The living room pleases with pastel, warm and noble colors. But this does not mean that every detail of a themed interior should be pink, peach or turquoise. Contrast is welcome, provided that the single-color background dominates in its volume over the collection of different pieces of furniture. The background is mainly the walls, which in the living room should be light.
Moreover, light does not mean bright or warm. You can use a muted gray background. It’s not for nothing that a living room in gray colors has long been common in modern apartments.
Brief overview of the article
Relevance
Before you take on a themed interior, you need to find out whether it suits the living room at all. Here you should immediately refrain from the following stereotype: the living room should promote hospitality, not darkness. Of course, no one has canceled the main function of a themed room - relaxing with guests. But this does not mean that the living room in gray colors is akin to the hall of the necropolis. You just need to use the thematic solution wisely, depending on the following conditions:
- The user welcomes neoclassicism and laconicism;
- The effect of decorative accessories must be enhanced;
- The living room space is found in modern housing like a studio apartment;
- The living room itself is small (the gray color is light, which visually increases the area of the space).
One could reject the idea of using the design of a gray living room inside a private house, if not for one “BUT” - the corresponding property often has large glazing, which against a gray background turns into a focal point (of course, first you will have to frame the windows with curtains).
Gray color in interior design
It’s hard to think of an interior that gray would not fit into, because it looks equally good in the bathroom and bedroom, classic and fusion. It is actively used by fashionable eclectic styles as a neutral base. And in the design of apartments, gray is increasingly replacing traditional white and beige.
Gray color in the living room
The living room is a room with a complex configuration and purpose, because usually it needs to combine several zones at once. For example, a soft corner, a workplace, a place for creativity, a dining area, a mini-library - at your discretion. In this case, gray becomes an ideal and calm background on which imagination can run wild.
A dark graphite accent wall will refresh the interior in a contemporary style; chrome-plated metal shelving with glass shelves is suitable for high-tech zoning. In classic styles, from restrained English to eccentric Art Nouveau, feel free to use handles, legs, decor and fittings in blackened silver.
A laminate of large boards in a gray wood look will visually expand the room. Cold light gray walls will make it cooler and fresher: blue-blue shades give approximately the same effect, but they are brighter and more capricious.
Gray color in the kitchen
Light gray color is a godsend for a small kitchen, where it can be used as the main color for walls and floors. Gray wallpaper with a barely noticeable, unobtrusive floral or geometric pattern looks good. Shades interspersed with blue are suitable for hot sunny kitchens, and yellow or beige for cool northern kitchens.
Gray goes well with classic wood, regardless of type, and with fashionable plastic and acrylic structures. Therefore, it fits into both traditional and high-tech kitchens. And it’s easier to care for this type of finish, because it’s less easily soiled.
In a large and spacious kitchen, feel free to paint the surfaces dark charcoal gray. Black interiors are a trend in recent seasons, but dull black often looks too heavy and cumbersome in apartments. But gray is just a few shades lighter - it’s already much easier to work with.
Gray color in the bedroom
A real fashion trend is gray bed linen made of coarse linen or flowing silk. It is more practical and not as easily soiled as white, but looks very unusual and original.
Dark gray thick curtains block out sunlight well so that nothing interferes with your rest. But they are not as dark as completely black, and not as impenetrable as blackout.
A fluffy gray rug with a high pile near the bed immediately adds several points to the bedroom on the coziness scale. And against the background of a rough gray concrete wall, romantic little things play with new colors: a collection of photographs, candles, soft toys, garlands and lighting.
Gray color in the bathroom
In the bathroom, functionality comes to the fore, and aesthetics take second place. Stylish, sophisticated shades of gray make it easy to combine the two.
A gray bathroom looks much fresher and more modern than boring sterile white ones. Use colored accents to set the mood: towels, decorations, jars, coasters and other accessories.
Light gray furniture looks lighter and more elegant, and gray sinks and stone bathtubs are a real trend. Most plumbing accessories are traditionally available in chrome, silver or brushed steel shades. They go well with both classic white and fashionable black sanitary ware.
Gray color in the hallway
Typical problems of the hallway in any apartment are lack of space and light. It may seem that gray is too moody and cold, so it will make the situation even worse. In practice, it is enough to choose the right tone: very light or even warm, interspersed with other colors.
Gray is very good in gloss, and glossy surfaces are used to increase space. Such a stretch ceiling can transform the hallway beyond recognition. And at the same time it will harmoniously combine with a mirrored wall or cabinet door.
If you still want something warmer and more expressive, combine gray with beige, pale milky shades of yellow or light wood. Such a hallway will immediately become warm and cozy, and will greet guests with a feeling of home.
Gray color in the children's room
Children are especially sensitive to all external factors, including the color scheme around them. Therefore, when you want to make a child’s room brighter, it is important not to overdo it, otherwise there is a high risk of getting constant lack of sleep and irritation instead of cheerfulness and fun.
Feel free to use a calm, uniform gray background, and place accents on it with bright colors. This could be colorful curtains and bedspreads, a bright bean bag chair, carpets, colorful toys and a sports corner, even a painted accent wall.
Children grow quickly, so the children's room will have to be constantly adapted to the changing needs of your beloved child. Gray color will greatly simplify the task, because it remains neutral and practical, regardless of the age of the child. It will be enough to change those bright details.
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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.
Furniture
Laconic and straightforward products are a win-win option for arranging a gray space. Moreover, themed furniture can be one of two colors:
- Bright one-color;
- Neutral, i.e. grey, black or brown.
Don’t worry about the risk of creating a “gray zone”: colorful and bright accessories will add charm to the finished interior, and with it a complete and original appearance.
Accessories
Even with the yellow light provided by the lamps, a living room in gray tones seems a bit boring. And although the appropriate understanding comes with time, it must be warned in advance using:
- Decorative fireplace imitating flames;
- Multi-colored pillows (preferably they match the colors of the curtains);
- A bright green plant like a palm tree;
- Glazed color painting or medium-large format photo;
- Bright noble curtains.
There should be few accessories so that the decor range includes only two or three colors. Thanks to this restraint, a modern gray living room is achieved without any visual burden and remains modern by default.
If the decor is not enough, then it can be replaced by furniture made of wood - a wall, a coffee table, a display case. There is only one condition here - the forest must be light. Brown leather upholstery also adds solidity and charm to the interior.
Modern style trends
To create the interior of a living room, corridor, bathroom or kitchen in any direction of modern design, gray furniture is complemented with bright, rich colors.
Note!
- Sofa with drawers - TOP-130 photos of sofa options with drawers. Design advantages. Types of transformable sofas. DIY making
Modern sofas: types of designs and frames. Stylistics of modern sofas. Shapes and sizes of sofas. Photo and video reviews
Wardrobe in the corridor: TOP-160 photos and videos of wardrobes in the corridor. Features of types of cabinets. Nuances of closed and open cabinets for the corridor
For a bedroom location and a nursery, it is advisable to choose a more restrained color scheme, where the “juicy inclusions” are small decorative objects.
The most popular combinations of gray furniture in the interior are created by accessories in blue, yellow, red-brown and beige.
Such combinations look good in the interior of kitchens, bathrooms in the Mediterranean style and in aristocratic bedrooms.
Contrasting combinations with cornflower blue, sapphire and peach are also appropriate. They are suitable for the corridor and hall, but can also be used in the nursery.
