When it comes to window decoration, gray curtains can easily be called a “universal soldier.” The richness of shades combined with a variety of fabrics allows you to create an almost endless number of combinations with other interior items. In this article, we'll show you how to make the most of this neutral color and choose curtains for every room.
Basic, leading or secondary
From the photo of gray curtains it is worth assessing how practical, sophisticated and noble they are. Rich and light gray color looks very aesthetically pleasing.
If you have a choice about which curtains will go with gray wallpaper, you can choose from a light gray range without hesitation. Of course, it is better to prefer decor, upholstery or bedding in contrasting gray tones.
Designers say that even in a neutral room design, gray curtains are very beautiful and noble. However, in this option, you should not overdo it with such decoration, so as not to create the impression of boredom and gloomy design in the room.
Bright colors
As it turns out, bright, saturated colors are rarely used for bedroom design. Pronounced shades also appear heavy and accentuating. But the right accents in the appearance of the curtains will help convey the original atmosphere.
Bright colors include:
- red;
- orange;
- light green.
Curtains of bright, rich color are no less distinguished by their dense texture than others. Satin or satin is chosen as the material for sewing them. It should be noted that curtains of a single color or models with images are perfect for gray wallpaper.
Warm and cold
Depending on the location of the room on the south or north side of the house or apartment, as well as the overall tone of the interior, you should choose warm or cold gray shades of curtains.
Warm gray curtains are ideally combined with warm colors of any spectrum. Cold ones - only with cold ones. Designers use this rule when creating interiors and filling them with decor.
Color Features
The entire palette of gray tones is elegance and neutrality: on a gray background I play other colors in a new way, on any other background gray becomes a bright accent. Therefore, this color, not so long ago, but for a long time, went beyond the usual opinion about its nondescriptness, mediocrity, inexpressiveness, and inappropriateness for use in the interior of residential premises.
Gray color is intermediate between black and white, which is why it has such a wide range of shades: steel, ash, wet asphalt, coal, silver, lead, slate and others.
Thanks to this variety, you can choose a tone that will look appropriate in the overall design of the room, allow you to experiment, visually adjust the space and have a positive effect on the psyche.
At the same time, thanks to gray, you can bring calm, chic and aristocracy to the interior.
Fashionable gray
The design of curtains in this shade is in trend today, but experts advise complementing them, as if “diluted” by a boring palette, in order to make the interior more rich and noble.
Experts recommend choosing gray-blue curtains with lilac tulle for different rooms, regardless of their purpose, and also complementing gray undertones with red, bright yellow, lush green, combining gray with turquoise, gold - in an oriental style.
If you like exclusively gray colors, it is advisable to decorate the windows with light gray curtains. It will highlight the main colors of the room’s design, making the room lighter and more spacious.
Important Rules
Below are the parameters and nuances that should be taken into account when choosing curtains for a room.
- Stylistic solution of the interior. A universal version is curtains with checkered and striped prints. They will fit into any design. The modern textile market is filled with a large number of such products. The pattern can be very different, printed, original or made the same as for decorating upholstered furniture.
- Square footage of the room. In a sick room with high ceilings, multi-layer compositions of heavy fabrics are used. Accordingly, in a small room it is better to use simple, lightweight fabrics such as organza, tulle, with a simple cut.
- Light level. It can affect the overall appearance of the interior and, naturally, the curtains themselves. Transparent, lightweight options can significantly improve the atmosphere of a space. Multilayer curtains are used where it is necessary to maintain darkness at any time of the day.
- Material used in tailoring. For the production of such products, mainly flax, cotton, and matting are used. They are perfect for decorating windows in a rustic or Provence style. Velor and velvet are a good choice for a baroque or classic style room. With the help of a veil and organza, a room is transformed, adding lightness, airiness, and spaciousness to it.
- Decorative elements. In this case we are talking about holders. Their shape, color, design, size can be very different, since there are no restrictions or special instructions for choice. Holders with surfaces imitating gold, bronze, and silver look especially stylish.
To choose a curtain model that will suit you 100%, you should contact an experienced designer who can take into account all the client’s wishes and the features of the room where they will be placed.
Gray curtains for the sleeping room
Curtains in a gray bedroom or in combination with dark blue, lilac, yellow drapery elements are an excellent solution. Gray comes in handy in a sleeping room. It puts you in a calm, positive mood. By the way, curtains don’t have to be gray. In this tone, a curtain or roller blind looks elegant, the canvas of which covers only the window.
It is advisable to complement roller shutters in gray with an exquisite pattern or floral pattern so that the drapery of the bedroom windows does not look boring. Roller shutters are always advantageously combined with neutral tulle or light curtains to match the basic design of the room.
Which fabric to choose
The perception of color is influenced not only by its shade, but also by its texture. Dense or translucent, matte or shiny, rough or flowing - one color will play completely differently on a particular fabric.
