I have to agree. Grays are trendy colors right now, but I find them very depressing, even blue grays and green grays. Why not a creamy color that will compliment your floors? Or maybe a blush/shell color?
Diane

My $.02 are about the same as Jen's. Although I like 'greyed' colors, I don't like grey. For me it's directly related the sun - if I lived where the sun shines 300 days of the year I might (big might) not have a problem with grey walls but there's enough grey here in the winter that I have to offset it with color.

Can you kind of segue into the greyed blues to stay with your coastal theme?

I live in So. Cal., and I'm going to inject a different perspective to the mix. Our yard is a RIOT of bright, bright green. Huge green lawn backing to a gorgeous, but bright green overgrown wilderness hill in the back, and a huge green lawn and giant gum trees in the front. The color outside is always -- except in the very deadest part of winter -- Bright blue sky and bright green.

The gray-blue color I used in my kitchen (BM Pigeon Gray -- a smidge grayer than the Feather Gray you used) is a necessary calming oasis from all that riot of color going on outside. I think if you take a look at coastal living shelter mags you will see a lot of subdued and mellow colors -- pale grays, greens, blues, -- even the yellows and pinks are pale and blue-toned. The reason is that the house does not need to compensate for the dreariness of its surroundings, and it should not compete with the riot of color that is coastal living. Sunny coastal homes can get away with grays on the wall because of the sunny outside. I would not wear yellow sunglasses outside. For the same reason, I do not want yellow walls competing with the bright beauty of my location.

It depends on what part of the coast you live on. When we lived near the beach in Santa Monica, California, the sun seldom came out until late afternoon during most of the year. I was SO bummed every morning when I looked out on another cool, gray day. Some people love it, but not me. We had to move inland. My friends who live in Irvine have a lot more sun than we did in SM.

So think about the weather and how much sunlight you get where you live. I've noticed recently that the magazines are showing white and cream walls again, with colors in furniture and accessories.

Here is a link that might be useful: lots of pale gray AND creamy whites

Bring the sunlight in!
A custardy yellow mellow is my sugestion for the living or dining. It is cheerful, and looks great with chocolate brown.
..And also looks great with Grey.

There are lots of colors that will go with what you're using but you should take into account other items of color such as rugs. Are you going to have any in your DR?

You may want to check out Martha Stewart's paint line that I saw in a Sherwin Williams store. It had a beautiful mix of colors that would work well in coastal homes.

As wooderlander said, the colors that are going to work best depend on the total amount of sunlight you get.

I also agree with the comment that white and cream are making a comeback. I noticed a lot of it in the new Street of Dream homes this year.

I think that gray can be a wonderful cool, calm and very sophisticated background.

Add sparkle with silver or gold.

Add visual depth with dark oil rubbed bronze, black and deep brown or deep ocean blue.

Add textures with silk, leather, wood or glass.

Add a "pop" of color (yes I do know that a dreaded cliche here at GW) with lime green, brighter blue, yellow, orange -- depending on the season. And -- of course -- fresh sparkling white!

Add artworks, photos, fabric, area rugs etc.

I agree with teacats.

I third the motion with Teacat and Caminnc.

There is nothing cold with the picture Caminnc posted.

Here's a fourth..

I love the grays in both cold weather and warm weather. I find them comforting. I tend to grays with a hint of color but love all the grays.

Do you look good in grey? I love grey, as a room color and in clothing. But if the color isn't flattering to you, why would you want it on your walls?

ideefixe makes an excellent point. I choose colors in my home that I also choose in my wardrobe -- blues, grays, blacks, whites, and rich reds. Most greens and yellows are very unflattering on me, and I am in the process of eradicating all yellow and poo-brown (that greenish brownish color) walls in our house. :)

The wall color is a backdrop for the furnishings of the room, so the room need not be drab or depressing just because the walls are neutral and in a gray.

