To redo my house from scratch because of the 'grey' fad?

[StormcloakNord]

DH and I just moved into a new(ish) house. Built in 2014 and the decor is very new and clean etc. Problem is everything, and I mean everything is grey. Grey walls, grey carpet, grey bathrooms and grey kitchen.

It's depressing. We have plans to move out of this house in about 5 years time but we're about to spend a couple thousand redoing everything. Carpets/walls/furniture.

Are we BU? Is the grey thing going to stick around for years and we've wasted money putting everything back to neutral?

We’ve done the same and I LOVE my new non grey house!! I hated sitting in any room with grey / griege everywhere but now it’s a pleasure and a delight to be at home.

5 years is a long time in Greyland

Maybe keep the grey carpets to save money, but change the paint etc. Paint is cheap. I've been looking at houses on Rightmove lately and there are some where everything is grey, kitchen, floor, walls, sofa.....Bloody depressing!

I think it’s a ghastly fad, but instead of changing wall decor and carpets, can’t you inject colour with cushions, throws, rugs and so on? That way you can take them with you.

Well, you must have spotted the colour when you bought it??

I’d paint all the walls and buy bright accessories. I couldn’t bring myself to change a kitchen or bathroom that didn’t need to be changed. To wasteful, and bad for the planet.

No one knows which colours will be trendy in five years. You have to live with it now.

I would. When you sell it the grey fad will be 10+ years out of date. It’s such a depressing colour anyway. Definitely change it. I’m still seeing new builds being done completely grey and I wonder what the fuck is wrong with these people. Do they just like being sad?

Grey is not a fad darling. It’s a deeply nourishing spiritual choice

You could add accent colours using furniture, cushions and rugs and maybe do a few feature walls.

Grey walls and carpet don’t particularly offend me because they are quite neuteral. We have grey walls in the living room, with wooden floors but have mustard colours, white, and gold throughout the room. Likewise we have grey carpets upstairs with white walls, and colours from furnishings.

That said, individual taste and all 🤷🏻‍♀️

If you did the house from top to bottom now in the latest fad, it would be de trop in five years when you come to sell. Live with the carpets, emulsion and accessorise as others have said.

It's really not a depressing colour! Yes if you make it look like a prison cell...

It’s a horrific fad. I came across one Instagram account where I thought the photos were all filtered to be black and white, but there is actually no colour in the house. I think it’s an easy way for people with no taste to disguise that fact - hard to get it too wrong if everything is the exact same colour.

You should definitely redecorate - 5 years is too long to live in grey land!

I’m going to paint my bedroom grey. It’s a garishly bright, south facing room that gives me headache with light bouncing off anything remotely reflective. A grey will be a nice balm to my poor eyeballs, and can be tarted up with curtains and bedding as needed.

Your actual problem seems to be that the entire house is grey. You’ll have the same issue if it’s all white/cream/neutral.

Live a little and let your house be uncoordinated; your bedroom doesn’t need to match the living room. :)

To PP, we have added pops of colour. Living room is grey/yellow and DD's is grey/light pink. We've been in here about 6 months and even with the colour I hate it! I love the house itself and thought I'd grow to like the grey but I haven't. At all.

We've ordered nice cream carpets and have furniture arriving in the new year. I think the kitchen and bathroom will have to stay grey as they're affa expensive to replace.

I did think if the grey kitchen bothers me too much in future I could replace the counter tops and flooring as they're the only grey parts - everything else is white!

Oh there are quite a few of those houses on Instagram blanched. Prison cells just about sums them up. Agree it’s to hide lack of taste or imagination.

Why not paint some of the walls/rooms a nice white to brighten it all up? I'd then accessorize with colour. I'd recommend repainting the kitchen white and maybe hallways?

It’ll look very dated in five years time, couldn’t you just make the walls neutral...surely wouldn’t cost thousands but would change the look of it.

@Elladownthelane

We've repainted the hallway Dulux Timeless and are trying to keep it neutral tones throughout but with oak furniture for a bit of warmth. Country cottage vibes we are aiming for!

It's what I always fall back to in houses and love! Just hope it'll stay relevant in 5 yrs time 😂

Paint a few walls, get nice lamps and rugs. I wouldn't go ripping up tiles or carpets until nearer the time you want to sell.
Whatever you change it to will be worn and out of date by then.

I quite like grey, it's a great neutral as there are cool and warm tones of it, as opposed to beige or terracotta colours which are more limited.

Green is a good easy neutral too. Though like grey hard to pick the 'right' one.

Oops cross post, in that case disregard everything I've said!

Though dusty lavender shades are a nice country cottage tone which can unify grey and creams

I have a pale grey bedroom, grey is actually one of my favourite colours & painted it 7 years ago. I’m re decorating in the new year as Im sick of grey everywhere. Don’t want blue as that’s the new grey so maybe will just go with white.

I thought blue was the new grey?

I like grey. I'm about to have a grey kitchen installed and it's beautiful. It doesn't have to be dull and is a good base to add any kind of colour too. You just need a bit of imagination. Or Pinterest.

Don’t paint the walls white and leave the grey carpets in, that really would look institutional.

Nothing wrong with grey of you do it properly, i have a bit of grey thpugh the house as I have a light beige/cream colour. It's just another neutral. I know what you mean when it's done to the extreme though it does look awful. Also with the blingy furniture, crushed velvet etc.

We have no grey.... in fact we've got a bit of a blue theme going with prussian blue in the dining room and seine blue in the living room.

Grey is so "meh"..... and unimaginative. I can't wait for the trend to die.... a bit like the one for strapless lace wedding dresses yawn