Using the Color Grey In Home Design
I work as a blogger for businesses although I do a variety of different types of writing. I particularly enjoy writing about all aspects of design and creativity. I think that your home should reflect your personality and that it should change as you change. More about me at www.kathrynvercillo.com and http://diaryofasmartchick.com.
I work as a blogger for businesses although I do a variety of different... More »
Grey isn't a color that a lot of people choose to use in their home decor. That's probably because grey tends to be associated with dreariness and depression. It also tends to be a formal color which means it's often avoided in homes that seek to be a place of fun self-expression.
However, it doesn't have to be this way. Grey is a terrific color that can offer a soothing, cooling presence for a room. It's a neutral color so it works well with many other colors. It's a good choice for both a primary design color and for accent pieces.
What you need to know about decorating with grey is that it takes a little bit of playing around to get the hang of how to use this color properly in your home. Sit down and think about the mood that you want to create. Then find the right combination of colors and textures to make grey work to create this mood.
However, it doesn't have to be this way. Grey is a terrific color that can offer a soothing, cooling presence for a room. It's a neutral color so it works well with many other colors. It's a good choice for both a primary design color and for accent pieces.
What you need to know about decorating with grey is that it takes a little bit of playing around to get the hang of how to use this color properly in your home. Sit down and think about the mood that you want to create. Then find the right combination of colors and textures to make grey work to create this mood.
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| When grey is used in the home, it's often used in the kitchen. Kitchens are designed to be sterile places. Grey suggests this kind of cool cleanness. Grey cabinets and kitchen appliances can add a nice level of formality to your kitchen. |
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| Sometimes it makes more sense to choose just one part of the kitchen to be grey. Here we have a great grey cooker hood. The white and natural wood throughout the rest of the kitchen makes this a more fun and airy place than what we saw in the first picture. |
The bathroom is another great place for the color grey. Typically it's seen in floor tiles and shower walls. Here we have a terrific textured wall of grey tiles that are combined with other neutral colors, like tan, to create a unique look for the room.
Grey in any room often creates a sense of peaceful formality. If you want to have a living space that reminds you a bit of a museum then grey can be a good choice. Mix it with white and keep the furnishings sparse to pull off this look.
Grey in a room doesn't have to mean that it's museum-like in nature, though. In fact, a great grey piece of furniture can really bring together an otherwise eclectic room. The table here serves that purpose.
Grey can also suggest a sort of old-time elegance that derives from a different era in time. That's what we see here and it's enhanced by the period pieces in the bathroom. I like this use of grey.
A little bit of grey goes a long way. Use grey to outline your windows or to frame your doors. This will bring a soothing quality to the space without making it look too serious.
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| Don't be afraid to combine grey with other colors to alter the mood of the space. Grey can really enhance bright colors especially when those colors are used in dramatic ways like as paint on the walls of a big room. The grey softens the impact of the bold color and creates an interesting visual appeal. |
One of my favorite color combinations is grey and purple. I think that this is chic and edgy but still grown-up and beautiful. I love the purple rug here and how it stands out against the grey in the room.
You should also remember that grey is a relative of silver which might be another choice to use when decorating the home. I love the pattern of this grey/silver wallpaper. Totally modern and fun.
Ideabook updated on Sept. 6, 2009.
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Here is one of my favorite Grey kitchens:
I have grey, tan, white, and darker grey mosaic tile on my bathroom walls. We put in grey tile for the floor is well. I need to know what color goes well with grey and tan. The grey almost looks bluish... I bought some red decor, and it just doesn't look as good as I thought it would.
HELP please!