VERY pretty! I think it brings a warmth and ties in your rug and table. Plus your art and toile drapes have more "pop" on a colored background. I personally LOVE gray

It is a subtle change but I think it looks great. It adds more interest to the area. Beautiful room BTW.

I really like it. It's a nice warm gray and brings out the other colors in the room. Which gray did you use?

wonderful color, it makes the fireplace stand out, love it.

Beautiful. You have lovely taste. I had seen your room before and liked it, but now it is even better. What a great piece the little desk is to the left of the FP! And the painting just takes my breath away.

Wasn't it Coco Chanel who said that when you are all dressed and ready, take one thing off? In your room I feel that way about the greenery. One less might be worth a try. I'd consider relocating the plant to the left of the painting, or at least using a plant that is a bit smaller or simpler.

It's a great room. What color grey did you use?

Frankly it's beautiful! I hadn't noticed the rug under the coffee table with the grays in it. I also like the small sculpture on the wall next to your DHs wonderful painting. just lovely! I want to know the color of gray too!

Ingrid - I like it! Could you take more photos at a different time of day so we can get a better feel for the gray?

What "make and model" of gray did you use?

Very nice!

Ingrid, I love the color.

You've taken a perfectly lovely room and added even more interest and depth.

Good job.

Very elegant! Great choice!

Jan

Gorgeous.
You added depth and life to an already pretty room, and brought out the color and patina of the things in front of it.
Well done!

Nice colour and room! Here are my 2 cents(may be 3)

I would suggest replacing the 2 plants and the centre piece on top of the fire place with some modern looking art work(sculptures or fancy pots). Especially, the plants are looking a bit old fashioned.

I would also suggest taking off the big plant next to the desk from the room(it looks fake and is spoiling the elegance of the room).

One last thing you might try is to put something next to the fire place on the curb. It might depend on how big/small art work you pick on top of the FP. I'm afraid, it might clutter up the whole look of the room but worth a try.

Sorry if Im too harsh, but you asked for it :)

The paint looks lovely, but that plant is still bothering me. Maybe someone can tell me why that is. It just looks out of place to me. I don't know, crowded I guess.

You do have a knack for decorating and it's so enjoyable looking at your handy work.

Looks wonderful! Of course, I'm partial to gray since that's what I painted my whole house when we built it 11 yrs ago. Still not tired of it--I'm only painting a few isolated rooms just to use "color" now that I'm not afraid of it (painting the basement "color" 2 yrs ago gave me the courage).

Good job!

Beautiful. I agree with others about the plant because it's obscuring that lovely piece of furniture.

I love the color there.

If the large plant is real, I'd keep it. If it's fake, out it would go.

Fascinating how much that simple change really beautifully compliments the fireplace! Started out for the painting but actually makes everything better! Well done, perfectly LOVELY!

I love it. I it was a beautiful room before, but somehow the gray really "finishes" (for lack of a better term) the room and adds to it. Great job! :-)

Very subtle but gives a wonderful depth to the room and makes everything else stand out. Great choice!

Aren't ya glad ya did? Looks great!

OOOooo.. I liked it before but love the new color!! Really compliments the room!

Like everyone else has said it really looks great and much more finished. The first thing I noticed with the gray walls is how the toile really stands on its own now rather than receding into the walls. The gray makes the colors of the art really look rich now. The gray give the room a "big hug".

Oh Wow! The grey makes the room sing and brings all the different elements into harmony. Beautiful! The only thing that upsets me is the placement of the plant by the desk, it seems to draw the eye away from the warm wood tones of the desk and away from your husband's art work, which I thought you wanted to feature. Could that plant live somewhere else? It's just to tall for the space.

Love it! Makes everything in your room just pop. May I ask what Gray you went with?

I really like it. The grey makes the fireplace look better, smaller and less dominating.

I really like the gray, and the way it frames the fireplace. Very pretty room!

Woo hoo! I love it, Ingrid! Very subtle but definitely makes a difference, don't you think?

How do you feel, living with the change?

Janice

LOVE IT! It's a subtle change but really makes finishes the room. It makes youre fireplace look new and fresh, too.

Ingrid
I always love seeing what you are up to. What a great visionary you are - glad you follwed through with it, Really suits the room well

I thought it looked good before but now it looks so much better. Its accents the fireplace so nicely and the gray looks nice with the red in your curtains. It really warms up the whole space....nice job.

