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Is Beige out, or is Gray just a Trend?

7 years ago
What say you?

Comments (21)

  • 7 years ago

    Now that ‘Beige is Back’ is Painting my House Greige a Mistake?

    This link above is to a May 7, 2018 article by Maria Killam, a color expert. An excerpt from it is -

    "Beige is slowly coming back in because it warms up
    grey and balances all the stronger, more dramatic emerald colours that
    are coming back.

    I was browsing the West Elm
    site just this week and interested to note that in many of their
    standard fabric colours, FOREST GREEN, was one of the options. If you’ve
    lived through forest green in the 80s (like me), this colour probably
    wouldn’t be your first choice.

    However, the training about Greige in my Renovate (and new build) with Confidence training is still totally current.

    GREIGE is not OUT, it’s anything that would make your house scream “Decorated in the GREY TREND” that is OUT.

  • 7 years ago
    I read Maria’s blog. It’s definitely excellent advice. Thanks for posting!
  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    There's gray furniture in wood tones, which can be driftwood coastal or farmhouse country barn or shabby chic romance, etc. and....There is painted gray furniture with mirrors (glam). It seems the former is a classic with more versatility, while the latter will have a shorter love life.

    Although "greige" is a somewhat new color term to the masses, it straddles the divide of beige and gray and its longevity depends upon the decor that surrounds it (trellis, quatrefoil, or Pottery Barn look or Resoration Hardware look.

    My friend did her room all gray in 1985. She was enthusiastic initially, but later complained she felt her room looked dull and depressing.

    Now in the process of selecting the best WHITE paint. In a perfect world, I'd have full wall white board and batten on every wall.

  • 7 years ago

    I used gray back in the 80s. Just now got rid of a forest green sofa. Choose what you like.

  • 7 years ago

    Thank you for that Maria Killam post! I just bought an early 2000s house a few months ago and the entire thing is painted in what I would describe as a light greige. For years (even before the gray trend) I preferred a pale gray wall, but since moving in I've really come to like this color. It shifts and changes depending on the light from a pale beige to a pale gray. I think the previous owners chose the color well and I'm excited to keep it and work with it.

    Honestly I don't feel like true beige ever was completely out. Maybe rooms covered head to toe in beige were out, or one might say gray was more in than beige. But unlike maroon carpet or harvest gold fixtures, I don't feel like anyone ever said "eww that beige carpet / wall color / etc is so out!". If you like beige, use it!

  • 7 years ago

    yes and yes, but not for someone who finds either perfect for them or their design.

  • 7 years ago

    Also check out Laurel Bern’s blog. She does a several good posts on gray.

    https://laurelberninteriors.com/2015/03/04/is-the-gray-paint-fad-finally-over/

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Our walls are painted in SW Accessible Beige throughout (except for the media room, which is a very dark olive shade), and I love it. For us it provides the perfect, simple but elegant backdrop for our art collection, and I wouldn't want my walls to be any other color. Now, as to whether beige is in or out, I have no idea and I also don't care. It suits our home.

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    That Laurel Bern post was from 3 years ago ... once something becomes "mass market" it gets over used and ends up becoming a trend as people get tired of seeing the same look everywhere.

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    DK Haas, if you'll scroll down a bit in this thread you can see some pics of our home. It may read a tad lighter in these pics than it actually does in person.

    [Link[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/if-your-house-was-a-different-type-of-some-artistic-expression-dsvw-vd~5299791?n=66)

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    I have been a gray fan since 1990 and still am. I think not the neutral itself that is trendy or not trendy, but the amount used in a space. People just go overboard on the so called trendy colors/neutrals. Gray furniture, gray floors, gray drapes, gray wall, etc makes for to much of a good thing. The same goes for all neutrals/colors.

  • 7 years ago

    Gray is hard! Doesn't go with wood floors, tan carpets, warm paint.

    You can use patterns and accessories that combine gray and tan to make your space work. But why narrow down your decorating choices by using a color that doesn't work with the most widely available decor?

  • 7 years ago

    Gray has warm tones and cold tones just like any other color paint. I agree I don't like gray and tan/beige together (i don't like beige/tan period though), but I do like gray with brown. It is common to see gray and brown together in nature.

  • PRO
    7 years ago

    Neutrals took off as the "in" colors at a certain level of interior design, mainly due to the prevalence of "open concept" houses and also due to most homeowners today not particularly interested in spending much time decorating their house. They choose "safe" and neutrals are usually "safe".

    There is a place for neutrals in interior design. In many highly contemporary houses, walls are still painted white or a pale neutral. The idea is for the architecture and the contemporary furnishings to be the "stars" and walls merely provide a "canvas" on which the picture is painted. I like to use neutrals in halls (in houses with traditional floor plans) as they can help with the transition between colors in various rooms. My front, back and upstairs hall are done in neutrals and it works quite well. Other than my gray kitchen, no other room in my house is a neutral.

    I like color and I"m not afraid of color! I choose colors that go with the fabrics/rugs in my various rooms. I like the variety of each room having its own look, yet still being in harmony with the other rooms in the house.

    Painting all ones walls gray or beige and then buying all the furniture/rugs in the same color is a recipe for a boring, depressing house. One does not decorate ones house with a weekend trip to a local furniture store or a browse on line on Wayfair. It must be planned and it may take years to accomplish, both due to time and money limited resources.

    If you have no idea where to start, go buy a few shelter magazines and start educating yourself.

  • 7 years ago
    Anglophilia, I really enjoyed your post as well as all of the others. I would love to see some pictures of your home if you have any. It sounds beautiful. I’m sure others would enjoy it as well.
  • 7 years ago
    Taken from saypoints link ...

    "If a color exists abundantly in nature, then it’s not a fad". I totally agree.
  • PRO
    7 years ago

    Here are two rooms - LR and Library.

    As one can see, I love color! The neutral hall wallpaper can be seen in the distance - it makes all this possible.

  • 7 years ago
    Anglophilia, beautiful rooms! I can tell you have taken time to fill them with things you love!
  • 7 years ago

    Anglophilia, I had not seen your library until recently when you showed someone how you hid the TV. It is gorgeous. Thank you so much for sharing it with us. So nice to see classic design.

  • 7 years ago

    when i was a kid in central florida, everything was white with a touch of. so to me, beige grey anything with saturated color is great to me.

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