Grey neutral living room
30 inspiring ways to use this versatile shade |
(Image credit: Interior by Tracy Morris / photograph by Greg Powers)
Grey living room ideas are timeless and versatile, so it’s no wonder they’re also hugely popular.
Used on walls, grey is a brilliant neutral base for layers color, print as part of a characterful scheme and can be used to create myriad living room looks from cozy and cocooning to chic and dramatic depending on the tone and temperature you choose. However it can also a popular choice for furniture, too.
Whether you’re looking to redesign a room or update your living room ideas with a few key pieces then these grey living room ideas and expert tips are guaranteed to get you inspired.
Grey living room ideas – 27 inspiring ways to use this versatile shade
When it comes to decorating a grey living room, choosing the warmth and the depth of grey is the best place to start – you can use the color wheel to achieve this effortlessly.
Shades of grey can range enormously, from cooler tones to warmer 'greige' hues – a mix of beige and grey – to those with yellow and red undertones. While cool greys dominated for some time, warmer greys are securing their place as the new neutral for those thinking of decorating with grey, explains Ruth Mottershead, creative director of Little Greene .
'Grey has universal appeal, serving as a timeless and elegant backdrop upon which to build character, however we are seeing a move towards warmer stone toned greys, which offer a sense of comfort. Dolphin, Serpentine, Grey Moss are becoming the go-to colors for creating a sense of cosiness in living rooms whilst still delivering the sophistication and elegance that grey offers.'
There's nothing more timeless than living room color scheme in this neutral shade. Here, we show you how to use grey in all its guises.
1. Go for a layered grey living room scheme
(Image credit: Cotswold Company)
An easy way to start with grey if you've never used it in a living room is to go with a procession of light greys. Start with your most dominant piece in the room, whether the sofa or, as here, the living room bookshelf, and choose the darkest grey you dare to.
From there, layer the rest of the room with lighter greys. It's important that these greys are in the same tones as each other, whether that's cool or warm.
2. Opt for a dark brown grey for drama
(Image credit: Albion Nord)
Albion Nord interior design agency is well-known for its use of bold colors. Here, they have used the deepest and darkest of muddy greys in a living room to create an incredibly cozy feel.
'What I love about this grey living room is the attention to detail in the layering of the grey,' says Lucy Searle. 'The trim around the door and the baseboard are in a deeper, darker shade of grey, which makes the space feel both elegant and grown up and leads seamlessly into the grey hallway.
'This is the type of color scheme you can easily recreate in a room with great natural daylight, or one that you really only use at night, and which will glow invitingly under lamp light.'
3. Pick a cool grey for a warmly-lit room
(Image credit: Future / Polly Wreford)
This grey room idea obviously has elements of warmth within it: the red sofa shouts heat, and the piles of books create a lovely, lived-in look.
However, the rest of the surfaces are pared back, and even the artificial lighting is dramatically pared-back on materials.
So what makes it successful? 'The cool grey of the walls is the perfect match for the stone flooring and marble central table,' says Sarah Spiteri, Editorial Director of Homes & Gardens. This single-toned approach acts as a backdrop to and allows for more dramatic elements, such as the sofa and light, within the room. However, its success does to a degree rely on the natural daylight being warm, meaning it is ideal for a south- or west-facing room, but less so for coolly lit north-facing spaces.'
4. Create depth with greys in different tones
(Image credit: Future / Paul Raeside)
If you are looking for grey sofa ideas for living rooms, pick a plump sofa for lounging. This charcoal grey number adds elegance and interest to a minimal room.
Explore the many depths of a grey color palette by layering tones to create a space that looks cohesive.
By using the same color, but in both its palest and deepest incarnations, you can create a rich, contrasting look that is co-ordinated. A glass coffee table and side table add a glamorous note here.
5. Combine grays with black and white for a smart finish
(Image credit: Future / Michael Sinclair )
Living room paneling painted in soft gray provides a sophisticated backdrop for this scheme, which artfully balances black and white living room furniture.
Blocks of pattern, in the form of tailored cushions and artwork, add interest and personality to the modern look.
6. Decorate with dark gray for a dramatic feel
(Image credit: Future / Richard Powers)
A rich wall color combined with walnut veneers and velvet fabric make this space a cosseting retreat.
Darker tones of charcoal can be used to add drama anywhere in the home. With clever living room lighting ideas you can create a look that is both strong and atmospheric.
These dark greys are also a perfect strong background for accent color ideas such as warm mustard and cobalt blue.
7. Pick pink for a warm, on-trend contrast
(Image credit: Future / Emma Lee)
Use the gentlest of greys as a springboard for blush pink, plum and buff tones. In this grey and white living room, Mid century-style furniture rubs shoulders here with contemporary pieces in brilliant hi-gloss white.
The floor-to-ceiling drape adds a lovely touch of dip-dyed pink, while cushions and floral displays channel rich plum tones. Gray and pink is a winning combination, particularly suited to modern living room ideas.
