- Light gray wallpaper in the color of river mother-of-pearl, gray harbor and wet asphalt adds freshness to the room; such tones can be diluted with rich warm shades.
- Dark gray wallpaper in steel, charcoal and tin colors looks self-sufficient and can be lightened with pastel tones.
The photo shows gray wallpaper with an ornament, ideal for creating a classic style in the living room. They pair with a cool white ceiling, white furniture and a patterned rug.
Features of gray wallpaper in the interior
Gray is not at all a boring and lifeless design option for useless, standard rooms. Gray itself is a rather interesting color. With all its combinations and in an arrangement with brighter shades, this tone can decorate even a child’s room, not to mention a living room or a spacious bedroom.
Gray can be combined with any other shade, even red or bright yellow. Green, brown, beige, white, all these tones are the simplest solutions for the design and decoration of any room.
Choosing wallpaper for a narrow room
Such a room is particularly difficult to select decor that can expand it. The main problem is the range of one of the parties.
A familiar technique for bringing it closer is placing a mirror on a long wall. But wallpaper can help solve this problem.
How:
- Using warm-colored wallpaper on the far side;
- Wallpaper with narrow, horizontal and light stripes;
- Contrast on short walls - wallpaper with small and large patterns;
- On a poorly lit wall, stick a light strip of wallpaper.
Gray shade options
There is a simple and uncomplicated tone of a light or dark shade, but you can also choose very noble, rich tones of gray. Moreover, light or dark shades of gray can be combined with any colors. Including accent walls, with drawings, ornaments, and any prints.
No matter how trivial it may sound, gray color in the interior always looks very advantageous. You can decorate the bedroom in exceptionally light shades of gray, or darken a large space by highlighting only an accent wall.
It is important to combine cool shades with cold ones and warm shades with warm ones.
Warm gray goes well with beige, red, brown, and chocolate. Cold - with vanilla, metallic, black, white, lilac.
Gray-blue color and style
When decorating the interior, it is important not only to decide on a color palette, but also to choose the most suitable style. Leading experts in the field of interior design recommend the following style directions for gray-blue colors:
- modern style recognizes gray and blue tones as one of the most relevant;
- minimalism also takes well to the interior fashion for gray and blue tones. The motto of this direction: minimum details - maximum comfort. Gray and blue fit perfectly into the basic concept of minimalism - restraint and rigor in design;
- High-tech in the interior involves the presence of high-tech solutions. Some of the main materials in the high-tech style are metal, glass, fittings, and plastic, which most often wear gray-blue shades. Hi-Tech loves accents on texture, shape, and details, so a talented designer will have enough space for imagination and experimentation with the palette of the above colors;
- elegant classics gain character and depth thanks to blue and gray;
- Country style came to us from the countryside. To paint the “country style” in the desired range, just order wooden furniture in gray and blue. As for curtains, tablecloths, blankets, sofa cushions, you can pick them up in any designer store;
- Provence style is ennobled by gray and blue tones. Gray-blue wallpaper on the walls, textile decor, wooden furniture - all this creates a unique French style;
- a marine theme allows you not only to create a piece of the sea or a ship in your apartment, but also to perfectly hide all the shortcomings of the room;
- loft style allows you to turn the old into fashionable and original, for example, painting old pipes or radiators blue;
- Functional Scandinavian style allows you to combine practicality and beauty without overloading the room.
Gray wallpaper for the bedroom (new designs)
Don't think that the bedroom will be lifeless and worthless with gray wallpaper. The dark matting will be decorated with an accent wall with a pattern of “Cuba Havana”, “London” with colorful red buses, New York with the embankment and Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty.
Moreover, it is recommended to place the bed against a neutral wall, and hang the TV in the bedroom on an accent wall.
- There is no need to “dirty” the accent wall with paintings or even an ordinary clock.
- It is worth leaving as much space as possible on a beautiful panel.
- From excesses - a sconce or a pair of floor lamps by the bed.
- The rest is austerity and stiffness, neat lines, a classic interior with a minimum of furniture and decor.
Gray wallpaper for the living room
A hall in gray tones is welcome in any style. So noble in “classic”, “modern”, “loft” and even “grotesque”. Gray wallpaper in the hall can be very dark or very light.
