November 18, 2021
Grey colour combinations will lend creative freedom to your home, as grey is a chameleon-like colour. It can be timeless and classical, daringly avant-garde or chic and sophisticated.
One of the reasons for this peculiar quality is that it can be readily combined with other colours to take on very different characteristics. This article looks at the best 5 colours to combine with grey. Here we have gathered a list of tips and provided advice on how best to combine grey and colour for your home décor, whatever the style you aim to create. As well as finishes such as grey wall tiles and grey floor tiles, we also look at other furniture and accessories.
Hannover Topo 59.6X150 / Deco Hannover 59.6X150 (Available in-store)
First things first, when discussing colour, it’s important to distinguish between the following terms:
As a function of light, there is still much we don’t know about colour. It is subjective and compelling, having challenged painters and other artists through the millennia. Colour in décor is a science that has an extraordinary impact on our perception of space. Psychologists back this up with empirical evidence. However, grey stands beyond subjective criteria. It’s simply a function of light. Even for the colour-blind, grey is recognisable. But mixing and matching colour with grey can actually enhance its underlying characteristics. The grey draws something extra from the colours which it is combined.
The following examples provide a shortcut to creating warmer or cooler colour schemes to help achieve the desired effect.
For a cool and elegant décor, there are few better choices than combining blue and grey. Here the key is to vary the tone and intensity of both colours to provide a contrast that differentiates between them. We must handle blue differently according to the room. For example, it should be cooler in bathrooms but warmer in bedrooms and living rooms to achieve greater comfort. As featured in this living room, the mix of grey textures on walls and floors is beautifully complemented by plush blue upholstery and accessories.
Grey is one of the few colours that can neutralise mustard or yellow hues, stopping them from overpowering a space. In fact, it’s the perfect colour to frame the qualities of yellow, including creativity, warmth and optimism. Mustard works exceptionally well as an accent colour for accessories, fabrics and upholstery. This bedroom perfectly illustrates how mustard, when combined with light grey and timber furniture, creates an organic, vital yet restful space.
The pink and grey combination has been favoured over many historical periods and has a long tradition in architecture and design. The Georgians, for instance, loved dusty pinks and greys combined. The Art Deco era, meanwhile, wallowed in pink’s audacity tempered by the more sober quality that grey provides.
Create a highly contemporary look with the right contrasting shades of pink and grey, deep charcoal and blush pink or a more neutral, earthy pink shade. Alternatively, a lighter tone grey with a pastel colour pink can add light and whimsy to even a dark space in the home.
This reliable colour tandem is the go-to choice for creating bright, modern and contemporary looking interiors. It’s advisable to use a few different tones of either grey or white (cream, off white, etc.) but not both. Grey is an ideal choice for playing with the colour tone, as it offers enormous variations by adding black. The illustrated bathroom showcases white sanitary ware complemented by recessed shelves, floor tiles and accessories in varied shades of grey.
Moody and elegant. The classic combination of black and grey is always a good choice, especially for areas with abundant natural light. However, make sure you don’t overdo the concept. Choose lighter shades of grey to complement the intensity of pure black. For a designer character that manages to be both neutral and timeless, it’s hard to beat black and grey together. This example of a kitchen with an island and backsplash in contrasting tones shows how timeless the combination can be, a look that will never be out of style.
When it comes to colour, all things in moderation is the best approach. That’s why hue, intensity and shade are so important when combining grey with actual genuine colours. For UK homes in more northern latitudes, deeper shades tend to look better over the different seasons of the year. Concerning cool colours like blue, green and violet, darker and more intense shades work best: navy or midnight blue, sage or olive green, deepest indigo. For warmer colours like red, orange and yellow, either go dark and moody or lighter and more neutral. Darker versions of these colours like burnt orange, sienna reds or mustard yellows look great with any shade of grey. For a brighter décor, use pastel colours and lower intensity shades.
It follows from the above that grey and white, together or separately, work well to create a contemporary style décor. As for the colours that go with this combination, one of the least fallible approaches is to avoid colour altogether. That is to say, go with organic materials such as wood, metal, cane and rattan that have no added colour, just their own finish, which blends effortlessly with grey and white. Add linens and canvases in raw tones for extra warmth.
When combining rugs or wall-to-wall carpet with grey walls, the intensity or tone of the grey will influence the choice of colour. For deeper tone grey walls, it’s advisable to choose lighter colours and vice versa, depending on the effect you want to create.
Carpet: Establishing a ‘lighting harmony’ between the walls and the carpeting should be the objective.
Rugs: Floorboards or tiled floors with scatter rugs and grey walls present an opportunity to be much more experimental with colour. You can afford to be more daring with mustard, blues and reds, adding drama and visual interest.
Tip: Whatever colour you choose, using a deep pile wool carpet for a luxurious feel underfoot is strongly recommended.
Paradoxical though it may sound, avoid too much grey, especially of the same tone. Grey is a subtle tone and should be controlled, as too much can appear unattractive or dull. Pair grey with grey only when the shade and value are clearly differentiated.
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