Grey isn’t “out”,neither the one that everyone knows the name of as well as the 500 other shades of grey. Indiscriminately using a color with little thought to its surroundings is out.

White IS a color. There is no magic answer here, other than to go get a few quarts in a few whites and roll .

Use a big wall section or better yet get brave and roll a whole wall. Loo at it in your light; day and night.

It's paint, no a hole in the wall : )

I like Ben Moore Navaho.......

Behr Blank Canvas would freshen your space and stay neutral with your furnishings.

Gray as one color in a well thought-out visually harmonious color scheme will never be out. Gray as a fad applied indiscriminately to everything and everything, or all gray color schemes that are dreary and prisonlike - that is going out, and thank goodness for that! Could we think more wholistically and rephrase the question as - what color scheme fits best in this space (would need to know what items stay, what can be replaced/or painted over)

Not to belabor the point, but you have to choose a paint color that goes with all of the fixed elements in your home if you're not changing them - floors, kitchen cabinets, etc. If you're not planning on buying new furniture you have to work with those colors as well. So you still need to stay with warm colors. I don't see how gray would work in any case. We all need to repaint from time to time and a lot people just want to change things up a little bit. White Sand and Pale Oak sound like possibilities. Just be cautious about matching the floor too closely. That will create a monotonous look.

How much of a change are you looking for? One way to change it up would be to go lighter with something like Soft Chamois or Seashell, or if you're interested in something even more white, look at Simply White. You don't have a lot of contrast in your dining room. I can't tell how open the floor plan is. Would you be able to get more adventurous in the dining room? I like the green color in your living room. Greens look good with warm whites.

@kandrewspa - You raise really good point. The floor plan is very open. It flows into a very large family room and a breakfast room as well as the foyer. I'm looking for a substantial color change to really brighten up the space. However, I realize I really like seeing the contrast of some color against white furniture, especially the green against the white furntiure in the living room. However, the space hasn't been repainted in 20 years. If I am going to go through the trouble of painting, I want it to look different.

@Debbie Downer - You are correct. The question should be phrased "what color best fit this space." However, I wanted to have a punchy title that would get attention. Plus, at its essence, my question really was framed by the idea (at least as expressed in articles/blogs) that design colors are transitioning away from cool gray to warmer colors. As for what is staying, probably, most of the furniture/rugs in living room and dining room are staying because they are relatively new (from RH and Mitchell and Gold) . The family room and breakfast room furniture is all changing. I also have purchased natural linen drapes (reads sorta ivory like the sofa) for the living room. So I definitely want the rooms much lighter, but with enough contrast that the drapes and sofa pop.

For a more recent project, I painted most of the rooms Dove Wing with Simply White for the ceilings and trim. It turned out nicely. However, the floors are light and the furniture is charcol gray so it has a contrast. I actually considered that color for my current project, I am definitely opened to somthing much more dramatic in the dining room like wallpaper or a darker tone of the ultimate living room color.

@Lyn Nielson - I thought about Blank Canvas and brought a sample swatch home. It reads really yellow in my house.

This is the time of year when all the paint companies debut their new colors, including "color of the year." You might want to check those out before making a decision.

Beautiful room! BM Edgecomb Gray might look good and while it is on the lighter side it still contrasts well with white.

There seems to be some pink some of your pieces and area rug so a taupe might look very nice and it does have a bit of a violet cast in low light.

BM Edgecomb is beautiful looks lovely with white it is

I just did Cloud White in my South facing bathroom and love it! I did Pale Oak in my North facing room (pic w/the door) and its reading a tad more purple then I would like. I read it would compliment pinks well, which the bedding will be in there, but make sure you test in each room you are thinking of!

Another point to consider if you're leaning towards light and bright is your natural light and outdoor conditions. This article I stumbled on while researching my own dilemma is great at getting the right whites, offers companion colors and trim/ceiling companions. According to this article BM Classic Gray is a favorite "go to" neutral color designers use. Depending on surroundings, it can reflect different undertones.

You can also punch up neutral walls with your artwork (the living room piece is a great starting point), add colorful pillows to work with the season (I personally love black pillows on my white couch, then add pinks in spring, blues and greens in summer, browns in fall and gold or reds in Xmastime) and accessories (museum-like pieces: orbs, stallions, bust/statuaries; nature: plants/twigs/leaves; books; - whatever emphasizes your personality). I also would swap locations of the sofa and chairs. Placing the chairs in front of window visually opens the room, lets in more light and allows for walking up to the window to enjoy the view.

Your recent project looks great! I love the simplicity of the doors and love them in black satin color which makes them look elegant and even more high end!

Here is the article link: https://thecolorconcierge.com/best-white-paint-for-dark-rooms/