Friday, November 30, 2012

Gray Is Here To Stay - Yes Or No?

I recently had a little consult job for a young lady. Her mother was also in on the meeting. She just purchased her first home. I gave her tips on furniture placement, a soft kitchen renovation, using what she owned, selling things that didn't work, shopping tips for pieces she needed, and paint color. I suggested gray walls.

Gray should have been the 2012 color of the year


The ladies are from San Francisco, so they are savvy city girls. But when I suggested gray they acted like it was the first time they ever heard such an outlandish suggestion. Actually they also heard from a girlfriend, whose home I worked on.

The main objection was that it seemed like such a sad dreary color. They had a dozen paint pots and brushed the walls with swatches of a sallow yellows, clearly not right for the space, and clearly dreary despite being yellow.

Over the past two years gray has become the go-to neutral. It looks good with everything, a neutral that is a step up from white. I think the 2012 color of the year should have been gray.

If you can't make the leap to gray walls, you can introduce gray into your rooms by using furniture and accessories. The home furnishings  industry has jumped on the bandwagon so you can find so many great things in gray.


Check out my  Gray Guest Picks at Houzz - There are many more than what you see here


Check out my Guest Picks at Houzz where I found a ton of things for you to consider.

And just because I love to hear what you're thinking, gray is here to stay, yes or no?

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12 comments:

  1. Maybe those ladies object to gray because they come from San Francisco where the very light outside is grey. I craved pink walls when I lived there, remember? Remind them that the light is very different in New Orleans and given the lush environment grey is calming and versatile. I love my yellow and grey drapes here in Palm Desert!

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  2. The last thing that looks attractive around here is gray. It's bad enough to drive down the street for months at a time surrounded by gray skies and big gray houses that look like battleships. It sort of like people have to dress according to body size. Just because skinny girls are doing it doesn't mean a larger, older woman can pull it off. Location, location, location. With that said island colors wouldn't not go well in our cold environment either. I lke gray....a lot. It just doesn't always flatter the subject. That's my long winded opinion. Haha. Guess you can tell you brought up a topic that I've been thinking about for a long time. Of course, I can't stand hearing about the color of the season. As soon as that happens I want to change my rooms. I don't like that everyone has to have the same safe look
    Kathy

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  3. I hope it's here to stay. I selected white glazed gray for our kitchen peninsula. It is a great contrast to the white cabinets. I picked it in hopes it isn't a trendy color.

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  4. I'd like to think it's here to stay because it's such a versatile colour. But I suspect it's on its way out simply because it's been so trendy for so long. I imagine the next trend will be the polar opposite of grey.

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  5. I love gray! I hope it's here to stay because I painted my living room and kitchen a beautiful shade of gray!

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  6. yes, silver too. my current favorite fabric is at hobby lobby. it's a "refined" burlap texture with large leaves and vines on it done in silver-leaf. Last time I was there, they had gotten the same fabric with gold-leaf.

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  7. Hi Valorie. Love it...been dyeing and painting up a storm with it. Love what it does to tone on tone neutrals...throw in zinc oxide white...through all the gray metal tones to ink, and black, bits of gold. You read my mind! Trish

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  9. I just don't love it. Appreciate it...SEE it everywhere...but would not do it myself.

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  10. I find it depressing without LOTS of color accents involved or a more brown tone like your "greige". I see so much of the true gray and keep thinking it will grow on me but it just seems to do the opposite. I just can't find anything about it appealing. It seems so institutional and "prisonlike" to me. I am no expert at decorating by any means, but sorry, I prefer color and warmth in my home, especially during the winters here in the midwest. I hope I haven't hurt anyone's feelings and I'm so glad you touched on this topic. I'm anxious to see the consensus on this.

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  11. I like gray for others but not into it personally.....but both of my brothers have painted their homes with lots of gray and it looks great. Hope you have a great week, Sweetie. xo

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