If you like a little sparkle, choose mother-of-pearl, silver, pearl shades and matching fabrics: satin, taffeta, acrylic, silk or sequined tulle. Jacquard, cotton, plush, linen and velvet will provide an elegant matte texture. For light curtains, muslin, voile or viscose are suitable.
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Separately, it is worth mentioning blackout roller blinds, which serve to completely darken a room and are often used in bedrooms or sunny rooms, for example, in the living room or kitchen. Blackouts are made from synthetic fabrics with a special light-proof layer. Such curtains, as a rule, are made as inconspicuous as possible - any neutral undertone will do for them.
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How to choose the right gray curtain design
This depends on a number of factors. The main ones are the preferences of the owners and the overall interior design of the room. The type of room for which gray curtains are purchased is also important. For example, this option fits perfectly into the balcony space.
However, care should be taken to ensure that the curtains do not take up much space and do not interfere with the opening of the doors. Loggia windows should be framed with short curtains, or shortened vertical or horizontal blinds.
Kitchen
The kitchen area primarily implies practicality and lightness. Therefore, plain, short gray tulles for the kitchen, without additional thick curtains, are what you need.
They will not only highlight the metal and chrome elements of household appliances and kitchen utensils, but will stimulate the appetite and will not clutter up the decor or distract from the main thing - the work area.
The entire range of gray tulles is perceived easily, gracefully and elegantly; besides, they do not oblige you to anything, fit perfectly into any design and can easily take on both the main role and become a simple addition to the author’s idea.
Moreover, photos of gray tulle can fully reveal all the facets and advantages of such curtains, show ready-made options and prompt experiments, so you should not ignore this color “the old fashioned way” when hanging snow-white curtains.
Accents in the gray spectrum
If the gray curtains on the windows still look boring, you should complement them with bright elements. Buy a curtain of a different, more contrasting tone, or bright tie-backs or ribbons.
You can attach colorful butterflies to gray canvases or complement the gray with an exquisite pattern. When you need to “dilute” a dull tone, it is better to purchase gray curtains with a geometric pattern, vertical silver stripes, a discreet beautiful pattern or a fashionable print.
Popular shades
We must pay tribute to the gray palette. It is multifaceted and full of various shades. Here you can find both light tones with a lilac tint, and dark to graphite black colors. The decor of modern interiors most often uses textiles of pearl, silver, smoky, ash colors or with a shimmer of steel metallic.
The texture of the fabric will greatly influence how the chosen shade of gray is perceived. It depends on her whether it will look rich or delicate.
Gray curtains in the decor of the hall
It is most appropriate to complement interiors with lilac, lilac and burgundy color schemes with gray curtains. The most pleasant combinations are obtained when the shade of the curtains and furniture upholstery matches. In Scandinavian, techno, and high-tech living rooms, gray curtains will need specific lighting, which can be provided by curtain rod lighting elements. If the room is additionally decorated with mirrors, glass accessories and metal structures, then even the smallest space can be presented in a panoramic view.
Here are some useful tips that will help you quickly understand the nuances of choosing the shade of curtains.
Mother-of-pearl curtains will perfectly complement a room furnished with white furniture and filled with accessories in clean, strong colors. The shine of silver curtains should be supported by the gloss of furniture surfaces.
Undoubtedly, blue-gray wallpaper will go well with gray curtains. They will become an equally beautiful backdrop for both textiles made from heavy fabrics and weightless curtains. A light gray window design will be well received when framed by milky walls. Add black accents to the interior and you will get a quite stylish design solution.
If you need to divert attention from the window area, decorated in gray colors, place a sofa in the living room with upholstery of the same spectrum, only a couple of richer tones. This will redistribute the accents and reduce the contrast of the color scheme of the room.
The clean gray shade of the curtains, combined with upholstered furniture in terracotta, pink or brick-red design, will leave no doubt about the taste of the owners.
To add comfort to your living room decor, match gray curtains in cool tones with decorative accessories in warm colors.
The photo will tell you what to combine gray curtains with in a gray interior.
For those who find the monotony of gray curtains on the windows boring, they can show their imagination and decorate the curtains with lace inserts. The latter can have any color from those present in the interior.
Designers do not recommend decorating the living room with gray curtains with flashy patterns. It is better to attract attention to the design of the window area by playing with the textures of the fabrics or the unusual layout of the sets. Thread curtains made of beads and mother-of-pearl beads will look good paired with gray curtains.
Gray curtains in the bedroom interior
A sleeping room requires special, intimate comfort, so calm textiles in gray tones are more than appropriate here. Particular attention should be paid to window design. Sleeping curtains have several tasks:
- First of all, they must provide a pleasant twilight that is conducive to sleep. Curtains made of dense, light-proof materials can sufficiently darken a room. If the room is not initially full of light, then you can limit yourself to light curtains.
- It is also the responsibility of the curtains to combine the design and present the interior as a single whole. In this regard, their canvases may carry prints that match the style or contain decorative inserts that echo the color scheme of the furniture and accessories in the room.
