Of the two, I prefer the grey.

I'm afraid the gray would make it look like a basement or battleship :) but that's just me..
the yellow is too bright..i really like it the way it is. I think what you need is some nice art on the walls and maybe better lighting. If you aren't attached to the picture over the fireplace, I would remove it..

I would definitely go with the grey! You could add some gold accent pillows and a gold colored rug!

This is Ben Moore's Coventry Gray.

This is funny! I just faced this exact same problem. I painted the lower half of my walls a dark gray/brown combination and the uppers a light gray. I love it!

I think a lighter version of the blue grey you have might work, possibly even with a toned-down yellow accent wall. You can try buying a 5-gallon container of white and mixing up some small batches to figure out the white-paint ratio (a little color goes a long way) if you bought gallons of your paint already. If you just have sample pots, try a version maybe two shades or more less intense than what you want it to be on the walls--large areas read darker and more saturated than the samples, and undertones come out more.

Try painting cheap posterboard to save your walls from becoming a patchwork--can move around to see how it looks with different item and light as well.

I agree about going a few shades lighter! I think these colors are a bit too strong for the space. If you go lighter with the paint color, you can bring in stronger accents through pillows, art, etc.

so i'm the only one who finds gray depressing? :) note to self: yes, you are the only one.

Some shades of gray are depressing. BM Revere Pewter is the WORST, IMO. But a good deep gray or blue gray can be very nice, especially if done in an eggshell finish.

I would definitely pick a color from the beautiful art that you have posted. None of the colors posted looks right in that room.

Both colours are nice but don't work with your furniture. There seeems to be some green in the painting so that's the colour I suggest. This type of colour would compliment your furniture.

The colors you selected are very bold which is great but you may want to consider using them as the accent colors in pillows and accessories and going for a soft beige grey on the walls. I'm attaching photos from the model in my community as this designer loves to design with your color palette. If you do go with this palette, the yellow becomes critical to infuse some cheer in the space. As Charlee mentioned, living in these colors can get dreary at times.

I feel the grey you have chosen is a little too dark, but if you are going for a contemporary/elegant feel grey is the way to go. A reason to reconsider the style is that with grey you will most likely have to replace most of your furniture to make it look right. The yellow is more playful and it allows for variety of styles and colors

I also feel that this grey is too dark. I would go with a lighter one. And maybe not on all the walls but just choose an accent wall.

I vote for the yellow!! and maybe a contemporary rug?

Neither of those colors seems to go with those beige sofas. What about a nice Moroccan red? The room gets a lot of natural light and it would complement the light furniture well, and also coordinate w/ the art.

I love putting one dark, bold color accent on just one wall is a room. I put it on the far wall, across from the room entrance and keep all the other walls a very light matching color. The one dark wall can actually make a small space feel bigger because it adds the illusion of depth to the room. Any more dark walls than that and you start feeling like you are in a cave.

I would pull one of the vibrant colors from the artwork over the fireplace and put that color and the artwork on one of the walls behind the sofa. I would put a smaller piece of art about the fireplace. The current piece is too close to the ceiling giving the impression that the ceiling is very low.

D not do a accents wall.just paint all thesame. then do fireplace 2 shades darker. Do man cave on firepl. And a much lighter gray on other walls. Furn needs rearranged. Paint first. Like your bold art.

Will there be a TV in this room?

P.S. Don't buy matching pieces of furn. Never works. You need some fabric like in print chairs. That and accessories will bring in your colors.

The gray will definitely give it a more contemporary look, but you should lighten it up!

If you are finding the grey to be depressing, then there is a reason for this. Color enhances moods and if you feel depressed when you look at it then don't do it. Look at the color in your painting for inspiration. The yellow while it is bold and bright could enchance a better feeling for you with the dullness of the couches. Accent colors on the sofa could also compliment the yellow. If to bright get a lighter shade, as grey maybe the in color for right now this too will pass. As everyone can give advise on their tastes you have to live there.

that's just my opinion of gray walls :) not the OP..

Thank you so much for the feedback. Those paint samples have been there since last night and after looking at them all morning and noon now, i do realize that they are just too dark for the space :-( I dont know where to move on from here now. I am not attached to the artwork, it is my husbands and he loves it so it has to be incorporated into whatever I do here. I was thinking of taking it down from on top of the fireplace and hanging it behind the wall of the longer couch like margaret17 mentioned. So the furniture wont go with the grey look? What other colors can i use here?

To take away the focus from the couches, how about painting the fireplace wall…not the entire wall…black. It will make your mantel and your art work look great.


Then for the walls, neither of your choices, but more of a beige gray…

Try BM Shenandoah taupe

Try a taupe that has brown in it like maybe BM Taos Taupe

http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/ashleygray

Mouse maker, I agree with the colour of grey. Everyone immediately says paint grey, even if it doesn't coordinate with anything else.

@mousemaker - that Heather Garrett design pic you attached is what inspired me to go grey.. despite my lousy couches.

that's great! I tried to find some pictures that had your colors so you could see what it might look like. Usually I am wrong :)

thanks, Nancyann!!

I would go with a gray with more brown in it -greige. At least 50% lighter than the sample grey.

Honestly, I like the color that's on your walls now better than either of the new ones. Wonder if the placement of the sofas is the best. At least move the coffee table in reach of one or both couches. Try going with a slightly darker version of the color of your sofas. You need to be careful not to get a gray paint that ends up having pinkish undertones.

Try Pratt & Lambert "Diplomat Gray". I believe it will achieve the result you desire. Then accent the sofas with contemporary cushions pulling colors from your painting.

We recently painted our trim, doors, and cabinets in grey and we have a lot of wood tones. We found that a mid-tone warm grey worked best with our light oak pieces. Ignore the dog in the picture and note the wall, trim and floor.

The grey would definitely work! I have a very similar room and similar color couch(sectional) except I have hardwoods. I used 3 different shades of grey. The darkest I put on the wall that shined the most natural light(10%). The medium I painted around the outside kitchen wall(20%). And the lightest on the remaining walls(70%). Adding yellow accents to warm it up a bit. Still looking for artwork but from what I've done so I really really like it and once it's complete, it will all come together. There are many things you can do to prevent it from looking like a dark basement. I do think your artwork over the fireplace should be relocated. Maybe do the wall where the fire place is that dark grey, almost like an accent wall..focal point..
Then a light grey everywhere else (just do 2 shades)
I didn't think mine would work seeing that I have a beige couch but until that can be replaced, I'm happy with it all and I'm sure you will too

How about a flax or soft gold lighter yellow..it is a colour but more livable than the bright yellow or dark grey...I agree tub chairs in a small pattern with beige background and gold or reddish pattern will help then add pillows of same tone to warm up sofas. Silk pillows or silk screen will glam them up..give you less of the rec room vibe.

wall color is Sherwin williams march wind

Neither of these colors will work well. I suggest either a pewter grey or go with the same color of sofa to blend in if you don't like them. It would look beautiful if you did a monocramatic look (everything in room same color) but you'd have to replace the tables in that color so keeping this in mind , a light grey would be the most economical & you can introduce silver elements instead of gold metals in room.. Replace the fireplace picture with a contemporary picture with blacks, whites & yellow, black frame. Keep surroun fireplace white.

Gray walls may make your beige couches look green. The gray you show is tooooo dark, and the yellow tooooo bright. Bring home five or six paint color cards from the paint store and look at them in your room, with your couches, and look at the colors in the light of day and with artificial light at night. Since you are keeping the couches, whatever you choose should look good with them.

Notice it is October of 2013.