Have you ever thought of using gray throughout a room or the entire house? It has a certain nobility about it; a calm, assured stateliness. There was a British Lord Grey and legend has it he was presented with the famous Earl Grey tea, as a gift from a Chinese mandarin. In Britain, the color is spelled with an “e”, while here in America we spell it with an “a”.
Our guest blogger, Robin Nilson, an Interior Designer at Toms-Price in Old Orchard, shares her thoughts, below, on designing with gray.
Robin Nilson
The automatic response I hear is: “What other colors do you put with gray? And quickly I say – teal, lime green, sherbet, hot pink, but in small doses. Ebony or dark wood finishes are beautiful with gray. There’s nothing wrong with going that direction, in fact everything right! It makes a room sharp, youthful and fun.
Though in past years we have tended to jump to the conclusion that gray is used mainly in contemporary settings – it is very interesting to use in traditional interiors, too. I like to look a little deeper into the color gray, asking “is the gray warm, or is it cool?” The tendency toward one or the other will have an effect on what coordinating fabrics you will pick. We are used to seeing gray in the interior space with mirrors, stainless appliances, certain lighting fixtures, chrome, silver hardware or gray painted finishes. Many colors have gray undertones in the paint, both for the wall and in furniture finishes.
I am particularly intrigued by using warm and cool tones together. Think of gray and gold. We are seeing that combination often in the design world: mixing of metals, as in a gold traditional tray being placed on a modern chrome and glass table; or in taupe, gold and gray striped fabrics. Brass chandeliers are now seen with other silver-toned accessories, pulls, and sconces. By welcoming both the warm and the cool, we surprise the eye and give a comfortable temperature to a room!
Vanguard’s Gaddy Mid Sofa
Deco Chair by Hancock & Moore
The Grey Deco leather chair has a luxurious hair-on-hide back and sides. It is in our Wheaton Hancock & Moore Flash Sale, along with the Smithfield grey leather sofa, shown below.
Smithfield Sofa by Hancock & Moore
While black and white are all pop and contrast, their blending together into gray creates rooms with a soothing and restful quality. Mix different shades of gray, from dark to light, on the pieces in your room, for a pleasing effect.
Vanguard’s Logan Settee
Grey-themed Dining Room by Vanguard
Wesley Hall L7045 Chair
Vanguard Grey Sofa, V384-S
Robin Nilson is in the Toms-Price Old Orchard showroom on Tuesdays, Thursdays , Fridays and Saturdays and will be happy to help with your interior design needs and furniture search.
