Hey guys, we recently painted our family room gray, and are loving it, so let's talk color today! Right now there is one color trend that I can't get enough of…simple gray. I think it's because in general cool colors are what people are gravitating towards these days after the popularity of warm colors back in the late 80's and 90's. Remember those maroon and gold dining rooms? Yeah, I had one too ;)
The Difference Between Warm & Cool Colors...
Warm and cool colors have different effects. Warm colors tend to close in on a space, and can make even a large room feel smaller. The positive side of warm colors though is that they can make a room feel cozy. Which many people love, especially if they live in colder climates. Cool colors however are light and airy and can open up a space, making even a small room feel larger. Typical cool colors are blues, greens, violets and grays. So there you have it…color 101 ;)
Okay so having said all that, let's get to my favorite grays…
I've used all these colors in my client's homes and I have to say there have been no complaints! Worldly Gray is one of the warmest grays with a khaki undertone. This color is perfect if the idea of going gray makes you nervous (which many people are by the way). Repose gray is a cooler gray and really reads gray straight on in any light.
We painted our family room in Useful Gray and again, love it! Like Worldly Gray this gray is on the warm side with subtle green undertones. Ahhh, Silver Strand is a silvery gray blue that reads gray in darker light, and subtle light blue in brighter lights. Silver Strand is a beautiful color for a bedroom! And Finally Conservative Gray. This gray is on the green side and like Silver Strand will read subtle green in some lights and gray in others. So it's a perfect shade if you'd like to go gray, but you also happen to love the color green.
Okay so here's our family room painted in Useful Gray. If you missed it, go here for the scoop.
And yes it's light n' airy, makes our family room feel larger. So that's the scoop on my favorite Greiges and Grays. Are you a fan of Gray, and if so what's your favorite tried and true hue?
We painted our family room in Useful Gray and again, love it! Like Worldly Gray this gray is on the warm side with subtle green undertones. Ahhh, Silver Strand is a silvery gray blue that reads gray in darker light, and subtle light blue in brighter lights. Silver Strand is a beautiful color for a bedroom! And Finally Conservative Gray. This gray is on the green side and like Silver Strand will read subtle green in some lights and gray in others. So it's a perfect shade if you'd like to go gray, but you also happen to love the color green.
Okay so here's our family room painted in Useful Gray. If you missed it, go here for the scoop.
And yes it's light n' airy, makes our family room feel larger. So that's the scoop on my favorite Greiges and Grays. Are you a fan of Gray, and if so what's your favorite tried and true hue?
Love grey, but have yet to paint a whole room with it! You chose the perfect one for your home Jane!
ReplyDeleteThanks Vel, these are warmer grays so they're pretty easy to incorporate.
ReplyDeleteVisiting from SITS and realizing I have ZERO clue about interior design! :) I am looking to update my own walls this spring and am loving this gray scheme! Thanks for the idea!
ReplyDeleteI am getting ready to repaint my craft room from teal to gray. I love how your family room turned out, I'll have to look at Useful Gray... #SITSBlogging
ReplyDelete~Jamie
We're painting this weekend and I've never had such a hard time choosing colours. Hope it all looks good when we're done. Those grays look really nice. I hadn't thought of it. Would have gone nicely with my curtains.
ReplyDeleteI love this! I love neutrals when it comes to paint!
ReplyDeleteWhen we bought our house, we used gray as our neutral throughout the house and we love it! So much better than khaki :)
ReplyDeleteStopping by from SITS!
What a gorgeous family room! We are redecorating ours right one and I will use your design as inspiration. This is the first time we will mount our tv above the fireplace like you have, so I needed some ideas for furniture arrangements. Lovely!
ReplyDeleteWe're finishing our basement and looking for paint colors. You can always use a great grey anyways! Thanks for sharing! Here from SITS!
ReplyDeleteI am in LOVE with grey! It runs through my entire house! Love that rug too! #SITSblogging
ReplyDeletethans so much for this list.. we painted our bedroom dorian grey by sw and i love it i wanted something darker and it was perfect. about to do the kitchen and hallways and was wanting more of a greige.. thanks for the recommendation found you on diy show off. Would love if you checked out my blog. You can see our room color there.. www.imperfectlyimaginable.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteI've been looking for the right gray for painting my apartment. Love these!!!!
ReplyDeleteLove those shades of gray (we spell it "grey" here in N Ireland) - I was worried it would be to dull and cold, but some of these shades are lovely and warm!
ReplyDeleteI agree, thanks Janine!
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