I think it really depends on the specific warm colors themselvess, if you have honey orange oak, probably not, but if you have a darker brown oak, I think it could/would. I don't think it would work with gold drapes but with the chocolate, absolutely. We have SW Sea Salt in our master bath which I absolutely love. I put it with Indian Autumn slate which is all warm colors in the browns and beiges. Everyone including my DH and our contractor thought I was nuts, but in the end, it offers the perfect contrast and I'm glad I trusted my gut and stuck to my vision.

In regards to if you'll tire of it soon, only you can answer that. I think we always tend to gravitate to the colors we're most comfortable with. For example, I've always ended up gravitating towards blues/greens/yellows. A couple of years ago, I wanted a change and painted an accent wall a really pretty copper color I absolutely loved, with in a month, I knew I could not, would not live with it long term. I ended up painting it a creme color so I could keep other wall colors I already had in the room. All I can offer is that if you are looking for a color that will make you take a deep breath and feel at ease, SW Sea Salt is definitly the way to go! It's a very soothing color.

I'm in the same situation, susan. I have always leaned towards the warm colors, but am drawn to the gray-ish tones that have become popular. We all believe that we are above fads, but the switch from warm to cool colors has been happening over the last couple of years. The Apartment Therapy website, which trends young, has been showing cool colors for years, and Restoration Hardware's Silver Sage has also been popular for several years.

My plan is to try the gray-blue-green in a room that I can easily repaint on my own. The two-story foyer will remain undone until I figure it all out. When you realize how many shades of gray there are from silver to charcoal and all manner of undertones, you will realize that there is one that probably looks good with your furniture. One of the most sophisticated color schemes I ever saw was gray and creme.

I used to dislike gray too but since it's so in style I love it now. I am really grooving on grays and yellows.
Think gray river rock, yellow gold walls, etc. Or gray walls and warm rock.... And gray doesn't have to a cool color. Warm grays are beautiful.

lukkirsh , So Sea Salt is soothing? I think that helps, I like the walls to be the backround to the room, and not scream at me! In my house this color looks more blue green then grey. It looks great with the chocolate, and really pretty good up against the oak woodwork too. Do you have a picture of your room?

graywings, It's tru about the fads, by the time I start to like them they are going out of style, it takes me a while! (I still don;t like stainless steel appliances, but give me another year or two) I've been painting these walls a variation of the same golds and tans for the last 18 years. I should probably just try something diferent for a change!

bumblebeez, I usually decorate with browns, golds, greens and creams. The color looks blue/green to me and not grey. I think it's wierd that the way it looks on the swatch is nothing like the poster board I painted.

thanks for your thoughtful responses!

Susan, it's very very soothing and you're right, it doesn't look gray at all. It looks great with whites and chocolates; very subtle and pretty. It doesn't photo well because it's light and our bathroom is pretty small but tomorrow I'll see what I can do about trying to get a picture that really captures the color for you.

I am a long-time user of gray, it is my favorite color. Having had my last house predominantly gray in all rooms, I was able to use many variations of colors and styles. My current home has pale gray carpeting. Gray has a tendency to just disappear into the background, so that your walls are not the item that stands out, but the other decor you use in the room does. You can typically find fabrics in either warm or cool that also pair some gray into the design...these are the most complementary.

I am not a person that leans towards fads in colors or styles. My Mom has always said to me...why don't you get something new and modern and not so much gray...LOL. So in this house I am trying to swing out and use some different colors, but I would love to have the whole interior of my home painted gray. There is always the option of a gray room with an accent wall to blend in the predominant color in your decor.

I am not much help since I love gray...sorry. Go with the gray. ;-)

I just painted a blue green (or gray blue....or gray green with blue) in my new study. (More info when I'm done and photos ready.) I too, have been walking away from the grays and the blue greens but find myself now drawn to this fabulous array of colors and anxious to take a dip in the pool. First my kitchen went gray. Tried to go true gray but couldn't quite go over the edge. Seriously looked at dozens of chips and bought test paint of many of them. Some of the softer colors were good in the sunlight but really un-pretty in night time fluorescents.
BM Rivergorge Gray Kitchen
That's why I went with something a little deeper than I planned, to compensate for the lighting. When I started testing for this study redo, I used all the same quarts I had from the kitchen, as well as some BM sample jars, like Rockport Gray (too gray) and Sea Haze (too soft). When I found my color, it looked too dark and too blue. But with all the walls painted, it's wonderful. I would suggest that if you like the Sea Salt, pick up a quart, get out your rollers, and start in a corner. Work out from the corner to both walls covering as much ground as you can. Let dry a bit and see how it feels to you then.

And don't worry about being trendy. I've done a lot of thinking on this subject and have come to some realistic conclusions. Just like in the matters of hair, makeup, and clothing styles, we all tend to move forward with the fashion, while hanging onto the tried & true. I've had spiral permed big hair, dead straight long hair, wavy hair, and layered Farrah hair. But I always keep some real length. I don't like me in shorter styles, so no matter how cutting edge a short cut may be, it's not for me. And while I have hit the pavement in turquoise, reds, sunny yellows, and even a little orange, based on colors available in all the latest styles, I Depend on Black & Browns to bring me through. I never give them up no matter what the fashion prediction. So, I don't feel at all 'faddish' in my new-found interest in grays and grayed blues, etc. These colors have been around forever. They look good with the dark wood furniture that is my signature, and they shine with antiques and warm colored accessories. I don't want to stay stuck in 1998 and neither should you.

