Today, the gray color of walls in the interior is considered to be a neutral tone, so it is often used not only as the basis of any interior, but also as a fairly successful background for the use of more eye-catching, bright accessories.
If you want to add balance and tranquility to your interior, then simply opt for gray walls. They will not only allow you to relax, but thanks to a huge number of different combinations, they will give you the opportunity to set no restrictions on yourself when planning the overall look of any room.
Who should choose gray?
Any shades of the popular gray color today are not only neutral in the palette, but even to some extent unique. They are ideally combined with almost any color and can, if necessary, neutralize the bright color chosen as a basis, or highlight a calm tone as an accent.
Thanks to the huge variety of shades, gray wall paint, which is sold in stores today, can be as close to black as possible, or have a fairly cold/warm shade, actually becoming almost white.
What the overall color scheme of the room will be depends entirely on how correctly the tone is chosen.
Glossy gray ceiling and red walls
If you wish, you can try red with a varnished ceiling, remembering the analogy that it looks simply gorgeous with white. But gray has completely different capabilities, and therefore red will not light anything, and without this there is no particular point in using it.
This is what such an experiment might look like in the picture:
Matte ceiling + red walls
And again we see how the situation changes when the texture changes. Take a look at the example:
Here the accent completely passed into the hands of red, leaving only a faceless background behind the gray ceiling. In such a situation, the dominant color sets its own dynamics, and therefore looks just great.
The second opportunity to revive the picture is to turn to avant-garde artists for help. If, in addition to red, other colors of the spectrum appear on a gray background, the interior will immediately breathe with energy. True, this requires serious schooling and design talent.
What's in fashion now
In 2018-2019, especially often when decorating most interiors of various rooms, designers choose gray wallpaper for walls in the shade of grey. It's essentially gray combined with pale beige to create a "powdery" effect.
Read: Golden color of walls in the interior: examples of design and successful combinations. Rules for using color when decorating walls. 100 photo ideas for using gold in the interior
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Almost no one now uses light gray walls for a child’s room for the reason that shades of gray are quite practical, but most often the color cannot evoke any emotions.
But for a bedroom this is an ideal option. It is better to avoid gray walls in the interior only for people who are prone to melancholy and depression.
But active people note not only the fact that photos of gray walls in the interior look impressive, but also that this color makes it possible to take a break from work, having a proper rest, from various stressful situations.
Interiors with gray shades in different rooms: interesting ideas
When decorating a living room with a gray finish, the purpose of this room comes first: it should be cozy for guests and all owners of the house, well lit and not boring.
Therefore, when choosing a color scheme, you should turn to European or Scandinavian classics - choose a light gray tone and soft combinations. Warm natural colors will look nice - gray-blue, gray-yellow. Classic colors that harmonize with gray and add light - beige, orange - will allow you to beautifully highlight one of the zones.
In addition, in a grayish living room you should definitely organize uniform spot lighting.
In the kitchen interior, gray tones can be useful if used skillfully.
White matte shades bring a feeling of purity and freshness, while silver and steel hint at luxury and innovation.
In order to make the kitchen area visually larger and more comfortable, you should use pleasant combinations of gray with white or sand. Colorful splashes of color are especially important if the kitchen faces north and is poorly lit.
In general, you can focus on combinations of a modern version of high-tech, Provence or retro.
In the bedroom, lounge area, home SPA area
natural gray color looks as natural as possible. Especially in the most classic and most French combinations - with beige, purple or lavender, blue, olive, pink.
Similar combinations are also suitable for an infant’s bedroom.
, because they are as comfortable as possible for the eyes. At the same time, gray will maintain balance in the children's room, even when it is filled with bright toys, blue, orange, and pink pieces of furniture.
And in the hallway
Urban, antique Scandinavian or loft color combinations will look more harmonious: gray with brick, brown, green.
Important color choice
The most successful gray walls in the kitchen, for example, will be combined with colors such as pink, chocolate or blue. Depending on the specific shade of gray that will be used as the main color, the choice of additional color will depend.
Most designers agree that in order for the interior to be truly cozy and at the same time remain light, it is better to combine gray with various pastel tones.
If you want to emphasize the beauty of any additional color, then you can use a neutral gray color. However, this does not mean that you should abandon various combinations of gray with bright colors, such as yellow or blue.
It is thanks to the combination with gray that bright shades can look calm and somewhat muted.This will allow you to achieve a dynamic and stylish interior, which almost all young people now dream of, daily flipping through online magazines in search of original design solutions for their new apartments.
Glossy gray ceiling and purple walls
Purple walls will look pretty good with a gray glossy ceiling, however, for the latter you should choose the softest, least annoying tones, and the very amount of cosmic color scheme should be strictly dosed. But the resulting combination can be used without fear even in bedrooms.
