Does anybody have a room painted dark grey?

[BedHog]

Our bedroom needs painting, and I'm thinking about using a mid/dark grey. I've seen it used a lot on tv room sets, mainly for glossy American dramas and sitcoms, and when done right I think it looks dramatic and classy. Plus it's neutral so I'll be able to use all sorts of different colours for the bedding, pictures, accessories etc.

I suspect it's a tricky colour to get right though, so I'd like some advice about choosing which grey to use. I want to avoid the room looking like a battleship or a bleak cold-war-era Hungarian prison. I'd like white woodwork, but maybe a chalky white rather than brilliant. The floor is wooden and it's a Victorian house with high ceilings and fancy cornicing, if that makes any difference. I realise dark rooms need good lighting so I've bought an amazing large contemporary ceiling light for the room, and will add other lights as necessary.

Does anybody have any recommendations for grey paints that will give me the desired effect, or chalky whites, or recommendations about paint finishes - satin, matt, gloss etc., or any other advice?

Thanks!

[TWvirgin]

Had a dark grey in dining room and in kitchen (with glossy white units, natural stone, wood work tops, and orange accessories).

They were different greys as the furnishings and lighting made the colours look completely different. Dining looked a chalky grey with purple undertones while kitchen looked deep blueish /purple undertones brought out with the stone/wood and orange accessories.

My suggestion is tester pots because the grey will look different depending not only on your lighting but your furnishings and curtains etc

[BedHog]

I will use tester pots but I was hoping to narrow it down to about 3 greys to choose from rather than 20!!

Does a bluey/purpley grey work better than a browny grey or one with green, pink or yellow tones? I don't really know where to start!

[AnnoyedAtWork]

Our bedroom is Farrow and Ball "down pipe" and I love love love it. Wooden floor and ceiling painted off white ("slipper satin")

It looks bold and smart.

[AnnoyedAtWork]

I think the undertones in ours are green/blue

[AnnoyedAtWork]

Oh and it looked terrible on a small patch of light coloured wall (out of a tester pot) cos it just looked so dark but once it was all over it looks amazing

[GreatCongas]

I would have if I owned a house
I have a whole room designed in my mind
(I love Pinterest)

[thekitchenfairy]

I have a grey bedroom, it's a Laura Ashley colour called French grey but farrow and ball do similar. Definitely try a tester, some are pink or brown undertones, some are blue and it will depend on what you are painting on top of iyswim. We have fired earth oak apple floor and woodwork, a pale grey, and white linen. I love it!,

[thekitchenfairy]

I have a grey bedroom, it's a Laura Ashley colour called French grey but farrow and ball do similar. Definitely try a tester, some are pink or brown undertones, some are blue and it will depend on what you are painting on top of iyswim. We have fired earth oak apple floor and woodwork, a pale grey, and white linen. I love it!

[tipp2chicago]

My main bathroom is grey, white woodwork & ceiling, black tiles. I love it, it feels so warm. It's called Steel, from the bathroom paint range at Wicked.

[BedHog]

Thanks - I've ordered a F&B colour chart (although I suspect I might have to get the local trade paint shop to match it, if their prices are as £££ as I've heard!). Downpipe looks like a good contender. Pavilion a bit pale I think but might look different on the wall.

[BedHog]

Has anyone used any of the Dulux greys?

[noddyholder]

Fired earth mercury looks great with off white woodwork antimony also nice but not so deep.

[bigTillyMincePie]

Ours is a greyeypurple and I love it - very relaxing colour!

It is just a Dulux mixed-up one - you can get just about any shade you want in them. And it's a Victorian house with white paintwork.

[diddlediddledumpling]

I used a Homebase dark grey in our kitchen, one wall. I love it.

[motherofluvlies]

Not a dark grey but "clouded sky" by dulux authentic range in our bedroom.We love it with white ,wooden floors and white furniture.Good coverage and quality.

[Gingersstuff]

Our bedroom is Plummet by F&B, a gorgeous dark grey tho not as dark as downpipe. I love the colour but really disappointed in the paint quality (we got the local paint shop to match the colour in Crown trade). Like yours, high ceilings, off-white woodwork and cornicing. Looks very dramatic and it's a south-west facing room but to be honest I'm now thinking I'd like to go a bit lighter, maybe a green-blue kinda stormy colour.

[InNeedOfBrandy]

My living room is a dark grey colour, I love it although it needed 3 coats to look right.

Best suggestion is a light floor and light wood furniture to brighten it up.

[FellatioNelson]

I think most pale grays are beautiful but you need to be very careful when choose deep/dark greys. It's hard to find one that is a true neutral - most of them will lean towards blue, brown, plum or green, and once on the wall in a big solid slab they can completely different to how you envisaged. Some of them look very 'battleship' which is harsh and depressing, and can sap all the life and light out of a room.

The ones that are blue/green and stormy really work better in a mid depth - too dark can look really depressing and gloomy, whereas plummy, smokey dark greys look more sumptuous and sexy. Ones with lots of brown are usually warm and easy on the eye. Think about which way your window faces. Your bedroom colour needs to look lovely first thing in the mornings and cosy and inviting and relaxing at night, and in artificial light. the way the light comes into the room will have a huge impact on the colour you choose.

[InNeedOfBrandy]

Mine is slightly plummy, you couldn't tell till it was up on the walls. Luckily it goes really well with my plummy curtains cushions and rug.

[Littlefish]

Pavillion grey is definitely quite light. I've got it it my bedroom and it's beautiful, but not an intense colour. We've got Green Smoke in our dining room - I would say that the grey equivalent of that would look wonderful (I mean the same depth of colour equivalent if you see what I mean). I can't find my F&B colour chart at the moment, so I don't know what that would be.

[EverybodysSnowyEyed]

We hae little green French grey with lead white wood and ceiling

The grey is lovely because it takes on different hues depending on the light - sometimes its pink and sometimes blue. Very happy with it

[noddyholder]

I think with dark you have to go for it and if you feel you need lots of light things to brighten it it almost loses its intensity. You have to go with it. I had it in a living room once and it was great at night with a fire lit. I have gone completely the other way now and am carrying around swatches of shell pink for my next bedroom

[noddyholder]

Brinjal is also lovely if you are after dark.

[Littlefish]

Ooh yes. Brinjal is gorgeous! Noddy - do you think it would go as a contrast with Cinder Rose?