidoscope of bright colors. A small
colorful banner and the odd pops of color are all you need. The rest of
the space can be kept simple and plain so as not to overwhelm a baby’s
developing senses.
Introduce lots of light sources,
like table lamps, sconces, and floor lamps. Says Jessica Becker, a
Rhode Island interior designer: “Gray is already the color of shadow—you
don’t want to cast more with an overhead fixture. Layered lighting
keeps the room flattering.”
Gray and yellow are a winning pair.
Gray’s subtleness allows yellow to shine in all its cheerful glory. The
crazier the combination of bright and colorful patterns in your
upholstery or home accessories, the more welcome a gray background
becomes as a way to counterbalance all the visual activity with cool
simplicity.
Cool Grays: Dark. “Adds excitement and a sort of modern glamor. I love it for a dining room,” says designer Abigail Ahern.
This gray wall in the living room is a
sophisticated backdrop for enlarged black-and-white family photos. The
white sofa with white curtains keep the space casual and on the lighter
side.
Gray used in bathrooms with white
wainscoting and white ceramic plumbing fixtures feels crisp and classy.
It complements the natural gray in the flooring as well as the silvery
tone of the mirror.
Cool Grays Add Light. “Like a summer cloud,” says London designer Abigail Ahern. “Wonderful on ceilings as well as walls.”
Gray painted walls are a wonderful
backdrop for a collection of black and white photos set up in a gallery
wall. The white matting and white floor base create a dramatic contrast.
Using cool charcoal as an accent in a lighter gray room is the perfect way to create a focal point.
Cool Grays. Ethereal and
breezy, these grays have undertones of blue. “Think of the darkening
sky before a storm,” says New York City interior designer Jennifer
Moore. In a sunny room (where some grays could look dull), cool grays
hold their color. Zen and peaceful, these are also perfect for a crisp,
clean feeling in a bathroom.
Using Warm Grays. The
hints of yellow in warm grays telegraph earthiness, comfort, and
coziness. When you test on walls, check colors morning, noon, and night,
says Moore: “In some light, a yellowish gray can look taupe.” For rooms
without much natural light, pick a warm shade; its slight golden hue
will make a dark space less dreary.
Montes Painting 2014
Grey is every where nice , really if you using grey this can change the whole look, It's very elegant and nice
ReplyDeletemodern grey bathroom ideas
It was really great to read your articles thanks from Home Painters
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