I like gray walls. I never thought about it like that, but I agree with sarschlos_remodeler that it can be a needed contrast to the outdoors. I guess that's why I like the gray in my kitchen. Summer here is bright, scorching, and my kitchen faces northwest and can get really hot, but the gray seems cool and soothing.

I was thinking of painting my bedroom gray, but everything I have goes with a brown tone. But the bedroom also faces west and is so hot in the afternoon if I forget & leave the blinds open. Now I'm rethinking gray for the serenity factor.

Wow! I certainly came to the right spot for expert opinions. You guys are great! Just to clarify... Im on the East Coast (CT to be exact.) The living/dining room windows face to the East.
dlm200- I love the concept of "grayed colors", Im going to have to explore that further. Do you have any recommendations?
sarschlos-BM pigeon gray sounds promising. Do you have any pics you wouldn't mind posting?
marthaelena- "mellow yellow" is a color i would never even have considered, but I am now intrigued. Do you have any specific BM colors you could recommend?
caminnc- love the pic! Thanks so much for posting it. Very close to my intended design. Like the punch of red!

I just painted my DS(14) bedroom a dark gray and his bathroom a lighter gray. I was really hesitatant since DH says gray is depressing. I disagree, this might have to do with that he grew up in Mass. and I grew up in So. Ca. After seeing DS's room, DH is now a gray convert. It's not depressing whatsoever and it actually looks very sophisticated. If I could do it over, I would paint the interior walls of my home the colors that I favor and always wear. My wardrobe consist of grays, blacks and blues. My home on the other hand is very earthy (olive/taupe, greens, yellow/golds, browns) colors I never wear. I think, I always thought grays, blacks etc. were cold and modern but you can make grays and blues very warm and inviting. It all comes down to what you like and what makes you feel relaxed.

I like grays a lot and have had either great success failed miserably w/ them.

I tend to like grays w/ a fair amount of taupe in them (those have been my success stories). From the old MS line at SW (it has been discontinued) Sandpiper was one of my favorites. In fact I am repainting my DR w/ it right now. I love the set color of Martha's show. You may want to check out the MS colors at Lowes. I just picked up a bunch of samples in the gray and taupe gray range. They look wonderful w/ my ironstone.

As Teacats suggested add sparkle w/ silver or gold. I like antique gold and pewter w/ taupe grays. Black is also wonderfully grounding in any room.

I am also painting my LR BM Pismo Dunes.

I'll agree with many of you... my wardrobe colors are mostly blacks, grays, browns, greens and especially blues. After my latest quest to the BM store, I came back armed with TWO possible colors for the living room/dining room combo. BM's Spring Bud & Nantucket Breeze. Anyone have any experience using these colors? Any thoughts on how either color would look with gray tones? TIA

We're using Litchfield Gray from BM's historic colors as our main interior color (living room, dining room, foyer, family room, all hallways, and laundry closet). It's a light-toned gray taupe. Gorgeous color, and it works really well with our BM Pigeon Gray kitchen. I'm now on the search for a light gray to use in our guest bathroom, which is visible from the family room. So far I've struck out, so suggestions are welcome. :)

BTW -- when you get your colors picked out, if you're going to use BM, use their Aura paint. We've used Aura in a matte finish in the kitchen, guest room and now our main living area (in progress). I love that I can use a matte finish in wet rooms and the kids' rooms, and still have total scrubbability, plus it has this great powdery soft finish. I'm doing the painting by my self (with "help" from my little helper monkeys), and it has been very easy to use -- no drips, very forgiving. I'm just loving it. :)