8. Introduce warmth with touchable textures
(Image credit: Future / Polly Wreford)
Adding woollen soft furnishings to an understated grey living room will transform it from cold to calming in an instant.
The abundance of texture and pattern in the wool, plus the burst of bright yellow living room accents, prevent this room from looking too gloomy. Everything in the room is very tactile, from the pendant light cover to the footstool.
Plus the wall-mounted sculptures add a certain je ne sais quoi.
9. Add warmth to a north-facing room with greige
(Image credit: Future / Davide Lovatti)
Dark colors can transform the mundane and ordinary by conjuring theatrical glamour, and gray paint creates the perfect backdrop for standout colors and pattern.
However, if your room is starved of warm daylight, choose a beige grey with a touch of warm brown in it, inspired by beige living room ideas – you'll get the elegance of a grey room without it feeling too cool. Opt for soft furnishings in your favorite colors – they will really sing out.
10. Go for glamor in with metallics
(Image credit: Future / Davide Lovatti)
Use gray to create a harmonious look that will make a great impression. Whether it's pale or slight darker, dove gray is a great all-rounder.
You can dress it up with silvers and metallic shades for a luxe look, or keep it simple with natural colors and earthy textures.
11. Contrast dark gray with hot neons for a contemporary feel
(Image credit: Future / Alicia Taylor)
Grey walls are the perfect canvas for a variety of bright, bold colors. A deep, dark grey will really make strong colors sing out. Think about decorating with art, electric pink fabric and patterned rugs.
12. Complement grays with blue for a serene scene
(Image credit: Future / Davide Lovatti)
Grey is one of those wonderfully versatile shades that works with just about any color. And what better color to mix it with than blue living room accents?
Blue is scientifically proven to be a subconsciously calming and, when paired with grey, it will make you relax without you even realizing it.
13. Use gray walls as the perfect backdrop
(Image credit: Future / Jonathan Gooch)
Jane Rockett, co-founder of the uber-trendy online interiors store Rockett St George is a huge fan of grey paint ideas.
‘Grey paint creates the perfect backdrop for treasures that fill a home, as items really "pop" against a dark background, creating great definition,’ Jane says.
14. Paint your walls a deeper shade of gray
(Image credit: Future / Davide Lovatti)
There is something quite delightfully decadent about a dark, deep grey. It is cold yet warm at the same, and can be used a backdrop for wall decor ideas as well as a carefully-curated selection of wonderful curios and artwork.
What's more, dark grey is perfect color choice if you have children, as it will hide any unsightly fingermarks on the walls. It is a win-win if you ask us.
15. Decorate with gray in a small space
(Image credit: Future / Richard Powers)
When planning decor for small living rooms, create a focal point – one area or feature that will draw the eye, so there’s less emphasis on the layout of the room
In this cozy living room, the L-shape sofa, upholstered in a blue-grey color, is the star of the space.
16. Opt for a monochromatic color scheme
(Image credit: Future / Lisa Cohen)
A monochrome color platte doesn't have to mean black-and-white.
Add some sunshine to your living room with splashes of yellow.
This uplifting living room color combination has positive vibes that can pull of grandeur or contemporary as well as cozy, farmhouse chic.
17. Use the same color in a variety of hues
(Image credit: Future / Paul Raeside)
A monochromatic color scheme, using different tones of the same color, will help to make the furniture and other features recede and appear to take up less space.
Soften the palette by adding warm blue furniture and accessories rather than harsh white or black living room accents.
18. Highlight a standout feature with gray
(Image credit: Future / Richard Powers)
If the rest of your room is a little on the pale side, use a deeper shade of grey to highlight your favorite feature.
In this mid-century inspired apartment living room, a smokey yet pale gray can be seen on the built-in cabinet doors, which enhances rather than detracts from the interesting architectural detail.
19. Accessorize with gray
(Image credit: Future / Davide Lovatti)
An unusual and less obvious way to add grey into your space, a tarnished gray living room mirror will instantly draw the eye upwards, making it the ideal addition to small apartment living room ideas.
This mirror will reflect both natural and artificial light to make a room brighter during the day, and night it will bounce light deep into the room, making it appear larger.
20. Choose a warm tone of gray for a cozy snug
(Image credit: Future / Paul Raeside / Claudia Bryant)
Decorating with grey has a multitude of opportunities to select a shade of grey appropriate to your space and light. Cooler, paler shades may work well in a south facing room or a light and airy bedroom or kitchen.
But for cozy living room ideas or a snug, a warmer putty shade of taupe grey will help to make the room feel warm and welcoming. It offers the perfect backdrop for an array of wonderfully colored and patterned upholstery, such as the stripes and geometrics here.
This tone would work well in a traditional living room or contemporary space.
