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Guest Post:  Shades of Grey in the Bedroom

Guest Post: Shades of Grey in the Bedroom

Today’s guest post comes from Lisa, with Shop 4 Furniture.  If you’ve never considered using gray in your bedroom, you may take a second look at the hue after reading her article!

Grey is certainly a sophisticated alternative to the use of a cream colour when decorating in a bedroom.   It is also a colour that works well with a broad palette of contrasting shades.   The hard part is achieving that warm and comforting feel without the room becoming too bland.  With a mix of clever toning accessories, great textures and using grey wisely – you will surely achieve an enviable and gorgeous bedroom.

chic gray bedroom

Photo courtesy Decoholic

Grey does comes in differing shades.  Are there 50 shades of grey?  Probably!   Grey can encompass everything from a stone shade to a velvety purple and right up to a battleship colour.   Of course, if you thought finding the best shade of grey for you was going to be any easy task, think again! While Dulux may have one called Steel Grey or Light French Grey – some suppliers have some rather unique names.  Farrow and Ball’s Mouse’s Back and Downpipe really don’t give you much clue to what will be in the tin.  Buying a sample test pot and applying 3 coats to the wall is the best way to determine what the finished colour might look like once dried.

Some greys have an underlying beige tone, some have a green base, others brown, some even slightly pink in shade.  The best way forward is to identify the shade of grey that you like and stick within that same spectrum.  Firstly find the bedspread, wallpaper or fabric you want to start with.  Next, pick up some of those paint cards that show a range of similar shades on one card.  Identify your grey then stick with it for any other greys you add.  Now you have found the right tone for you, plan your contrast carefully.  If in doubt, ask a friend to help you choose or stick to an off white or cream contrast shade.

 

Modern gray bedroom

Photo courtesy Berkeley Group

Some of the lighter silver greys work very well with pale contrasts like cream or pale lemons.  Grey and lemon is certainly a favourite colour team right now.  The bolder your shade of grey the more dramatic your accents colours can be.  Fuschia and tangerine shades also work surprisingly well as contrasts.  Green is a difficult colour to get right.  A mint shade with a pale silver grey is likely to be your best option here.

Again, take those paint shade cards when you are out shopping and see which colour tone is going to work best with your chosen grey.  If it looks too wrong on the paint chart it will look 20 times worse once in your room.  You can use the same shade of grey but using different materials to create a balance of colour and texture.

Cozy gray bedroom

Photo courtesty General Splendour

Some design inspiration:

  • A grey carpet with a feature grey wall behind the bed and off white bedding with a few grey cushions or two is perfect.  If you want to be slightly more adventurous add a contrast cushion in fuschia pink.
  • Grey carpets can be hard to find.  But a polished dark wood floor, grey bedspread and headboard will look great. Make the bed the “island of grey”.  Using cushions in different textures of the same shade of grey works surprisingly well. A silk cushion will sit quite happily against a knitted one for added texture.
  • Are you updating a bedroom which already has the darker black or wenge style furniture?  Adding grey is one way to lighten it up and make it feel more contemporary.  Have you a chair whose seat could be reupholstered in a grey fabric?  Changing a solid wood mirror for a more silvered type will also work.   What about a few soft grey cushions for the bed?
  • A feature wall, whether it is wallpaper or paint, can add a hint of grey to a bedroom.   Leave the rest of the walls in a paler shade of grey or a contrast off white. I would suggest your feature wall is the stronger colour to allow maximum impact. Your curtains can be pale and tone in with surrounding walls so as not to dominate the room.

Best of all have fun decorating.  Grey can be playful in the bedroom, especially if you add the odd random accessory – whether it is cushions, silvered mirror or anything else that captures your imagination!

 Shop 4 Furniture is a furniture company based in the UK.  Please visit their website for more information and to browse the latest furniture styles for your home.

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3 Responses to Guest Post: Shades of Grey in the Bedroom

  1. Ellie says:

    Hello!

    Just wondering what the grey colour is that you have used in your first picture?

    Thank you 🙂

    • Teri says:

      Hello! Unfortunately, I can’t answer that…this post was written by a guest author, and the photo was taken from the Decoholic site. If you click the link beneath the picture, it should take you to the original source and they may be able to help you with that info. Thanks so much for stopping by!

    • Chris says:

      Did you find out what grey the wall is as I haven’t been able to?

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