Grey is a very reflective color so it changes with the light in the room, It can go warm or cool depending upon the amount of natural light and can also create a shadowed feeling. I use a lot of grey personally, but some people do find it affects their mood on cloudy days. Very sophisticated in the right space and in the hands of an expert who can watch and correct the shades throughout the day and even through warmer sunnier months and cooler rainier months when the color will change dramatically.If I were in the process of doing a beach property, I'd avoid all beachey themed decorating options and turn to the colors and look of the Restoration Hardware palette for sophisticated casual elegance. Check out the colors online and do look at the towels for their graduated colors too. The sunny sandy ivories, subtle greyed seaglass blues and greens, driftwood and beachgrass cocoas all blend and compliment each other and will create a seamless look when moving from one room to another and when seeing one room from another too. Choose a silver sage with a creamy ivory trim in one room and then move on to an ivory room where there is less light and more brightness needed and accent with silver sage and cocoa. Choose three colors you love and use them in all the rooms in different applications and you'll love the clean sophisticated pulled together look. Punch up the serene colors with bright sunny accessory pillows on neutral linen upholstery and add some sparkle and shine with mercury glass, that has that subtle gold and silver distressed finish. Large inexpensive clear vases from pier 1 or world market filled with fresh flowers that are anchored in tumbled stones (buy them by the bag) add another pop of color, fragrance and a natural element for not much money. Add large mirrors to reflect light and your beautiful view. Colorful oversized artwork and photography will also add personalization, punctuation and color to the spaces. Simple squared wood gallery framing is the way to go with artwork, no gold, silver or ornate carving, and groupings would be very dramatic especially if spotlighted from a directional ceiling spot. Keep things clean and uncluttered and the lighting adjustable from bright to dim with white or ivory linen shades. Window treatments should be simple, solid, natural fabrics like a linen scrim and not obstructive to your views in any way. If budget permits, stain the oak floors a deeper brown, or go with a newly popular bleached, pickled finish. Watch the colors outside your windows too for inspiration. Most people forget that windows are the "other" walls in the room and the colors you see outside are the colors you're also incorporating into your color scheme. Hope this helps in some way.

Others upthread have posted great advice. Despite living in the (grey and rainy!) PNW and a prewar house that's rather dark, I do use grey and many greyed colors. I will say the weather here has "forced" me to turn to warmer shades too...I just pair them with the brights and cools I prefer.

Growing up I took many a holiday trip to my CT relatives, and you all get a lot more sun in the winter than we do -- I bet your place looks great. Flooring has such a big impact on one's overall impression, too -- and you've got that butterscotch oak to help out!

Terracotta shades are gorgeous against grey and would pair well with your dark chocolate furniture and warm floors.

And you could definitely think about a pale yellow as mentioned. Just be warned that yellow intensifies like crazy when it gets on four walls etc.

Mr Vix and I recently gutted our small, DARK 70s bath, and I purposely chose a "linen" tile that looks pale yellow in our space...then paired it with a grey floor and shower pan, greyed blue/green walls, and a dark vanity:

If possible, pick a cream or manila folder-looking shade to test and paint as much two adjoining walls as you can. You've got space and I assume a fair amount of light between the connecting rooms, so trust me: start with a barely-there yellow and go from there.

Again, my bias, but you could go with a medium greyed blue-green too. I love my BR color and have seen similar ones used in living area with great success:

Not the greatest shot below, but it's my grey hallway through to the green bedroom:

Good luck, and please let us know how your project ends up!

I was looking through some Swedish rooms a while back and saw a lot of gray used. They were not depressing rooms at all, often light and fresh. They need to counteract the lack of light there, also, which is interesting.

One of the most charming homes I have ever been in was a home I was looking at to buy. It was totally done in gray, carpet and paint but all the furniture and detail were so gorgeous, that it just served as a palette for the charming collection of items the homeowner had from around the world, and the rooms did not have a lot of light. In fact, it was almost cottage-like with low light, but the effect was gorgeous. I wish I could have gone back and looked and looked and looked at that house to figure our exactly how she had done it, but it was simply beautiful. Her drapes throughout were all white slubbed silk even in the cottage-type rooms with collected items from around the world but very traditional soft and casegoods.

Thank you all for the GREAT feedback + pics. As many of u suggested, I think I'm going to go with a subtle grayed sage-y green color. I'm thinking I will use BM Gray Cashmere. It seems to have received high marks on this site.