21. Create a striking living room corner
(Image credit: Future / Michael Sinclair / Claudia Bryant)
A soft pale powdery grey wall offers a subtle backdrop for a gallery wall of monochrome framed prints.
More interesting than white, pale grey feels like a chic choice for a quiet, understated scheme, allowing the furniture, lighting and artwork to stand out and take center stage.
22. Pale grey and cool blues are a heavenly pairing
(Image credit: Future)
A soft pale grey is a chic choice for a formal living room with a modern classic feel. Here it has been paired to great effect with a set of monochrome map prints and a metal and glass coffee table.
The upholstery and rug underfoot in a mix of pale grays and soft blues all combine to create a cohesive feeling scheme.
23. Use pale gray walls as a quiet backdrop for more colorful pieces
(Image credit: Future)
A pale dove grey is a great choice with wall paneling, for a modern classic look.
It sets a calm tone in a living space.
As with most neutral living room ideas, pale grey allows other key players in the space to take center stage, as is the case here with the large framed map print and the vibrant blue velvet sofa with its contrasting yellow cushions.
24. Go dark for a rich and dramatic look
(Image credit: Future / Polly Wreford / Sally Denning)
Navy, grey and red is a harmonious color combination. Dark living room ideas, such as the deep, almost blue-black charcoal walls here, create an intimate environment for lounging. This dark rich tone also works brilliantly as a canvas against which to allow statement pieces to sing out.
Here the sculptural white hanging pendant light stands out against the dark background. And the vibrant pops of red from the coffee table, rug and cushions are made all the more vivid when seen in contrast to the dark, dense walls.
25. Add texture for soft gray walls
(Image credit: Future / Polly Wreford / Sally Denning)
Sometimes grey can feel like a flat or cold choice to use in the home, but textural wallpaper ideas offer the perfect solution by allowing this chic, neutral shade to do its job, but with the added softness and warmth from a textural grass-cloth like finish.
It works really well here, in combination with the geometric lines of the wood sideboard, and the vibrant pop of apple green and dusty pink from the table lamp.
26. Pair gray with blue for modern coastal look
(Image credit: Interior by Tracy Morris / photograph Greg Powers / walls in Benjamin Moore’s Revere Pewter)
Think of coastal decor and the idea of decorating with blue and white usually comes to mind. However, if you’re after a chic, contemporary take on the nautical look you may want to consider switching the white for grey. In this scheme interior designer Tracy Morris wanted to use a palette of watery hues to allude to the coastal hometown of owners, so chose a warm grey as a base to set them off.
‘Our clients were moving from a coastal location. I knew we were going to use many tones of blue in the house, so I needed a clean backdrop that would bring out the blue tones – Benjamin Moore ’s Revere Pewter was the perfect complement! This warm paint balanced the cool tones in the fabrics and rugs creating the perfect backdrop for this home.
'
27. Use gray to create spaces to grow with
(Image credit: Zulu Fish)
If the way you use your living room is going to change over time then grey offers a versatile base on which to build – simply change up the accessories and you can create myriad new looks.
‘Grey is an ideal choice for creating a calming atmosphere in a living room and allowing for personality and detail to shine through with the choice of accessories, furniture and artwork,' says Caroline Milns, head of interior design at Zulufish .
'It’s a clever color choice for a space that may need to evolve and deliver multiple functions over time, for example, a living room snug that in turn could become a teenager’s den idea or a home office because it is very versatile and can be combined with a multitude of other colors.'
28. Highlight architectural features
(Image credit: Fowlkes Studio)
If you have a large room with beautiful architectural details, then a grey and white palette is a wonderful way to highlight the beauty of a the space, however, consider a warm grey says Catherine Fowlkes of the DC-based architecture firm Fowlkes Studio .
'I like using warm greys to give depth to walls without dictating the room's furniture palette – light greys add a layer of softness while rich greys add depth,' says Fowlkes. 'Coating the windows, doors and trim in the same grey wall color further unifies the backdrop to a living room and can give the illusion of a higher ceiling when painted in a contrasting color. I gravitate towards greys with less blue and more brown in them.'
29. Liven-up gray rooms with plenty of pattern
(Image credit: Vanessa Arbuthnott)
If you love to decorate with patterned fabrics then a neutral grey living room is the ideal place to do so. Whether it's over sofas, chairs and ottomans, or curtains and cushions, there's plenty of opportunity to experiment with different combinations.
When decorating with printed fabrics, be sure to use an array of designs, playing with scale and tone, to avoid the scheme looking too matchy-matchy.
With its warm undertones, this French Grey shade from Little Greene is ideal for period properties and cottage living rooms such as this which have an abundance timber and rustic features.
30. Warm-up gray with natural materials
(Image credit: Ti Archive)
If you have a dark living room which is north facing the space can run the risk of feeling cold, however, using a warm, pale grey on walls combined with plenty of textural natural materials will make the room feel comforting and cosy.
