Greetings! We are just back from The Little Grey Lady of the Sea (a.k.a. the island of Nantucket). We got to spend some time there after the crowds left, which, in my opinion, is the best time to go. The weather was not the greatest, thanks to tropical storm Hermine bringing some cloudy skies with her, but it got me thinking about the perfect gray paint color.
I apologize for this terrible photo! You can tell I’m not the photographer, although hopefully you get the point of my inspiration. Gray can be quite tricky to do right. With lots of hidden undertones of green, blue, and purple, it is best to sample a few. This is exactly what we are doing with a few friends/clients (payment for services made in wine) who are painting some rooms shades of gray. What timing!
Now, if you are looking for a true gray, that can be hard to find. Often purple undertones take over and then you have a purple room. Here is my son’s purple gray room–oopsy daisy! He is going to have to live with that for a while, but luckily he doesn’t care.
Speaking of oopsy daisy, my dear friend Kathleen had a major oopsy daisy with this pink dining room.
I’ve been helping Kathleen with several house decorating projects lately. She is super motivated and resourceful, even sewing her own curtains, so she is easy to work with. Her husband is out of town on a fishing trip, so I can’t think of a better time to “tackle” this dining room paint color. This post contains affiliate links. Click here to read our full disclosure policy.
I recommended Stonington Gray first. I have recommended it recently with lots of luck. It’s a beautiful silver-blue gray that is great for interior or exterior color. To quote my mother in law, who is also my interior decorator guru, “You can’t go wrong with a HC (Historical Collection Benjamin Moore) color.” In addition, Stonington Gray does look really nice with wood trim, which Kathleen has decided to leave as is, so I thought this would be a shoo-in. While I love this color and often agree with my mother in law, here is an example of this color not working.
Rather than looking gray, the paint appears baby-blue when contrasted against the cream color in the curtain fabric. Alas, we had to go back to the drawing board.
Now we are in business! Look at all these samples! I told you Kathleen, our resourceful Peace Corps alum, knows how to get things done! From left to right:
Gray Horse Metro Gray Revere Pewter Titanium Stonington Gray Hazy Skies
We used all Benjamin Moore colors because they are easy to apply and have nice color choices (you may be noticing a theme with me–keep things uncomplicated!).
So on to the task at hand–choosing the perfect gray. Metro Gray looks purple here, and I’m trying to avoid that mistake again, so that was crossed off the list.
I have Revere Pewter in my family room and adore it! But colors do not appear the same in every space, as they are influenced by the amount of natural light in the room, by what color paint is chosen for the trim, and by what fabric choices are present in the space. My family room gets tons of light through not only the windows, but through the French doors, and skylights as well, so this color does not read dark at all in my space. Here is a pic of my family room.
Kathleen’s dining room, however, gets less natural light than my family room. Without all that light, the Revere Pewter took on a darker, tan cast. It simply didn’t look gray at all, so forget that one too!
Two other choices were Titanium and Hazy Skies. Both are very nice light green-gray colors which I have in my master bedroom and closet.
While I love those colors in my house, in Kathleen’s nest, the green undertones just didn’t work with the existing curtains and carpet in the dining room. And another one gone, and another one gone…another TWO bite the dust!
So now that I have you at the edge of your seat, the winner for Kathleen’s dining room transformation is Gray Horse!
We didn’t choose it simply because it was the last one standing. A lovely medium earthy-toned gray, it is simply perfect for this room. The shade looks fantastic with the dark wood furniture and trim, makes the rich cranberry colors in the rug and textile artwork pop, and showcases the playful fabric of the curtains. Look at how fabulous her dining room is now! Goodbye to that pink explosion, and hello to this modern and stylish gray room! I can’t wait to come for dinner. ;o
In summation, make sure you try several samples of gray in the space where you are planning to use it. So many variables can affect how a gray looks, and what looks gray on the paint chip could look anything BUT gray on your walls. I would recommend Historical Collection colors as a starting off point when looking for a gray. Their selection is great, and so I personally often limit myself to their line when I need to narrow down the overwhelming choices. Gray is very trendy right now, so it’s a good time to use it–but don’t feel your wall colors have to be controlled by trend. While I do have some neutral and gray walls in my home, I also have some very colorful rooms which I adore (you will see more in future posts), so if you naturally gravitate to something more colorful, then go for it! But if you are a Gray Lady (or gent!) too, you can always pair neutral gray wall colors with lots of patterns and colors on furniture and art to liven things up. I think it is all about balance and your own personal taste. So, as with all decorating decisions, have fun, be bold and remember it isn’t life or death–paint can always be changed!
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- My nest is not a museum, it is a comfortable, charming, unique, fabulous home with young children. I have high-end custom pieces, vintage tag sale finds, authentic antiques, colorful prints, and basic box store staple furniture. There are many ways to add functional style to your home and I can't wait to share my ideas and inspirations with you!
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