Moreover, it is advisable to choose curtains and the general design of the living room in a classic, discreet style. If combined with brighter colors, this could be furniture upholstery, sofa cover, curtains, pillows.
The gray design of the living room is welcome when the room is made in dark colors and is located on the sunny side of the house, spacious and comfortable. A red sofa and brighter cabinet furniture look great against a gray background.
Photo wallpaper
Photo wallpaper is not the most popular way to decorate a small room today, however, it also has its place. And such walls look impressive only if certain rules are followed:
- They look best on the farthest wall;
- In a small room, photo wallpaper should have a perspective (road, hills, horizon);
- Such a design will visually make the room larger only if it is in harmony with the main wallpaper;
- Don't be afraid to place photo wallpaper all over the wall. Even in a small room this “move” looks impressive.
Most often, wallpaper with photo printing is used when decorating a living room.
To decorate with photo wallpapers, one wall of the room is usually chosen
Gray wallpaper for the kitchen
For the kitchen, you should also choose discreet shades of gray in combination with bright yellow, green, red, and blue. Just two shades in kitchen interior design are welcome.
- A set with facades in red or turquoise colors will be perfectly set off by gray wallpaper, a dark floor, and a vanilla-colored ceiling.
- Furniture cabinets can also be made in light gray tones.
- What about curtains, curtains or blinds in the kitchen? Window decoration with fairly bright shades of finish can also be gray.
- Today, manufacturers offer plastic vertical blinds that are easy to clean and practically do not collect dirt on their slats.
A gray curtain or thread curtains in addition to the main window design are welcome.
Variety
The concept of a gray room is based on a combination of different shades of the thematic range in one room to give the latter a certain shape.
Otherwise, staying in a themed space will resemble a flight, even if the room is completed with furniture and decorative items. To give contrast to different planes, different shades of gray are used:
- Nacre;
- Haze;
- Tin;
- Steel;
- Coal;
- Haliotis;
- Coventry.
In most cases, a gray-style living room has a dark floor, light walls and a dark ceiling. For the latter, steel and pewter shades are suitable, for walls - mother-of-pearl and coventry, for flooring - charcoal and iron. However, the last pair can be replaced with brown, which partly insulates the interior and even contributes to nobility.
Gray wallpaper in a children's room
There is no need to think that a child will not be able to develop productively while living in a room with gray wallpaper or non-staining furniture.
- Finishing and decor will help add such bright colors. You can pave an accent wall on a gray background.
- If the child is already a teenager, he will only welcome such a decision.
As an accent, designers advise to tear out motifs such as “London”, “Manhattan”, “New York”.
The themes of fairy-tale kingdoms and natural landscapes are more suitable for a girl.
Combination with furniture:
When talking about how to choose furniture, the first thing people pay attention to is the sofa.
The color of the sofa can be light, dark, colored. You can read about how to combine gray color correctly in our article -
Bright furniture will easily fit under the gray background: armchairs, chairs, cabinets.
Light furniture in combination with metal and silver accessories will also make an interesting tandem.
Below are examples of gray wallpaper with shelves and a TV. Practical solutions for large rooms.
Gray wallpaper for the hallway
You can pave the hallway design in light gray tones. If the hallway is small, this will visually expand the space and make the corridor brighter and more spacious. The large hallway will be transformed by a noble dark gray tone.
Only good and high-quality lighting will make it grotesque and beautiful. In a hallway with gray wallpaper, dirt and dust will not be visible. It is important to carry out cleaning on time. The gray hallway will be decorated with exquisite decor, light flooring and a white stretch ceiling.
Features of a small room
Each small room has its own characteristics and has an individual layout. The following features cause difficulties during repair:
- Poor lighting. In some cases, there is no natural light at all, or the room is a walk-through room.
- Shape of the room. The easiest way to create a cozy layout is in a square room. And if the room is too elongated and looks more like a corridor, the task becomes more complicated.
- Some tiny rooms also have niches or projections.
- Door and window openings. Difficulties arise from both too large and very small doors and windows.
- Low ceilings. Even if the room is large, low ceilings visually make it uncomfortable and create a feeling of enclosure. And if there are not many square meters, then it’s a disaster.