In this grey living room, furniture in rich tan leather and timber bring life and warmth, while a woollen, deep-pile living room rug adds softness and texture to the gray flooring.
What grey paint should I use?
If you hold together a fan of grey paint charts, you’ll see how widely the tones vary. The cool end of the spectrum has blue undertones, passing through tints of green and yellow, ending up at warm shades with red bases that give them brown, pink or purple tints.
Just a quick peek at a Farrow & Ball paint chart suggests the myriad possibilities of this favorite decorating shade and explains its enduring appeal: from the barely-there neutrals of Dimity and Ammonite, to the mid tones of Lamp Room Gray and Calluna, through the green-edged Mizzle and Pigeon, blue-hued Parma Gray and Lulworth Blue – and out the other side to deep dark Down Pipe, Plummett and Brassica.
How can I make my grey living room look warm?
Your journey starts with deciding on the ‘temperature’ of color your room needs – cool or warm – then how far you dare to take it. From moody dark grey to light pastel grey, there are endless ways to update your living room with grey.
The first question you need to ask yourself is how much natural light does your room get? Does that light come from the north, south, east or west?
'The orientation of your space will affect the way a color looks on the walls, and is the reason why exactly the same shade of grey paint can look completely different in different surroundings,' explains interiors expert Kate Watson-Smyth of Mad About The House .
What's the best color to go with grey?
As a neutral color, grey works well with many shades, making it a versatile choice for decorating with. Many of the best accent colors for gray include other neutrals. ‘Gray balances well with additional neutrals or graphic black and white, as well as brighter pops of color; creating a very different finish easily within the room without having to make radical changes to the four walls,' says Caroline Milns, head of interior design at Zulufish.
'When choosing greys, go for something well-balanced like our ‘French Gray’ family. These greys can be paired with other shades with ease, combining well with blues, greens and pinks,' adds Ruth Mottershead of Little Greene.
Jennifer is the Digital Editor at Homes & Gardens. Having worked in the interiors industry for a number of years, spanning many publications, she now hones her digital prowess on the 'best interiors website' in the world. Multi-skilled, Jennifer has worked in PR and marketing, and the occasional dabble in the social media, commercial and e-commerce space. Over the years, she has written about every area of the home, from compiling design houses from some of the best interior designers in the world to sourcing celebrity homes, reviewing appliances and even the odd news story or two.
14 Grey Living Room Ideas
We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.
Here's how to use this versatile colour in your living space.
By Rachel Edwards
Farrow & Ball
Grey is one of the most popular and versatile colours in interior design. It is ideal for a living room because you have so much choice in terms of shade, intensity, and colour combinations. From a barely-there grey to a deep gunmetal shade, it's the perfect base colour to help you decorate the living room of your dreams.
‘Grey is an incredibly versatile colour, forming an ideal base from which to expand your palette,’ says Kelly Collins, interior designer and head of creative at Swyft Home. ‘When looking for wall colours to go with grey sofas, you can get away with pretty much anything from light to very dark, but try and avoid bright tones. Think classic white, a rich dark navy, and other shades of grey or muted green tones.
'Colours with a cool undertone (blues and other greys) will complement grey well while colours with warm undertones (terracotta or burgundy) will contrast the shade and bring a touch of warmth into the space.
'
Need some grey living room inspiration? Here, we look at 14 fabulous ways you can introduce grey into your living space.
Farrow & Ball
1 of 14
Grey living room ideas: complementary colours
When decorating with grey, consider it a neutral base rather than a fully formed colour scheme. 'Black, grey and white schemes are very stylish alone but for extra drama you may want to consider adding in some colour,' says Amy Wilson, interior designer for 247 Curtains. 'Bold colour pops of hot pink and yellow can look striking and quite contemporary.'
Pictured: Lamp Room Grey at Farrow & Ball
House Beautiful
2 of 14
Grey living room ideas: pair with pastels
There can be a tendency to lean into the subtleties of grey, pairing them with whites and metallics, but this can occasionally appear washed out, especially if your living room receives a lot of natural light. This living room is a great example of using pastel colours to soften and brighten grey features.
Shop now: House Beautiful Claudette Sofa at DFS
Mylands
3 of 14
Grey living room ideas: charcoal grey
Dark charcoal walls are a great way to define your space, but extra consideration is needed in styling. 'To avoid your monochrome schemes from feeling too stark or cold, introduce texture,' says Amy. 'Consider all of the surfaces and finishing touches and where possible combine soft, smooth pieces with more tactile textures such as sheepskin with concrete.'
Pictured: Lock Keeper No.18 at Mylands
Farrow & Ball
4 of 14
Grey living room ideas: traditional
As this fabulous living room shows, grey needn't be reserved for contemporary or minimal spaces. Brown leather is such a surprising pairing here, but adds a great deal of warmth and richness – in recreating this look, make sure to use an equally warm grey on your walls.
