The Perfect Grey?!

[Twinklefuck]

Does this mythical creature even exist? Looking to paint an entire downstairs which will be North and South facing so my question is... What's the most versatile light grey in your opinion?

Will be going for sample pots today & so far have only one in mind

I must have tried at least 20 testers on my living room walls...all greys seemed to look lilac.

In the end I went for Valspars Modern Grey. Absolute true grey very light and clean looking. It was the only one when I tried the sample card in the little light boxes with 3 different lights in b&q that looked grey in all of them.

I've only been looking at dulux so will expand my search now. One of those is dusted moss 2, I think no. 3 could work but wasn't available online.

In our flat we'd go to b&q and just pick a colour and go with it, now we've moved I want it to be perfect and it's driving me crazy.

Have you let the paint dry in the tester spots? The colour changes as it dries.

That's them dried, I'll give them another coat later. Leaning a little towards the first (just walnut) but think I'll have to wait till next week to go to b&q. I'm painting the entire downstairs and stairs/landing so don't want to settle unless we love it. Dh thinks they're too dark aside from whatever that luminous colour in the middle is!

Little Greene French Grey pale. Against white woodwork it is a pale warm grey. OR go French grey mid if you want darker.

Thank you, it's on my list. I'm really not wanting anything dark, but to pop the woodwork and not be too cold for the North facing lounge.

Dulux Thimble Case is very pale grey. It's a nice flat colour, I think because it's part of the Dulux Timeless collection which are made to look a bit chalky. 80% of my house is either Thimble Case or Pebble Shore.

Out of the 5 I prefer the first, the others are quite dark and don't like the middle one!

Don't go too dark- I think darker grey walls are starting to look dated already
If you pm me your email I'll email you a cross some pics of our sitting room in French grey pale

We've got Dulux Timeless Classics in Wishing Well. It's a perfect dove grey and the finish is good too.

I went out and got two more testers locally (£3.99 each ) I'm resigned to take a trip to b&q when I can fit it in.

In order they are;
Just walnut
Engraved locket
Rock salt
Dusted moss 2
Pebble shore
Night jewels 6
Dusted moss 3

Staverton thank you, will pm you when I can get on laptop, no idea how to on app.

I've got all suggestions on a list and will get samples of everything. Why is nothing like the paint chip cards??

Our main living area is two separate shades of greige as one looked too dark in the living room and the other looked too blaaaaahhh in the dining room. Everyone thinks it's the same colour though.

Chips it's funny you say that, the first one, just walnut looks so light in the south facing kitchen but too dark in the living room which is north facing and the darker areas I've tried it.

I'm going for a cosy feeling but don't have the balls to go too dark

If you're anywhere near a Wickes, you could tried their own brand Powder Grey. We had it in two reception rooms and a bedroom and were v pleased with it.

I have north and south facing windows in my living room. We went for Ammomite by Farrow and Ball, which looks more like a dark white but is more of a pale grey on the walls.

I forget what the name of the F&B colour in the dining room is but the living room is Benjamin Moore's Tapestry Beige. It's a lovely colour but it's not really grey though

A tip I picked up on here is to paint big pieces with lining paper with the tester and hold it up around the room. I did the same as you when you have all the testers next to each other, it's impossible to tell what they are really like.
Also put the colour you like into Pinterest and you'll see rooms painted in that colour.

I have Dulux Porcelain Dollar in my hallway and landing. It's a lovely light grey, no tinges of blue or lilac.

Porcelain Doll not Dollar!

I loved 'Light Rain', can't remember the make but we bought it from b&q. I would paint the whole house in it if I could!

You need to be careful judging the colours against the background of the existing wall colour. It will skew everything. Try painting 2/3 colours on some A4 card and then you can see them more in isolation and in different parts of the room. Those paler ones won't be so luminous if not being seen against the yellow background.

(sorry someone said this already!)

We have a v pale dusted moss in our n facing bedroom. Tis lovely and calming and smart against white woodwork.

Place marking

I would re-iterate the problem of seeing the samples against the magnolia background. It will make the colours look different (an optical illusion).

When we painted our lounge light brown, the original wall was peach in colour and it made the light brown sample paints look grey and not brown at all.

I find choosing a paint colour the hardest part of decorating. I don't think you ever know for sure whether a colour works until you've actually bought it and covered a whole wall in it and seen it in daylight and at night time in artificial light.

The tester colours are all on a white background, which most people do not have at home.

The best way to check a colour is to paint an A4 piece of printer paper (I always do 4) and put one on each wall, especially near corners. The colour appears differently on each wall.

I have a south east/north west axis house and I have the same colour at both ends and it looks totally different because of the different natural light.

Dulux pearl grey from the travels in color range - day at the beach. It is slightly blue though but v nice.