What is it with Grey?

[Carryingon]

I saw a house today which had been modernised but it was so monochrome. Flat grey kitchen, grey carpets, black doors and woodwork, very dark grey radiators. And it was all brand new so I couldn’t justify changing it. Someone will love it but sadly not me.

Sage green is gorgeous, tbf.

What's going to be the new grey? I think teal (which is sad because too much of a good thing...)

There's plenty of beige and magnolia bashing too, but fans of grey don't notice that because they agree with it.

Over the past few years I've seen many threads in the home decoration section asking for recommendations for grey so it must still be popular. Eventually though everything goes out-of-date.

My friend has the palest of grey walls in a large sunny room and it's lovely, but mostly it looks depressing and drab to me.

Or has teal gained popularity because it compliments grey? Or has it always been popular?

The lighting can really change how grey walls look. I have warm pale grey walls in most rooms in my house but when I first painted, I was horrified to find that each room looked so different! The hallway and lounge looked warm and inviting, but the kitchen looked stark and industrial. I changed the lightbulbs in the kitchen to extra warm white light and now it’s my favourite room in the house.

Not sure whether warm lights would make darker grey walls and black accents look any better though....

The rooms I posted are all grey. They absolutely show what I was saying. They are light warm greys. Not cold steel greys. I think most people think this is shade of grey is stylish and will continue to be. It’s all about the shade of grey, the woodwork colour, furniture and accessories that pull it together.
I deliberately chose how grey can be accessorised. A room is rarely attractive with all grey.

Don’t forget that in the 00s it was all about Kelly Hoppen and taupe. These neutral shades don’t age but every so often we need a change so dark green and pink are now the change. Hague Blue before that. Nothing wrong with having fashionable colours but each room is a blank canvas and there is no need to have grey everywhere. It does show lack of imagination.

The pp who suggested yellow walls with grey - just no in my view. Retro look maybe but I would soon be sick of that because it’s so difficult to accessorise. I also think that the high quality paint companies pair paints and colours for you. Just follow their suggestions and you are half way there.

Yes lighting can make a huge difference. Both natural and artificial.

We were originally going to put pigeon in the living room but it looked dark iron grey with blue tones, and was really horrible. I used it in the bedroom instead and it’s green, obviously green too and lovely.

Yes. Lighting makes a huge difference and how much natural light you have. Natural light and warm greys are lovely. But grey should only be part of the scheme.

I’m having a debate with myself this morning on this issue. I’ve put some tester patches on the wall - I originally was going to go with De Nimes for the hallway.

I’m now looking at the skimming stone tester patch and feel like it looks better.

But I’m worrying there will be too much grey in my house 😖

I have DeNimes in my cloak room. It’s not grey. It’s a very washed blue/grey. I’ll post a pix. I think pale grey accessories are great with it.

De Nimes is lovely as a blue but I think it looks a bit too dark for this space.

Skimming stone is so far winning the family vote.

Maybe I will just paint it white 😂

It is actually softer in reality than these pix. Ignore the old towel. There should be a huge mirror behind the candle but it’s being fitted next week. I’m not entirely sure I would want a huge amount of it. I like Skimming Stone. It’s a much warmer neutral colour. DeNimes can look blue, green or greyish - depends on the light! The other pix attached is Elephants Breath. Coral jazzes it up.

It’s just a neutral colour. But needs to be the right grey working with the natural light in the room. If you get it right it doesn’t even register as grey.

A neutral colour that doesnt show the dirt as much as white or magnolia. Sounds good to me.

At least grey can be easily changed/brightened up. I'm part of an interiors group on Facebook and I think the obsession with dark colours is worse- think almost black rooms. It looks so depressing.

If you watch some of the more up to date house programmes white has very much taken over again.

I love grey as the neutral tone in a colour scheme. Anything is better than beige!

However I always tone it with other colours, so I'll have a colour on the walls and grey carpet and curtains, or pale grey walls with a dark feature wall. I do love a dark grey radiator though.

The Mrs Hinch grey look that everyone tries to emulate with “Knick-knacks” from B&M/The Range etc is just ghastly.
That shaggy grey rug is enough to cause nightmares.

Grey started being fashionable about 15 years ago, at one stage I was considering painting every room grey I loved it so much (I didn't, I painted 1 room elephants breath). Now it looks dated and overdone because it has worked its way down the food chain. So instead of the only greys we see being lovely F&B greys in beautiful period or architect designed houses with real (not grey) wooden floors and full of (not grey) designer furniture and beautiful art we are now seeing grey in the likes of Mrs Hinch's house where it's ALL grey with lots of crushed velvet, eyelet curtains and mirrored furniture.

Thanks @PresentingPercy. Your home looks lovely. Appreciate the help!

I bought oval room blue for a bedroom. In the light it looks dark grey. The patch in the hallway looks how it should. Maybe farrow and ball is not the paint for me!

Mrs Hinch's house where it's ALL grey with lots of crushed velvet, eyelet curtains and mirrored furniture

Actually she doesn’t have crushed velvet and mirrored furniture, the eye let curtains I couldn’t comment on but they’ve been popular for years.

Her sofas are these ones, I have them too, although I got mine first, or well before I had even heard of her, mine are mink, hers are silver I think, they are defintely not crushed velvet. 😃

www.dfs.co.uk/loch-leven/loc14slhl

The trend is definitely warmer, Dulux colour of the year is an earthy shade. I think it's going back towards warm tones of greige at the very least.

Just did our living room in (Crown) Smoked Glass with Refined on chimney breast and because we have oak floors it's just very calm and soothing. Lots of jewel colours on the cushions and it's very snug.

I'm currently painting swatches on walls to replace the grey in my new house. All communal areas are grey or white!

It was the 'on trend' colour apparently navy is the next

Auschwitz was also grey.