Pictured: Purbeck Stone at Farrow & Ball
Carpetright
5 of 14
Grey living room ideas: grey and pink
'You’d be right to think graphic shapes and gunmetal grey is a typically masculine look, so add curves with blush pink and plaster pink on the walls to soften the look and keep it the right side of pretty,' says Sarah Keady, Style and Interiors Director at House Beautiful.
Pictured: House Beautiful Luna Moonlight Rug at Carpetright
Dunelm
6 of 14
Grey living room ideas: monochrome
This is a classic design route for living rooms, and it won't steer you far wrong. Stick to a grey, black and white palette, and introduce metallics – you can mix gold and silver as long as they are complementary tones like a gunmetal and brushed brass. The organic motif on the rug is a nice touch here to soften the severity of a modern monochrome design scheme.
Pictured: Furniture and accessories, all at Dunelm
Simon Bevan
7 of 14
Grey living room ideas: greige
The grey-beige mix known as 'greige' is often favoured over a true grey for its capacity to warm up a design scheme. Greige is really the best of both worlds, combining the cooler tones of grey with the warming nature of beige.
Pictured: House Beautiful Freya Sofa at DFS
Ercol
8 of 14
Grey living room ideas: wall treatments
Grey tends not to react to natural light in the way that a warmer colour does, and so a common complaint in grey living rooms is that walls can appear flat.
To mitigate this, consider a wall treatment that adds a bit of texture.
'You can consider incorporating texture on your walls with the use of some of the more interesting paint finishes available like limewash, polished plaster or even a textured paper,' says Amy.
Pictured: Ercol Amalfi Sideboard and Avanti Snuggler at Heal's
Mylands
9 of 14
Grey living room ideas: consider how grey interacts
One of the joys of grey is the way it changes when placed next to other colours – use grey against an intense purple for instance, and it will bring out lilac tones. Consider this if you're after a soft and feminine space, and sit your greys next to rosey pinks or buttery yellows.
Pictured: Sloane Square No.92 at Mylands
Poster Store
10 of 14
Grey living room ideas: Japandi
The Japandi trend combines clean lines, neutral colours, understated silhouettes and a nod to the natural world. All of these elements make it a great design choice for a living room.
Here, several grey shades sit alongside pale wood and heaps of texture to create a serene and comfortable retreat.
Pictured: All wall art available at Poster Store
Alessandro de Besi
11 of 14
Grey living room ideas: try bohemian elements
Grey is not an obvious choice for bohemian styling – usually sandy neutrals and greens are favoured – but grey works almost universally, no matter your preferred design theme. Take some design cues from this modern bohemian living room, and use plenty of dark wood, lush greenery, and some warming red and mustard accents.
Pictured: Model 03 3 Seater Right Chaise at Swyft
Dan Duchars
12 of 14
Grey living room ideas: the grey sofa
‘Grey is likely a slightly more popular sofa colour choice as it's the most versatile of all the neutral colours,' says Ben white, design and trade expert at Swyft Home. 'This allows homeowners to change up the colours of their living room more often (if they like to redecorate) by introducing different accessories and wall colours, at a lower cost than replacing large pieces of furniture.
’
Pictured: Fluted Isla 2 Seater Sofa at Sofology
John Lewis & Partners
13 of 14
Grey living room ideas: pattern
Soft greys lend themselves to rooms full of rich pattern. Consider this living room with a white sofa or walls, and it loses a lot of its warmth.
Pictured: Tokyo Modular Sofa at John Lewis & Partners
Dan Duchars
14 of 14
Grey living room ideas: combined spaces
If you have a combined kitchen and living room space, consider a grey colour scheme. A combined space will naturally require lots of furniture, accessories, storage, and surfaces, plus zoning, and so a soft and neutral grey can mitigate some of the busyness.
Pictured: Fellini 2 Seater Sofa at Sofology
Follow House Beautiful on Instagram.
31 wallpaper ideas to transform your living room
design rules, color accents and combinations
11/06/2019
0 Comments
The living room is both a reception area and a place where family members gather.
Elegant style, even some solemnity, and comfort should be harmoniously combined here. A living room in gray tones is one of the proven solutions to a difficult task. This is a fashionable and stylish option, which is worth a closer look.
Not at all dull gray
Gray is not just one color. In addition to monochrome gradations obtained by combining pure white with black, designers use cool and warm shades of gray to create the right mood:
- cold - steel (with a bluish tint), anthracite, marengo, lead;
- warm - pearl gray, pearl gray, smoky, ashy.
Depending on the lighting, the size of the living room, the chosen style, you can choose either achromatic shades of different saturation, or their variations.
When using gray in the design of the walls, the use of textures looks advantageous - rough, convex ornaments.
The use of gray is not only a fashion trend. It is also practical, because it does not fade, traces of pollution are least visible on it.
