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Design Dilemma: How to Take the Blah Out of Gray

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It’s been a few years that gray has been all the rage in home decorating. It’s the go-to neutral for decorators who have moved beyond beige and white, but who want to stay within the realm of neutrals easy to pair with other colors. The problem is, we’ve seen so many gray interiors that one tends to blend in with another. And when anything becomes ubiquitous (think granite countertops) it becomes boring.

We don’t want to be boring. So here’s a look at interiors that have managed to keep gray interesting.

1. Keep it warmed up by using lots of wood.
In the interior above and below, bare wooden floors and an eclectic, unstudied mix of wooden finishes gives gray a warm, clean feeling that feels very natural and spontaneous — not “designer-y.” Imagine how the feeling would change with gray walls paired with wall to wall-carpeting and painted or metal furniture of one type.

And also here:

2. Nothing banishes the blah of gray better than colorful, eyecatching art work.

The painting over the mantle in the room immediately steals the show, and gray immediately becomes an appropriate backdrop rather than just a safe color choice that isn’t white.

The same can be said of the hallway before, where a colorful red rocket steals the show.

And here:

3. Bright color accents and pattern always lift gray to a new level.

4. Below, colorful cabinets in an apple green provide a lift.

Below, patterned floors give oompf to a gray palette.

And below, a bright red Smeg refrigerator is set off against gray cabinets.

So you see, it is possible to take gray beyond blah. Inject warmth using warm woods, pattern and color and you’re good!