But in rooms such as the kitchen or bathroom, the degree of violet can be slightly raised, where it still won’t harm anyone.
A little loft in the interior
If you decide to give preference to a loft in your apartment, you should understand that this is a style that successfully combines wood, brick and other finishing materials. For example, dark gray walls will look good with a large sofa or a gray table.
As a successful color combination for this style, you can use any shades of red or turquoise.
Matte gray ceiling and white walls
Things are somewhat more complicated when a matte texture is chosen for the ceiling; it draws in space too much and absorbs light, and therefore you will only have two acceptable options.
The first is to use as much gloss as possible on the walls.
Matte gray ceiling and white walls in the office
Varnish will expand the space and add light to the room, while gray will organize the necessary static in such things and will not allow the eye to get lost. But this design is purely for everyone, since even in relatively small rooms it looks too empty.
The second option is to add many other accents to the room, which will be interior items.
In the following example, these colors turned out to be blue and brown.
The first in this case sets the freshness, while the second does not allow the cold to develop in full force.
Scandinavia in a country house
This style was created in order to emphasize the practicality of the owners of the house, their careful attitude towards various objects and their penchant for using various natural materials in the interior.
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Light gray and dark gray: the difference in perception
Light gray tones, no darker than a steel shade, are universal. Any similar tone close to white visually expands the space, so it can be used even in a small room as a base color.
There are ideal examples when white and gray looks harmonious and brings a feeling of pleasant coolness: Scandinavian houses and romantic interiors in the spirit of French classics.
Dark gray colors, on the contrary, narrow the area. However, when used correctly and in moderation, they create an interesting chamber atmosphere. Therefore, in a large youth living room this color can dominate.
One neat design trick is to use a deep gray color for only one accent wall, and make the rest of the walls white or pastel. This combination is suitable, in particular, for the Art Nouveau style.
Let us add that the color gray has a colossal number of interesting shades, and with their help you can create interesting visual accents in the interior.
Anthracite and grey-violet colors look mysterious and expensive, and can be used in individual details.
The silver color is associated with progress in science and technology, high-tech and the youth disco movement.
Decorating a gray kitchen-living room
Technological tones are one of the practical solutions for decorating functional areas, so a kitchen-living room in gray will be quite appropriate in a variety of design directions. In most spaces, the work area will merge with the main background - the decoration of the walls and ceiling. But here too there is a place for bright accents and contrasting surfaces.
The photo shows a design project for a kitchen in gray tones, combined with a living room.
In a modern interior with technological surfaces, the set will be glossy, which will visually help make the room more spacious. In a similar way, facades in a light ash tone are used for kitchens with both white and platinum walls. Matte furniture is applicable in classic, loft, neoclassicism. To create an easy-to-read interior, choose light shades. If there is no such goal, you can choose a beautiful smoky color.
A gray kitchen is a stylish solution for any design, especially if there is an abundance of metal parts in the work area. The main color emphasizes its functionality and manufacturability.
Choosing a style
The first associations that gray evokes are steel pipes, urban smog, and industrial areas. It was technological progress that brought this palette into interiors. At first glance, they are devoid of emotionality, which means that the emphasis is on functionality, but everything gradually transforms, and the atmosphere becomes individual. Even minimalism can be cozy - according to your requirements.
The interior of a living room in gray tones is most often implemented in modern styles, where metal, concrete and glass predominate, where space and practicality, expressiveness, but not emotionality, are needed.
- High tech . The interior of the future, in which the functions of objects seem to be subordinate to a person, as soon as he thinks about his desires, is often done in pure colors - white and black. Gray is a halftone between contrasts, but in this case it is a harmonious shade of the metal parts presented in the living room. The interior is given dynamism by glossy surfaces, which, together with perfectly polished plastic, perfectly reflect light in such an environment.
- Loft . Concrete walls without finishing, brickwork, utilities in the vast space of workshops, abandoned to the “tearing apart” of the new owners - creative individuals with their own vision of comfort. Here gray acts as an inconspicuous background against which interior items of other shades look great.
- Underground . Against the canons and stereotypes is a style that can be distinguished by the rough finishing of concrete or brick walls, the simplest possible household items, the lack of decor combined with unexpected details - fittings, untreated wood stumps, cardboard boxes instead of cabinets. Very often, such an interior can be seen in rooms with low ceilings - in semi-basement rooms. But it is also chosen by non-standard individuals.
- Urbanism . A typical city living room is not complete without a smoky palette: there is concrete, metal structures, and glass. Mandatory elements of the interior remain city landscapes, bright elements, comfortable items - carpets, sofa cushions, anatomical chairs.
