Gray is stylistically versatile, does not put pressure on the psyche, and goes well with any shades. We will tell you how to create a stylish interior that will not bore you for a long time with the help of neutral walls.
Unlike furniture and décor, the finish will not be able to be changed often. So that the palette does not irritate and does not get boring over time, it is worth choosing universal colors. Today we turn to the classics — we tell you how to decorate gray walls in the interior so that it turns out cozy and not boring.
A variety of shades
Gray seems nondescript until you know how many different shades it has. Since it is obtained from an equal combination of red, blue, and green, the number of possible halftones is even more difficult to calculate. This also gives it color versatility – it can be perceived as both warm and cold, as well as go equally well with colors of any temperature.
When choosing it as the main color of the walls, you need to know that the light gray color of the walls works in the same way as white – it visually enlarges the space, and fills it with air and light. Dark tones create an intimate chamber atmosphere and add depth to the room.
The choice of a cool or warm shade depends on the design objectives, the combination with other colors and textures, as well as the lighting of the room. If the windows face south or southeast, you can safely use cold variations of light gray. If there is little natural light in the room, it is better to choose a subtone with warm notes.
Shades to look out for:
- Mother-of-pearl is a light tone, significantly diluted with white, with silvery inclusions. It looks good when paired with blue, red, or beige, as well as in combination with marble and “warm” precious metals (or their imitation).
- Lead, anthracite, wet stone, asphalt – dark, brutal shades that go well with the same rough textures (concrete, stone, brick).
- Steel is a medium shade that, as the name implies, looks organically in the neighborhood of steel and chrome elements, as well as with black, white, and blue.
- Marengo is a dark, densely diluted blue tone, which can be called the “color of a stormy sea wave”. It looks great in intimate rooms (for example, in the bedroom) and goes well with colors that are close in the spectrum: emerald, bottle, dusty green, as well as with cool brown.
- Dark forest, toad in love, verdigri, and biscuit are warmer variations with a predominant gray-green undertone.
Combination Options
What color does grey go with? With almost anyone!
The achromatic nature makes it the perfect neutral background that accentuates other colors and can be a connecting element if the palette is complex and varied. Let’s take a look at a few popular combinations and what effect they have.
Best Combinations:
- With blue or light blue is a cold combination that is associated with the sky (clear or stormy, depending on which variant of blue or light blue is used) and nature. Makes the room visually more spacious and cool. This is a great option for a kitchen, a room with low ceilings, or a south-facing room.
- With purple – in any variations, from lavender to eggplant. It is a fashionable and spectacular combination, but here it is important not to overdo it with the amount of purple, since it is quite active on the psyche.
- Yellow is also a classic pair, which you can’t do without if you want to add freshness, brightness, and sunshine to the room, even when it is not outside the window. Such a combo is often found in modern and Scandinavian styles.
- With beige, some may find it boring, but the gray-beige color of the walls is the perfect neutral background for any interior. It does not draw attention, does not irritate, and adds warmth to the palette.
- With black and white, either simultaneously or separately, this is the basic combination on which any monochrome interior is built. Moreover, within this combination, several intermediate shades of each of the colors can be used at once – so the design becomes more interesting and dynamic, especially when coupled with active and diverse textures.
- Pink is another popular pair that is often used in the design of the bedroom, nursery, or bathroom. To achieve the desired atmosphere, it is better to take a dusty pink one, and a neutral or pearlescent gray one.
Materials
Most wall finishing materials are produced in gray.
Paint
The most popular and versatile finishing method. Painting can be complete or mixed: for example, combine 2-3 colors on one wall or combine painting with wallpaper, panels, or tiles. In classic and neoclassical, the paint is complemented by moldings and other stucco décor.
You can choose any shade: there are dozens of them in the lines of different manufacturers. The same goes for the finish: there are matte, semi-matte, and glossy compounds that create the appropriate effect. And, of course, the main advantage of paints is that they can be used in any room. For wet areas (kitchen, bathroom, hallway), special moisture-resistant paints are produced.
Wallpaper
Another popular finishing material that used to be used mainly only in living rooms.
Now there are dozens of varieties of wallpaper, many of which are washable, moisture-resistant, and suitable for wet areas. Therefore, such decoration can be found not only in the living room or children’s room, but also in the hallway, and sometimes even in the kitchen or bathroom.
Since the achromat itself is quite calm and neutral, it is desirable to complement it with either a pronounced texture or a pattern so that the space does not look sad. In the living room or bedroom, it can be wallpaper with beautiful glossy embossing or a large plot. Geometry and abstraction look laconic and at the same time bright, especially if the interior is decorated in a classic style. And for an accent wall, you can choose canvases with a contrasting pattern, where gray is complemented by other, brighter colors.
