Decorating with gray walls

9 years ago

We are in the final stages of renovating our kitchen, powder room, dining room, and family room. We chose (on the advice of our designer) to go with variations of gray in all the rooms - some darker than others. Our kitchen and dining room (open floor plan) are Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray, and the family room is Timberwolf. Our powder room has a little more tan in the gray, called Edgecomb Gray.

We have white trim, and Jacobean wood floors throughout. Our kitchen has white shaker cabinets, a Pietra perimeter counter, a Carrara island top, and the backsplash are 1x2 Calacatta Gold tiles. We have stainless steel appliances.

Here's my dilemma: Prior to this cool, clean look, everything was full of color. My family room was earthy browns, golds and reds. The dining room (before taking down a wall) used to be a living room and it was greens, blues, and had an eggplant couch (it worked!! Really!). The kitchen was sunny and yellow with lots of vibrant colors.

My paintings, pillows, and various decor all go with these color themes. Additionally, my sectional in the family room is chocolate brown leather and we've an got espresso colored wood entertainment center. Those two items still work well in the family room.

So where do I go now? I have a buffet and hutch that was in my kitchen that I now need to either say goodbye to or put in my basement because it's a sea foam green that just does not work any longer. I really still want color!! I want to warm and cheer it up. It's going to be gorgeous, but I have no idea how to decorate with this palette other than more gray and white and black. I really need to warm things up. I'm left wondering what I was thinking when we went along with the gray. Gorgeous, but not practical with our current decor.

Ideas, please!!! Thanks so much!!

Featured Answer

Annie Deighnaugh

9 years ago

Here are the colors that palettefx pulled out of the klimt..what a gorgeous palette to work with.

This post was edited by AnnieDeighnaugh on Tue, Oct 14, 14 at 17:41

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Comments (15)

caminnc
9 years ago
Just use a palette of gray, white and black. Pick one bright color out of one of your favorite paintings and accessorize with that color. Bright green, orange or bright blue seems to work well. Keep it rather simple and don't overdo it. Sounds like a great house.
juliekcmo
9 years ago
My previous home had a lot of your previous colors.

My current home of 1 year we have all gray except for the kitchen.

My opinion is that a lot of your previous stuff probably went with Gold, and now you need to banish that in place of Silvery or Black or Bronze.

So the browns will work fine, the violets will work, and the reds may or may work. Greens may or may not.

I would also suggest bringing in some creamy ivory to replace the golds, as it softens the cool pallet of the gray and warms it up, yet is a non-color that helps marry things together.

Also an inky indigo navy is a nice easy to use color that will probably go with most of your stuff, and add some depth.

I would eliminate all accessories first, and use furniture that you like that works with the gray.

Then I would add in accents like pillows, throws, and candles that are new that help tie it all together.

For wall art, look at both the frames and the images. If the problem is the matting or frames, consider changing those.

Also, there is a great product called Rub and Buff that is a hand applied metallic colorant that you can use to change the colors of things like picture frames. It comes in a small tube (get it at craft stores like Michaels in the art paint aisle). For our bath mirror that was gold gilded, I first painted the frame white to match our trim, and then lightly added rub and buff in satin silver on the raised edges to change it to silver. Super easy.
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Annie Deighnaugh
9 years ago
We are into warm and cozy, and while the grays can look very attractive, they don't quite yield the same warm and cozy feeling. So I think you will need to add color to make the grays come to life...let them be the neutral background to the colors you love.

As a neutral, grays can work with any color. Go to houzz.com and look up rooms with gray walls...in fact you can look up the specific colors in your rooms to see what others have done.

You can go bright...

[Contemporary Dining Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-dining-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_722~s_2103) by Edina General Contractors REFINED LLC

You can add warmer neutrals like beige

[Transitional Dining Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/transitional-dining-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_722~s_2112) by Toronto Interior Designers & Decorators TheDesigners

Or you can bring in warmth by mixing it with gold tones

[Contemporary Dining Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-dining-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_722~s_2103) by Carlsbad Interior Designers & Decorators Klang & Associates

Or go deeper with your accent colors, like this lovely aubergine. (Fair warning...I am in my purple phase.)