Red

I have a similar situation and tried going grey. It just didn't work in our warm rooms. I compromised and tried a brown grey and it works. It has more of a modern trendy look, but works with my furnture and oak trim.

I love grey-- I've had a grey bedroom. But then, grey's a color I wear, so naturally I like in on my walls. If your furniture looks great, but you look like a corpse in grey, why would you chose it?

Wow Red - you're really killing me! Or are you just holding off so as not to sway me knowing how close to the end I am? If that's the case I really appreciate your consideration!

I love greys and have tried them many a time. Either I was always picking the wrong shades of grey or I couldn't get the look together enough if that makes sense. I also really liked aqua shades w/ grey in them but hated them on the walls.

Although I am a 'warm feeling' kind of girl I can't live in warm colored environments like golds and reds - always made me too jumpy. But blues and greys made me feel so cold.

I finally figured out the taupey greys and feel that I have been able to successfully transition them from grey in one room to brown in another. I let DS1 help pick the color for their TV/ Game room this wknd and he picked a clear as day aqua and I realized that my entire upstairs now is a shade of blue from blue - blue to grey/green - blue and I love it all. Most importantly I Was able to incorporate a sense of warmth into every room.

Each grey or taupey grey is so easy to live w/!

Hi Susan, Here are some pictures of Sea salt in our master bath. It's a light color and photos light so I tried to get shots where it's next to things that high light it. Hope these help. It's such a soothing color I can't imagine ever tiring of it.

LOVE the grays!

Wow Lukkiirish, your bath is just beautiful. That color looks wonderful with your warm tones. Thanks so much for going to all the trouble of getting a picture for me!

And thanks everyone for taking the time to respond!

I had to dig for this thread, but when I came across this blog, I had to post! ;o)

Here is a link that might be useful: lovely gray

Nice blog, Patty.
I wish people would quit posting nice grays. I keep sitting on the sofa looking at my living room and wondering if it's time for repaint.............

Red

I painted with a paint from Valspar, but mixed by BM. It is called Coastal Villa. I needed it to be a taupe. I really like it. Although with those funky energy saving lights that dh is sticking everywhere, the color seems odd in the family room area..shhhh don't tell--I've replaced all the bulbs with the GE Reveal bulbs. I'm very happy now. shhhhh

It doesn't photograph well, here's a picture of when I was sticking it up on the wall, you can see it against the white trim.

{{!gwi}}

my house is mainly warm colors, greens, golds, burgandy and I love it. But I have been really gravitating towards greys. I started adding it when DH went and bought a very large silver flat screen tv for my den so thought I could "try" to decorate around it. I just painted my 1/2 bath BM Stonington Grey and fell in love. So then I painted my spare bedroom BM Grey Owl (more blue than grey in my room?)and now I am getting ready to paint my upstairs bath a grey/blue/green color that has not been picked out yet. I say go for it. even using the greys I am still able to bring in my warm colors so it's a win win

Susanilz5, I could have written your original post! That's exactly how I have been feeling! 10 years ago, I would not even use taupe inside my house because it looked gray! Every light tile I brought home I didn't like because there always seemed to be a gray undertone. I didn't use white fixtures in my bathroom because I thought they looked gray instead of white!

I picked out some paint chips today in the gray family, showed them to my sister and she got a funny look on her face and said, "They're too gray! That's not you!" I told her "Gray is the new beige."

I actually put a post on the kitchen forum about using a gray/blue/green with my oak cabinets and only got one response--SW's anew gray (which I haven't checked out yet).

However, my dilemma would be transitioning from a gray room into my other warm colored rooms and how to make that work. I'm not sure I'm capable, but I think I could get by using it in a bathroom or bedroom because they are destination rooms and not rooms connected to multiple rooms like a kitchen or family room might be.

Good luck! I'll be anxious to see your results.

I never realized how much I like grey toned paints. My last living room color was a green/grey and am still drawn to that. I think greyish tones are calming. I just re-painted my bedroom from bright yellow to Farrow and Ball stony ground, which is a soft taupe. It's just so soothing.

beekeeperswife - that looks wonderful!

We have the tendency to use taupey grays like RH Graphite which we used in our guest br, Our hall bath has just received it's first paint since we moved in to our home. We went with Behr Wheat Bread (which is a grayish taupe) on the ceiling and painted the vanity the same. Hazelnut Cream for the walls. Silvery Gray shower curtain. It's actually calming and very pretty. I have to take pictures one of these days.

I love the color SW sea salt but I don't really consider it gray. I think it will become much more of a blue/green color when use on the walls, very spa/calm like. I love to see gray used with a burst of color and I also love the newer grays with a little brown mixed in. I think this is a great example of gray with a burst of color.

When we were building 13 yrs ago, we were tired of "builder beige" and so decided on a taupy gray for our all-over color (it was an MAB paint color called 'soft smoke' at 50%). I loved it. It's a great neutral for my love of earthy greens, eggplant, pumpkin colors. The carpet in the greatroom was a slightly darker gray/brown--like weathered barn wood. Everyone loved it. We're wanting something different in our new build/new location, but whenever I get doubts about what I want, I find myself wandering back to this color--cherry wood furniture looks great against it.

jilljohn-my Stoning grey 1/2 bath is right off of the hallway and den which are painted SW Whole Wheat and it looks wonderful together. Is a matter of fact I decorated that bath with tan and burgundy and it's beautiful

{{!gwi}}

A grey day on Royal Street New Orleans, La.

{{!gwi}}