Tile
Ceramic tiles and their closest relative, porcelain tiles, have been and continue to be the optimal materials for finishing wet and dirty areas. These traditionally include a bathroom, a hallway, and a kitchen.
Manufacturers offer hundreds of design options, materials differ not only in shade, but also in shape, size, the presence of an ornament, and the finish. Of course, tiles have the greatest variety of models, but porcelain stoneware is usually produced in the format of imitation of some natural texture. Gray tones are used for marble-like coatings and various types of stone.
Plaster
Decorative plaster has excellent technical characteristics and also gives a unique relief.
Such walls look textured, attract the eye, and do not require additional bright accents, contrasting patterns, etc. There are many different coatings: Venetian, concrete, stone, craquelure, and bark beetle.
Plaster can be used in different rooms, you just need to choose the type of material for the appropriate conditions. For example, for the kitchen, hallway, and bathroom, it is better to choose an acrylic or mineral composition, as they are suitable for wet areas.
Examples of Different Rooms
And now let’s look at photos and ideas on how to use and combine gray walls in each room.
Grey walls in the kitchen
Grey walls in the kitchen interior are a practical and versatile solution. Against this background, both light and dark sets look good, as well as any furniture for a dining group.
Important things to consider:
- Light wallpaper or paint will make a small kitchen look bigger.
- It is better to make the ceiling a couple of shades lighter, the universal option is neutral or milky white.
- On the contrary, it is desirable to make the floor a little darker so that you get a natural color gradation from bottom to top.
Classic combinations for the kitchen: beige, blue, green, and yellow, as well as black and white.
In the living room
The grey walls in the living room give real room for creativity.
Here are a few rules for pairing with other elements:
- The floor can be anything: both in the tone of the finish and lighter or darker. If the flooring is a neutral color, you can brighten up the environment with a carpet.
- It is better to make the ceiling, as in the kitchen, lighter. In a classic living room, decorative stucco is always used, in modern styles, the ceiling surface, as a rule, is smooth and as inconspicuous as possible.
- Furniture can be chosen with both neutral and bright, accents. The palette is selected based on the temperature of the colors used. So, for example, wooden furniture goes well with dusty warm tones of gray (interspersed with yellow and brown).
- If a completely monochrome finish seems too gloomy, you can dilute it with a bright accent or decorative panels. The combination of several materials and variations of gray (both in decoration and in different elements: it can be furniture, curtains, décor) also looks interesting.
In the bedroom
With the help of gray walls in the interior of the bedroom, it is easy to create an atmosphere of comfort – the main thing is to choose the right color and use as many warm and soft textures in the room as possible.
When choosing a cold or warm tone, focus on the location of the room: if the windows face north, it is better to use wallpaper or paint with an admixture of orange or yellow. But deeper, darker, and more saturated varieties of color will help to “dim” a bedroom with large windows and good natural light.
If the bedroom is small, you can hide the real boundaries by choosing one shade or several adjacent ones for decoration and furniture, as well as using mirror surfaces. In this way, you can “dissolve” a spacious wardrobe and other furniture in the space.
In the case when there is enough free space, and you prefer modern restrained trends in the design of your home (loft, high-tech, minimalism), then you can level the feeling of empty space and cold with the help of natural fabrics, soft diffused light, live plants, and natural textures: for example, wood.
In the bathroom
A gray bathroom looks stylish and noble, this range is inherent in many interior styles: from traditional classics to minimalism or Scandi.
- The most popular design option is large-format porcelain tiles with a natural texture of stone, marble, or concrete.
- For a more decorative finish, you can take tiles with a beautiful glossy finish, interesting shapes or patterns.
- In addition to the shower or bathtub itself, where it is still better to use ceramics, the walls in the bathroom can be painted in a beautiful shade of gray. If desired, you can add panels or moldings.
In the hallway
Gray walls in the hallway are quite common. Since it is a neutral color, it is suitable for decorating the entrance area in any style.
As a general rule, it is better to make the ceiling lighter than the rest of the finish. But the floor in the hallway can be made in the same color. This is a “dirty” area, instead of parquet or laminate flooring, tiles or porcelain stoneware are most often laid here.
For the design of the hallway in a classic style, light elegant colors are well suited: mother-of-pearl, pigeon’s wing color, and biscuit. The color of the finish is supported by noble materials (stone, marble, natural wood) and appropriate décor.