[Contemporary Dining Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-dining-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_722~s_2103) by Ottawa Interior Designers & Decorators Laura Boisvert Designs

Look for fabrics that may combine gray with another color that you like...

Or look to artwork...

or go to design-seeds.com for color inspiration...you'll see there's lots to mix with the grays to warm them up.
musicteacher
9 years ago
Probably not the vogue now, but I love pink and coral with with grey, and even bright yellow. In small doses - flower arrangements or pillows, they could really warm up your room.
joaniepoanie
9 years ago
You mention you will have gold tile in your BS....pick up the gold/yellow in the rest of the downstairs. My main floor is this color palette...similar to Annie's 3rd picture. The gold/yellow brings warmth to all the spaces.
peachmarie
Original Author
9 years ago
Can I just hire you all? haha! Great suggestions, and beautiful photos. Thanks so much!!! :) I feel so much better . . .
peachmarie
Original Author
9 years ago
So in going with the first poster, caminnc, and Annie's purple (which I love, btw!!), I'm looking at a Klimt print we had hanging in our family room and intend to keep in there. I've attached an online photo of it. It's got purple and gold and I do think those colors would look really nice with the dark browns I have in that room and the gray. What do y'all think? I can work off that for the rest of my decor in there :)

This post was edited by peachmarie on Tue, Oct 14, 14 at 12:16
peachmarie
Original Author
9 years ago
I'm excited about checking out design-seeds.com!! that's exactly what I need!
rightdi_gw
9 years ago
Can you share photos?? I am going through the same transition. My current house has red, green, mustard walls (it worked, really!). I was going for the same greigey look in my new house. Dark cabinets, light counter in the kitchen and was looking for greys on the wall. The colors that I have envisioned as possible accents are: lime, navy, and chartreuse. In fact, I remember seeing a picture of a similar color palette and they had a large clear glass vase full of real lemons. The pop of color looked spectacular. Please, please, please post pictures!! :)
mercurygirl
9 years ago
Beautiful print, peachmarie. I love neutral grays and think you will too. Remember to use texture in rooms, natural materials, soft pillows/blankets, etc. Post pics when you can!
sparklebread
9 years ago
Apple green, purple and orange seem to in my gray sunroom, at least I "think" it does.

The sectional fabric was a small reddish check which actually held up quite well, so well that I had a hard time justifying the expense of having it redone. The fabric on the wing chairs (which you can't see), were a red/gold/green combo. I finally just went ahead and had everything reupholstered in a Sunbrella neutral figuring I can change up the look when I get tired of the gray walls.

This post was edited by sparklebread on Tue, Oct 14, 14 at 14:25
sparklebread
9 years ago
Apple green and black seem to work well my kitchen which happens to be painted BM Edgecomb Gray! The walls are EG in our family room as well- navy and apple green look great in there.

This post was edited by sparklebread on Tue, Oct 14, 14 at 14:13
bbtrix
9 years ago
I think using the colors in your print is a great idea and will go well with your wall colors. I have SW Collonade Gray, Agreeable Gray, and Exclusive Plum in my open concept kitchen, dining, living space. What I love most is how it changes with light, time of day, and the other colors you introduce to the room. Grays are very versatile to decorate around. I'm using the colors in my floral arrangement as my scheme: plum, with soft mustard, and celery accents. I haven't permanently placed anything yet and won't until I decide on my ceiling lights. Here are some of the mixed materials I am using, mahogany, ebony, walnut, cherry, and marble. The gold mirror is a must for me. I think I'm placing it in my dining area. It adds a warm glow and completely changes the gray.
Annie Deighnaugh
9 years ago
The klimt is a fine color inspiration...love the teal with the purple....what an interesting combo. Why not have a famous artist as your "color advisor!"