Photos will help you choose the right gray curtains for your bedroom.
Curtains in deep dark gray tones look most noble in bedroom interiors. They are moderately strict and moderately restrained, and are also easy to combine with other colors. For example, you can safely add pearl shades of tulle to anthracite or marenge curtains. A pink tint can soften the seriousness of rich gray and make the environment more pleasant.
Bedrooms look impeccable in gray and purple colors. In order for the metallic textiles used in the window design to look not pretentious, but harmonious, it must be reflected on the furniture facades and be supported by the shine of massive fittings.
An excellent combination for decorating a bedroom window would be a pair: gray + coffee with milk. These can be alternating stripes, echoing the patterns on the carpet or bedside stool. The walls for such curtains are decorated with gray wallpaper with a silver tint, which can additionally be covered with a glossy pattern.
If you still hate the shine of metallics, focus on gradation and drape. You can not only play with the gray shades of the curtains themselves, but also draw a line throughout the entire interior as a whole. Make the overall background a “monsoon” shade, use textiles in a “Gainsborough” tone in the window area, cover the bed with a sky blue bedspread and place a carpet in the same colors next to it. It will turn out very impressive and stylish.
Gray curtains in the kitchen
Gray colors in the kitchen space will attract those who appreciate sophisticated interiors and prefer to spend time in a calm environment. Creating visual balance in a small room with curtains is not at all difficult. When choosing them, you just need to take into account the small size of the kitchen and compare the size. The right move would be to decorate the window area with short, laconic curtains, or multi-layer compositions of the same length.
Since only the light spectrum of gray can avoid “stealing” scarce space and absorbing light, it makes sense to give preference to textiles in ash tones. This palette will bring freshness, sophistication, and peace. When selecting curtains, you need to be able to find the ideal shade for the harmonious design of the room. Cool, metallic colors are undeniably good in a minimalist kitchen. They will be an excellent addition to the light and delicate background of the walls. To prevent the curtains from looking like a flashy stain in the decor, sew chair covers and a tablecloth from similar fabric. You can go the other way and dilute the brightness of gray curtains with snow-white tulle and furniture fronts.
The window opening, decorated with a combination of short and long gray canvases, looks beautiful. For example, to light-colored roller blinds mounted on a frame, you can add classic tailoring to curtains made from darker fabrics. The latter will traditionally hang on the eaves. This technique is good for spacious kitchens that need to be presented as more compact.
The photo will tell you what other combinations of gray curtains are relevant in the kitchen.
Having chosen gray textiles, remember that they, especially in dark colors, tend to absorb light rays abundantly, so do not take care of good lighting of the room. And further. The kitchen is a room with a specific microclimate. Foreign odors are constantly present here and soot accumulates. When purchasing curtains, take this nuance into account and give preference to fabrics with an antistatic effect that do not attract dirt and do not absorb moisture and odors.
In what styles will gray curtains sparkle in a special way?
Strict dark tones of curtains are good for interiors decorated in loft, high-tech, eclectic, modern, and classic styles. Light gray tulles and curtains in the Provence style look great if combined with sand, straw, ocher, and green shades.
Combination with other colors
Gray tulle in the interior should be combined not only with the overall color scheme, but also with the colors of the curtains, so in order for the curtains to look appropriate, you should pay attention to the following combinations:
- Black – all light shades of gray;
- White – absolutely the entire gray palette;
- Red and its shades – smoky tulle;
- Beige tones – ash color;
- Bright and acidic colors: lemon, electric blue, fuchsia, light green and other pearl shades.
Don’t forget that the color of the tulle should also match other decorative items: household appliances, furniture and other textiles.
Photo of gray curtains
Material selection
You should decide in advance what material and shape of the curtain will suit your design. Tulles differ in their texture, decor and length. It all depends on where the curtain is selected.
Tulle can be made from both natural fibers - silk and cotton, and synthetic ones - polyester. The largest range is made from mixed fabrics:
- organza is a fabric made of cotton and viscose with the addition of polyester. This material is ideal if the room is poorly lit. The advantage of fiber is durability. Disadvantage - the fabric is stiff and kinks appear;
- header - creases also appear on the fabric, but they look very impressive, giving style and modernity.
- muslin is an exclusively natural product, made of cotton, linen or silk. In its production, a special openwork weaving is used. The weightless canvas will add elegance and airiness to any room;
- mesh is a material like a honeycomb in a beehive. The advantage of the material is that it transmits light and air well. Minus - large cells accumulate dust. Allergy sufferers will find it difficult to live with such curtains;
- veil - this material is suitable if you plan to create a romantic style. The property of the fabric is to create a “haze”. The disadvantage of such a product is the need to wash it by hand;
- patterned - will fit perfectly into the interior of the living room or bedroom;
- muslin - made from synthetics. The fabric is soft and pliable due to its low density, but has a good margin of strength. The only downside is that it doesn’t allow air to pass through well.
