the grey thing

[milkwasabadchoice]

the Grey Thing. Kitchens, specifically. It seems very fashionable, and it can look gorgeous as per the magazines, pinterest etc.

But in the hands of an utter amateur who's rubbish at knowing what goes with what, who doesn't have a huge budget, and who isn't actually all that interested in interior decoration, can the Grey Thing just end up looking like a drab, gloomy office?

Fwiw, I'm considering kitchen units in F&B Dimpse, a white slightly marble-y work surface, just off-white walls, and either green/grey or blue/grey metro-shaped wall tiles. Not sure about floor tiles. It's a north-facing kitchen that opens onto a big open plan room.

In theory I think it sounds nice, but if you put it in the hands of an interiors-idiot? I think I'm doomed. Advice, please, from people who are genuinely good at this!

I live an Australian cedar-lined shed so have minimal stakes in grey.

My thought, based on the gazillion threads about grey on MN is: isn't this the next decade's magnolia?

yes you're right. I'm utterly a sheep with these things. I feel like I have no "vision". I want it to look calm and welcoming and I do genuinely like blue/grey and green/grey as colours. I suppose that's my starting point.

I also adore - and can't afford - these gorgeous "delft" tiles.

What about switching it around so that your greys are on the wall and not the units? I think that big budget items such as kitchen units should be kept neutral as they will date quickly, and then use more fashionable colours on the walls? Repainting is much cheaper than getting a new kitchen! Do a Pinterest search on white kitchen / grey walls and you should see some nice ones!

We've done what Chapeau suggests. New kitchen/family room units are bone white, walls are Dulux Dusted Moss 2, diamond matt - totally wipe able etc.

Worktops are bamboo (along the wall) and white quartzforms on the pale olive coloured island.

We've actually taken that grey colour right through downstairs, and up the stairs to the landing. I love it, really do. We've had several comments on the colour and how restful it is. I love it because it's just 'there', not too bland but not too obvious either. Looks lovely with white woodwork too, sets off paintings, pictures etc nicely.

And when we're bored of grey - paint job will solve that!

Yes you may well be right. I suppose I might be able to have the units repainted one day but that would harder than redoing the walls. Hmm. Back to Pinterest!

I think Dimpse is pale enough to count as a neutral rather than a grey, personally. I went through loads of testers and ended up with Dimpse as it was more neutral than grey, it's got that whole is it pale blue, is it chalk, is it pale grey thing going on.

Also, if you are having a painted kitchen, you could always have it professionally repainted after 10 years or so...not as much hassle as you'd think.

Am having just that trauma at the moment. Kitchen in pigeon. (So diff in different lights?) work tops on pale quartz. Walls slipper satin.
North room into open plan. Lots of light.
And thinking of perhaps French grey into hall.
But will I hate it in a year???

I've had major building work done and fell for the grey trend. I'm not finished yet. I still have curtains etc to do but so far it's looking very bland. I'm struggling to know what to do to warm it up. The kitchens that I took inspiration all had wood floors. I have tiles. I think I need more wood. I'm not sure whether to keep going or to throw in the towel and start repainting.

By the way.....If you are going for grey, the silestone lagoon worktops turned out fabulous. I'd highly recommend.

I am not a trend setter or follower, having lived in houses that we knew we would sell on we went neutral, creams, coffee etc

We now live in our forever house and for the first time we are decorating to our own taste. I have always loved teal, duck egg blue and grey. Our house is on a north/south axis so our kitchen is north facing but due to the position of the house and neighbours we get full sun in the kitchen too.

Here is my kitchen (just after the extension was build and these photos were taken just after installation) it was put in last year. It is an Ikea kitchen, we mixed the grey and the white as white was too glaring and the kitchen couldn't take dark grey throughout. We have light grey walls, and speckled grey flooring.

I am mid decorating the children's playroom in a very dark "elephant in the room" Valspar paint. Hides all the marks!

Sidewinder your kitchen is fab! Love how you have two colours of cabinets
Did you go with an Ikea worktop too?

I've done it with the units, see pics (sorry, posted one twice and can't delete!).

I'm completely and utterly besotted with it and we did it 18 months ago now! Light room and it is much lighter in the daytime and we've brightened it with a funky chair and stuff. Off white walls and worktops do really lift it and I think it'll be a few years before I tire of it. By which time I'll prob want a new kitchen anyway? Wooden kitchens are going to be 'in' forever either...let's face it, loads of stuff in the home comes and goes. It's like fashion, in it!?!

Oh no, pics didn't work. Trying again...

Oh whoops, maybe they did. Sorry, not trying to be a twat.

I have got grey units, cream metro tiles with grey grout and sunshine yellow walls. Looks great! (I think anyway :) )

ChishandFips33 no it's an axiom worktop, if you request samples from them you get a big sample not a postage stamp sized thing. It was purely cabinets, doors and handles from Ikea oh and their extractor fan as it is built in. Everything else was from somewhere else.

LittleMilla your kitchen is stunning, wish I had high ceilings like that.

I've noticed a lot of cafes and shops have cottoned onto the grey thing.

Makes them look like a bloody prison, IMO.

F&B Parma Grey lovely (it's almost powder blue).

(I always want to call it Parma Ham, of course)

We've had grey throughout downstairs for a couple of years and love it. We've kept the kitchen units wood though as its expensive to change and just out grey on the walls and woodwork.

The woodwork is mostly very pale grey and they walks are varying shades so it doesn't look boring, most are just a hint of grey so it doesn't look dark or cold.

What I like is being able to change it with accessories when we get fed up. I'm planning to change the living room curtains, rug and cushions in the new year to add a bit of colour as that room is grey, black, silver and white at the moment and I want a bit of change.

Another grey/teal/turquoise lover.
We have grey kitchen units which I painted. If I get sick of them, I will paint them a different colour.

We have wooden worktops and wood floor, and a splash of colour (teal and blue) in the dining area of the kitchen. White walls throughout.

2 years on I still like the grey units.

PS our kitchen diner is south facing, we have sun from midday until evening.

We have a north-facing kitchen and the woman in the posh paint shop near us said absolutely NO to grey in there because of that.

She is a big fan of grey elsewhere but I think grey and north-facing would be v. prison-like.

jam it really does depend on how much light you get in. My kitchen is north facing but I have no neighbours to the west so my kitchen gets full sun half way through the day, so much so that I have to shut the blind on the full glass door to the garden otherwise I bake!

Plus I have a large roof light over my head so more sun. My picture further up the thread makes it look dark when it isn't (must take more photos with better camera)

My kitchen has dark grey base units, grey walls and a grey floor. It certainly does not look or feel like a prison

I would go for white units and grey on the walls.

But I'm a grey is the new magnolia kind of person.