Living room Country
Gray rules
Achromatic gray is more versatile, it can be made the basis of any interior style. Neutral gray is perfect for a classic and high-tech living room. Warm shades of gray are closer to a rustic style, while cool shades will look great in a Mediterranean or Scandinavian version of the room.
Light and cold shades will visually expand the space of a small living room. The use of fragments of contrasting saturation, on the contrary, will allow zoning a spacious living room, highlighting private corners.
Do not make the ceiling darker than the floor: this creates an effect of pressure from above, especially with a standard ceiling height.
If your living room has unfortunate proportions, in an overly long room, the end wall can be made a few tones darker than the side walls, visually bringing it closer.
Gray living room furniture should not be bought exactly to match the walls, it is better to choose a darker or lighter tone of the same shade.
At the same time, if you want to visually enlarge the room, furniture that exactly matches the tone of the walls can be a good solution, without visually standing out and expanding the room.
Keep in mind that gray loves neatness and restraint: an excess of complementary colors can spoil the most elegant image created by the designer, so you should not arrange a warehouse of colorful knick-knacks in the living room.
Gray as an ideal background can be used by collectors. If your collection of paintings, posters, ceramics, etc. is placed on a neutral background, it becomes more visible, attracts the eye, without creating disharmonious combinations.
Highlights
A living room in gray tones with bright accents is not only a stylish solution, but also an opportunity to change the appearance of the room almost beyond recognition with minimal effort and investment. It is enough just to replace curtains, sofa cushions or other bright accessories by choosing a different color accent - and now, instead of a frivolous Mediterranean style, laconic Scandinavian simplicity dominates in your living room.
The magic of color in action. Neutral gray makes the perfect backdrop for color-rich items that set the mood. Royal burgundy will give solemnity and sophistication, cream and pink shades - tenderness and lightness.
Gray has the ability to emphasize the saturation of other colors. Therefore, an unusual, for example, oriental, rug will sparkle in such a living room with all its colors, lamps and vases will complement the design, and fresh flowers, even the most modest ones, will not let go of your eyes.
Just a few bright spots can completely change the mood of a living room made in shades of gray. The book is on the table in a bright red cover, as if by chance a forgotten red plaid on the back of the sofa. And now playfulness appears, mood rises, a surge of energy is felt.
Looking for peace and serenity? We replace the red with a bluish-gray, swampy one - and the living room breathes coolness, which is so nice to plunge into after a hot, busy day.
Harmony
The combination of gray and white gives rise to the Scandinavian style, where knitted and woven textures play a special role, spectacular combinations of glossy and matte surfaces. Possible variations are an almost white main background with graphite or asphalt shades of furniture and textiles. Or, on the contrary, dark walls are emphasized by dazzling white finishing elements - borders, curtains, textiles.
The combination of gray walls with natural wood furniture is used in a rustic style. However, one should not think that the rustic style is a grandmother's "hall" with a lurid wardrobe and a sideboard. Modern design solutions give rustic style a modern touch. Here, natural colors and materials, simple shapes, coarse textiles play a role.
In combination with blue or light blue, gray can be presented in a high-tech style, where cold blue with steel notes will create the illusion of fantastic materials of the future.
More saturated blue notes will give the interior already some notes of the Mediterranean style, associating with the coolness of the sea waves. It is important that color schemes are complemented by the use of appropriate shapes and textures. The Mediterranean style, unlike hi-tech, requires soft lines that are close to natural natural forms.
The loft style, imitating an industrial interior, is characterized by the use of steel shades, complemented by brick, brown.
If the light gray base is supplemented with textiles and decorative elements of purple and lavender shades, you will see the Provence style. Mystical lilac will create an atmosphere of mystery. A rich purple will be an elegant expression of the classic style, like deep blue, purple.
If gray still seems a little dull to you, dilute it with sunny yellow. Such a bold decision will make your living room bright and unusual. And the gray-beige interior will give the room warmth and comfort.
A combination with pink, depending on the shades of the latter, can create a modern or high-tech style if pink is chosen in cold tones with a metallic sheen. At the same time, warm pink elements soften the strict gray, making the living room very tender, feminine, touching.
Green color gives a lot of design options in combination with its natural natural shades, where live plants will look very harmonious, creating a relaxation zone in the living room. And dark green can look solemn, giving a formal touch.
Gray living room materials
For wall decoration, classic paper wallpapers are most often used, which can be almost plain with a textured pattern or have a floral, geometric ornament. In the loft style, monochrome wallpapers can be used that imitate old newspapers. More expensive solutions can be decorated with various types of decorative plasters.
In the design of the walls, contrasting inserts in the form of rosettes or a horizontal, vertical division of areas contrasting in saturation are used.
Floors can be made of any material from natural stone and tiles, laminate imitating them, to carpeting. Often, a base tone coating is used with irregularly shaped colored rugs, arranged taking into account the geometry of the room.