All of the above nuances complicate the process of creating an interior design and make the room uncomfortable. Therefore, the main task of the designer is to use tricks and techniques that will make the ceiling appear higher, the room more spacious and brighter than it actually is. And wall decoration plays a leading role in this process. The main thing is not to be afraid of unusual bright solutions or non-standard colors.
Using wallpaper you can decorate the walls of a small room in an original way and visually expand the space
Wallpaper with small patterns unloads the interior and makes the walls less bulky
Form
The shape of the room is:
- square;
- elongated;
- rooms with sloping walls (attic);
- narrow, small, with low ceilings.
There is a simple rule on how to make a small room comfortable and cozy: the smaller the area of the room, the lighter the shade of wallpaper chosen. An abundance of color and pattern is detrimental for a tiny room; you will begin to feel tired in such a tacky space.
Light wallpaper in combination with furniture slightly darker than the walls helps to visually enlarge the space
The best solution for a square room is to create a bright accent on one wall. Therefore, paired wallpapers are often used - with a pattern and plain - complementing each other in color and texture. As an option: one wall is covered with wallpaper with a large geometric print or floral pattern, and the rest are decorated with plain wallpaper in a harmonizing color.
Bright wallpaper is perfect for decorating an accent wall in a bright room.
A combination of pink and blue wallpaper will add coziness and sophistication to the room.
The overall color concept maintains the harmony of the style. If you are not a supporter of plain wallpaper, then an option with vertical stripes of different widths would be a suitable solution for a square room. The combination of horizontal and vertical stripes looks impressive.
Wallpaper with a pronounced vertical pattern will visually raise the ceiling of the room
Illumination
In a small room, lighting plays a more important role in creating interior design than in a spacious room. Immediately decide on the features of your premises by answering the questions:
- Bright room or dark?
- What size is the window: large or small?
- Is there a loggia (or attic windows, if we are talking about such a room)?
The rule for choosing wallpaper depending on the degree of illumination sounds simple: the brighter the room, the cooler shades are chosen (white is also suitable). And if little light enters the room, then choose a warm wallpaper color (sand, cream).
To decorate a small bedroom, it is best to choose wallpaper with unobtrusive patterns.
Eye-pleasing colors promote relaxation and restful sleep
By wisely combining wallpaper in bright and pastel colors, it becomes possible to slightly “adjust” the lighting of the space, making the room cozy and comfortable. In addition, additional “lighting” appears due to wallpaper coated with mineral coating (for example, with quartz chips). Such finishing materials “respond” to any light source, and even with minimal lighting fill the room with a warm atmosphere.
Lighting in a room with gray wallpaper
Whatever room is chosen to be decorated in a light gray or dark noble tone, it is important to install the lighting correctly. If this is a hall, you can consider multi-level lighting. As additional elements, it is worth installing sconces and a pair of floor lamps.
The main lighting should be bright. When it is turned off, a weak backlight should remain in the form of a diode strip or a pair of secondary lamps.
Curtains for gray wallpaper
White or bright accent curtains will do. If the room is completely buried in gray, it is advisable to shade its windows with bright red, orange, yellow, blue, and green curtains.
Moreover, the tones of the furniture upholstery, bedspread or sofa cover should also match the designer’s bold idea. Gray will tolerate any metamorphosis and bright transformations.
It’s just important not to be afraid to experiment, add colors and make the interior more vibrant and beautiful.
You can give preference not to classic curtains, especially for the design of living room windows, but to combinations of curtains with lightweight curtains, simple thread curtains and chintz fabrics, or classic curtains with lightweight organza or satin tulle.
Moreover, gray in these options can be lightweight canvases, and drapes or heavy curtains can be burgundy, red or beige.
What could be the gray-blue color?
Gray-blue includes two colors, so it looks quite self-sufficient in a monochrome design and does not require the use of additional colors. But if you want to dilute the interior with another color, you need to consider what undertones of gray and blue are used.
Diversity is determined by the extensive palette of blues. It can be heavenly, turquoise, aquamarine - either more pastel or rich dark. Gray usually has a beige undertone and is close to white, or has the color of asphalt or graphite. It all depends on the volume of white and black.
Thanks to variations in combinations, gray-blue can look either gentle and romantic or strict and elegant.