- Classic . Quite rarely, but you can still see a silver palette in this solemn, noble and elegant style. Here, on an ashy background, traditional white and gold pieces of furniture can be used, or more restrained, sophisticated sofas in charcoal or even black, natural wood models made from expensive species.
Of course, this is only a tiny fraction of the directions in which a room can be decorated. A living room in the style of minimalism, functionalism, contemporary, maximalism, etc. can be decorated in a light or dark graphite palette.
Today, stylistic canons are increasingly being erased and mixed, especially in directions that are similar in philosophy and form. These are eclectic, but most importantly - functional, comfortable, truly cozy interiors with individual features that the owners themselves introduce.
Classic and minimalism
Gray is highly respected by decorators and designers in both modern and classic interiors. There are many sources of its popularity, as it gives us many advantages:
- brings harmony;
- goes well with many other colors;
- is a universal background;
- very elegant.
The key to the desired effect lies in choosing the right furniture and accessories. Contemporary design is the realm of simple geometric shapes, fashionable and classic iconic furniture in a retro style.
Modern interior designers consider neatness, tranquility and harmony to be a popular trend. Gray in the living room is the perfect backdrop for exciting furniture and accessories. But everything must be chosen with great care and economy, so as not to disrupt the spatial order.
Gray in a minimalist version is, first of all, smooth walls without additional decor, simple furniture, modern lighting with a touch of industrial and practical accessories. Various shades of gray are intertwined here. Dark walls work well with a light gray sofa, and vice versa. Small rugs with geometric patterns are also recommended; they will make the design a little more dynamic and the room visually larger.
A gray living room is a great place to develop an eclectic style. Modern industrial design lighting can be introduced into a classic style room. A gray tufted sofa or retro furniture with sloping legs will add a touch of elegance.
Classic accessories and jewelry will effectively dilute the coldness and minimalism of gray. Thick curtains, wool blankets, gray knitted pillows or soft stools will look good here. Displays of black and white photographs are ideal for decoration. Grey, white and black are a great way to create an elegant, cozy, modern living room.
Living room in gray tones: photo selection of interesting ideas
Of course, you can talk about extraordinary solutions almost endlessly, but words still will not reflect the atmosphere created by the achromatic palette of gray halftones. Photographs of different design works will help you choose an interesting idea or combination, style or eclectic solution.
The photo shows a gray living room interior in high-tech style.
Here you will see how comfortable and harmonious ash interiors can be, both in the abundance of glass and metal, and in classicism with its velvet sofas and carved cabinets. A balanced and discreet color will appeal to people with incomes who do not want to “shout” about their well-being. It is in this range that the living room in your home can be designed if you want to achieve peace and comfort in a functional environment, subordinated only to your interests.
Gray furniture – what to choose?
Gray doesn't have to be limited to just the color of paint or wallpaper on the walls. Furniture in these shades is extremely fashionable today, which is not only elegant, but also very effective. As a rule, these are sets of upholstered furniture:
- sofa;
- armchair;
- and even a stylish table that can completely change the interior.
The range of shades of this color is considered extremely versatile and pairs particularly well with white and black.
No less interesting compositions with brown and natural wood colors - this combination visually warms the interior. Therefore, it is not necessary that the entire set of upholstered furniture be in one shade. Outside the sitting area, gray also looks great on the shelves of cabinets and chests of drawers. Bookshelves and cabinets in this color will look elegant and will not visually clutter the interior.
If the living room also houses a dining room, a gray table or chairs (preferably one, not both elements) will make the interior stylish and give it character.
Matte gray ceiling and purple walls
A controversial, but still possible solution would be to choose purple walls under a gray matte texture. Again, the interior will almost certainly turn out to be royal, but here you need to be clearly aware that even weak purple shades have a rather powerful effect on the human psyche, and therefore it is not recommended to play with them without consulting a designer.
The following interiors could only be created by a true master.
Fabrics and accessories
We often forget that the power lies in the additives, the unnoticeable design elements that often determine the character that an interior takes on.
If you decide to use light walls and furniture, it is better to choose textiles and accessories in much stronger colors. Dark curtains made of heavy material will be presented extremely stylishly.
Gray shades on lamps and chandeliers, especially on chrome and metal elements, will add elegance to the interior. Standout throw pillows and a blanket on the back of the sofa will encourage us to relax and spend time with family or friends in the living room.
An equally important element of the interior are wall decorations. Simple frames for photographs and paintings in various styles and several shades of gray, alternating with white, black and even gold frames will enliven the interior. Gray candles of different sizes and heights will look very stylish.
Shades of gray are slowly replacing beige and pastel colors, which were popular until recently, from the interior. The interior of the gray living room is very elegant, it meets the expectations of even the most demanding design lovers.