The ceiling in a gray living room rarely becomes the centerpiece. It can be classic, plastered or suspended. But at the same time, it is rarely emphasized.
Furniture can be classic wood, but painted surfaces are more commonly used, with the exception of Scandinavian and rustic styles, where furniture in natural colors creates the desired effect. More extravagant stylistic solutions include leather, shiny metal, glass in furniture materials.
Thus, a gray living room does not mean dreary and boring. Many options for both the color itself and the additions allow you to create mood and style. Gray is the choice of modern and practical, those who are not afraid of experiments or prefer the classics.
Gray in the living room: interior in neutral tones (67 photos)
Contents interior style?
Gray color in the interior of the living room is much more popular than you might think.
Do you want to know what are the trendiest colors in living room design? We will show you the extraordinary beauty of the so-called "ordinary" gray, as it is one of the most fashionable colors in the interior of modern living rooms.
Once you have decided that you want to add gray to your living room decor, you will be faced with some difficult questions, and in this article we will try to give you answers to them and understand the most successful color combinations for the living room in gray tones, as well as the choice of suitable furniture, textiles and decorative elements.
Gray color in the design of the living room - a fashion trend in modern interiors
Gray goes well with almost any other color. A gray living room looks classy and elegant, and if you use the right shades and color combinations, you can create a modern, traditional, loft, hi-tech, minimalist or any other style of interior design. Gray has so many shades that it can be a real challenge to choose the right one for your room.
Anthracite Grey, Silver Grey, Slate Grey, Moss Grey, Blue Grey, Mouse… More than fifty shades in total! Deeper, richer and darker shades of gray are suitable for more formal interiors, as they are associated with fundamentality. Lighter shades of gray are elegant, original and can be used in many styles.
Video: gray living room design
Gray living room ideas - how to choose an interior style?
Many gray living rooms are decorated in a modern high-tech style, in a minimalist style or in a loft style that is now fashionable in interiors. The gray color of concrete and concrete walls are typical for minimalism, as well as industrial style - the gray color of asphalt and metal, stone, etc. That's why a gray wall in the living room interior, complemented by glass, and shiny chrome or stainless steel accessories make such an interior trendy and modern.
Lighter shades of gray or combinations of the two give the room a warm, elegant and luxurious feel. Light gray will serve as a neutral backdrop for colorful and decorative accessories.
Gray living room - use this color as a base color
Many gray living rooms use this color as a base color or as a neutral background. Gray can be used in the interior as the color of the walls, floor or ceiling, or you can have a gray sofa, carpet or curtains in the living room. In this case, the background should be very soft. In fact, gray can be one of the most challenging interior colors. In case you are not sure which shade is right for you, it is best to consult a specialist, as experienced designers will help you choose the right shade and show you how to combine it with other colors. Living rooms in gray can look stunningly beautiful even if space is limited, so you can safely use it in small rooms. But here it is also equally important to choose the right shade and color combinations.
It is advisable for such small living rooms to choose light gray shades and combine them with creamy, white, coffee, milky and other soft neutral colors. Find a combination that will visually enlarge small rooms and make them look brighter and more spacious.
Gray walls in the living room - elegant and stylish interior design
Gray walls in the living room are the perfect backdrop for elegant and modern interiors. Gray walls are like an artist's canvas, and you can create any interior style against their background, depending on your taste, interests and lifestyle. The only thing you should always remember is gray on gray is not the best idea you can use. And if you have already decided to opt for gray walls in the living room, then you should choose contrasting colors for furniture, textiles and decor - white, blue, yellow, red, etc. You can also safely use shades of natural wood. Black is also a safe choice. Green plants, decorative ornaments or shiny mirror frames, rich textures will be the perfect complement to your stylish living room interior in gray tones.
Successful interior color scheme - gray and white in the living room
The gray and white design of the living room allows you to combine two similar colors of the spectrum and create a stylish modern interior. Both of these colors are used to create a cozy atmosphere in the room. They will blend together quite harmoniously, so feel free to use them. Even though gray and white are considered monochromatic colors, when used correctly, they can create an inviting and welcoming interior that will make a room look cozy and beautiful. Gray and white in the living room is a great combination for classic interiors, modern and high-tech interiors, art deco, modern, etc. Often designers prefer to use off-white shades (milk, coffee, cream, etc.) in combination with gray instead of pure white and create spectacular combinations, use various patterns and textures - wallpaper, plaster, stone, furniture, floors, as well as many interesting and complex accents that complement this combination of colors.
Yellow and gray in the living room - summer motives in the interior
Yellow and gray in the living room look fresh and attractive. This combination is pleasing to the eye and full of positive energy and optimism. This combination provides the perfect balance between sober and playful accents in the design of the living room and allows you to fully reflect the personality of the owners of this apartment. One of the best ways to create an impressive combination of gray and yellow in your living room is to use gray as the wall color and add bright yellow accents such as vases, chairs, throw pillows, curtains and fresh flowers to spice up the room. This approach is simple, inexpensive, and you can easily change color combinations at any time.
