Color is one of the easiest, most cost-effective ways to change the look of your home. Subtle or bold, warm or cool, color is present in every space: walls, floor coverings, upholstery fabrics, even bed linens. Your color choice is also a deeply personal matter. Everyone has a favorite, for as many different reasons as there are colors. One of my favorite colors to use when creating interiors is gray.
The product of the marriage between black and white, gray is so universally misunderstood as a color that it even has two acceptable spellings: gray, and grey. (I prefer gray.) In my interiors, gray is a super neutral, a base upon which sophisticated color stories can be built. To begin to really understand gray and all its amazing potential, we have to really get to know the color.
Black and white are considered polar opposites on a color spectrum. When these two colors are blended to produce gray, it follows that gray should fall somewhere in the middle of the color continuum, able to support and compliment almost any color.
Gray is a sophisticated and nuanced color, one that can be both cool and warm, depending on the ratio of black and white mixed together. Once a person acquires this “secret knowledge” and understanding of gray, a new respect and appreciation for the color emerges.
Cool gray, the color that most people see in their minds when they think of gray, is the hardest color to accept. Associated with rainy days and winter skies, cool gray can sometimes produce a lifeless interior. However, cool gray is best used together with warm colors – fiery reds, acid yellows and apple greens – as a calming anchor in an exciting color story. Many Italian and middle-European textile manufacturers combine these colors to produce exciting fabrics with an unexpected twist. Cool gray is terrific when paired with polished metals. Chrome, brushed nickel and steel all look awesome next to a cool gray color. The reflective qualities of the metal surfaces carry the gray throughout the interior. Imagine a monochromatic interior done in varying shades of gray, with sleek polished chrome furniture and richly textured textiles like leather or cowhide. Heaven. [Photo by S Eberhard]