I thought it looked good before but now it looks so much better. Its accents the fireplace so nicely and the gray looks nice with the red in your curtains. It really warms up the whole space....nice job.

Lovely!! Glad you went ahead and tried it...the room looks wonderful. Your painting has a nice backdrop and I really love the way the color brings out your curtains.

I like the color - subtle, but warm. I would do all the walls in the room in that color.

I would think about two other changes. Perhaps getting a pewter metallic finish paint for the fireplace screen to replace the gold, which will pull in the wall color.

The other thing would be to take thinned out paint in the gray, wash it over all the brick with a rag so it just stays in the mortar areas. Subtle but more depth to the brick.

I would agree that the plant would be better standing on the hearth rather than crowded against it. And, I would consider opening the desk, and looking for a curved chair to sit in front of it at an angle, to pick up on the curved chair in the painting. A small lamp on top of the desk, or a picture light above the art, would take that area out of the shadows.

A lovely space.

I saw this original post and didn't comment because I couldn't imagine what the gray would really look like, even with the helpful photoshopping someone did. Wow! It looks lovely. It is sophisticated and really makes that fireplace look great (as well as the painting which I know was what you were trying to showcase). Good job! It pays off to be brave sometimes! I need that reminder.

You can put away your brushes and rollers. This one's a keeper. Very warm and cozy, the fireplace stands out and so does that lovely picture. What did DH say, does he love/like it?

I never thought I would like gray walls, but the color you chose is perfect for your room and really warms up the room and makes it feel finished.

Thank you so much! I never expected unanimous approval and your comments were simply wonderful and heartwarming. I must say I love the change myself, and so does my husband.

For those of you who asked, the color I used was Behr's Pebble Stone but I had them make up the paint in Ralph Lauren's brand in semigloss, since I wanted a bit of sheen. However, after we put on two coats I felt the color was a bit too gray and cold. I took back the remainder of the gallon I had bought to Home Depot and asked them to warm up the tint a little bit more of what was left and painted the wall again with a brush. The change was very subtle but it did the trick.

I'm going to post more pictures tomorrow taken at different times of the day, with some changes I've made or am contemplating. I really appreciate your affirmation of my choice and also the helpful suggestions some of you have made about further changes.

late to this party, but chiming in with the rest: beautiful!

I really like the color and I think it works much better as a "room" color than it would have as an accent wall.

Ingrid, I liked your gray idea in the beginning, just not on one wall only. But now that you did the whole thing, it looks lovely. And you are so right! It's just paint. When you know you are ready, willing, and able, to repaint, it's so worth the trouble! Your matelasse looking chairs are very pretty too!

Red

Beautimous, Ingrid. Took your beautiful room to a new level.

Smiles:)

Yup! I agree -- beautiful. I love how it sets off the fireplace. Of course, I might be biased, having just chosen grey for the basic neutral of my new house!

Good choice!

I wanted to get a better shot of the walls but it's been extraordinarily difficult to portray the color as it really is. In truth, it's very much nicer in real life. I did try a few different looks for the mantel. The final look is with the small painting with water and ice floes which my husband painted in the middle, the green vase on the left (which looks much better that way) and the books on the right. The antique Chinese charger in now on the lower level of the coffee table. The faux plant by the secretary is back simply because my husband and I like it there, good taste and contrary opinions notwithstanding. I will look for another one that looks less faux and we're also looking for a picture light for the portrait. After this, I think I need a little rest before I tackle any more projects. I was still moving things around on the mantel after midnight!

The whole room looks so polished and pretty! Great idea!

Very pretty, a classic look! Gray is such a great color for balancing and contrasting with other colors, not only inside but in the garden as well.

I think the whole room is absolutely beautiful!

Disclaimer: IMO only! Love the gray, and now wondering if you did the whole area, including the wall that meets the red d.r? Here comes the IMO part...:>/ I felt that the white wall against the red was too stark a contrast and hoped you'd painted that wall gray as well? Harking back to the other post re. rules, I have read that connecting walls should be of the same, or similar depth of tone ( non pro terms here), though I fully realize it may be very different IRL in your home. Very pretty home, too:>)