Gray and yellow in a relaxing living room
A gray and yellow living room design looks soothing and relaxing. Gray has a calming effect and is the perfect solution for getting rid of daily stress.
Of course, when we talk about combining gray and yellow in the living room, this does not mean that you should limit yourself to just these two colors. Add black or white accents or slightly darker accessories that stand out in style and enhance the two primary colors. And you will have to decide what will be the proportion of gray and yellow in your interior, which color will prevail and which will complement it. Some people prefer to leave more gray, others choose yellow interiors with gray accents, but in any case, such interiors look bright and fresh.
Brown and gray in the living room - a combination of neutral palettes
Brown and gray living room design is most often associated with classic English country style interiors. But this combination works great for modern interiors as well. Some people think that it is impossible to combine two neutral colors in one interior, while others think that they can live together in the same room, and it will look very interesting, and you can decide the way you like best.
The combination of brown and gray makes any room really soothing, as the colors work in harmony and while they may appear contrasting and out of sync with each other, in fact, such a combination will look soft and elegant. You can choose a contrast principle of dark gray and warm brown, or experiment with a soft gray background and various shades of light brown.
Grays and browns in living room design - universal color choices
Many people think that gray and brown living room designs are boring, but they are wrong. Gray and brown are versatile hues, and pairing the two neutrals creates fantastic living room interiors without distracting you from decor and making you feel truly at home. The combination of these shades can be used in a variety of ways - gray walls and wooden furniture, brown walls and gray furniture, taupe carpet and white furniture - all this will look simply luxurious. Gray furniture usually looks more expensive and sophisticated, while wooden furniture of any color is a sign of good taste.
Gray and blue: an idea for a chic living room interior
Gray and blue colors in the living room exude peace and tranquility. Blue, depending on its saturation, can look soft and soothing or deep and rich. Gray walls and blue furniture work together harmoniously, but you must choose the right shades that do not contradict each other. For example, dark shades of gray combined with deeper shades of blue can make the interior look too cold and even gloomy. A combination of gray and blue tones with white, gold and silver, as well as a gray-blue living room in pastel colors will be successful.
Light blue and gray for an airy living room
If blue seems too dark and saturated for you and you want to create a lighter and more airy interior, replace it with blue - it will be lighter and fresher. You can try to create a design in a marine style or a classic interior built on these two shades. You can use both gray walls with blue furniture and accessories, or the reverse option, in which blue color will prevail.
Red and gray in the living room design
Lovers of color will surely love the combination of gray and red in the living room design. But since red is too bright a color, don't get too carried away with it. A scarlet sofa or armchair, curtains on the windows and a few accessories of the same or complementary shade will be enough. And gray in this case will soften the aggressiveness of the red color.
Combination of gray and purple in the living room
A more interesting option is to use violet as a companion shade in addition to the main gray color in the living room. It can be present both in the decoration on the walls - combining two shades of paint or wallpaper, or in the form of furniture, curtains on the windows, a carpet or some decorative elements like sofa cushions or a picture on the wall.
Gray and green - create a cozy living room
You can dilute the gray color with green - this way you can create a natural interior and successfully fit flowering or leafy indoor plants into the design of the living room.
There shouldn’t be too much green, a carpet or curtains, a poster on the wall and some small decorative element like floor vases will be enough. Well, pots with plants on the windowsills or on the floor - as an addition. But the shades can be any: emerald and light green, olive and malachite and any others that you like best.
Gray and pink - delicate shades for a bright interior
To create a delicate living room interior in pastel colors, you can use pink in combination with light shades of gray. This combination looks very fresh, does not bother, and allows you to create a relaxing effect, and it is for this reason that we are going to this room in the evening. If you want something more saturated, try combining dark gray with bright pink. It would be appropriate, for example, for a loft or high-tech style.
Gray and bright orange for a positive living room design
And if you want to add a good mood and positive attitude, you can dilute the gray color with bright orange.
In this case, both gray and orange can be predominant. And the second shade is to complement it in the form of furniture, curtains, carpet and various elements of living room decor.
Gray Living Room Design
Once you have selected the gray tones for your living room and selected two or more color combinations that will reflect your personality, you will need to find the perfect set of gray living room furniture. Gray, white or black furniture is a good choice, but you should not refuse furniture in light colors. For example, a bright blue chair will become an elegant decoration of the room. You can place a bright sofa against a gray wall in the living room. Don't forget to add some accessories of the same color. Many stylish interiors are created with several shades of gray. The main element of the furniture in the living room is the sofa, and you can choose it in dark graphite color, complement the selected shade of the sofa with curtains on the windows.
Gray living room set and accessories in the same shade
When creating a living room in gray, you can combine different furniture options or choose a ready-made gray living room set.
