Is your living room due a refurb?
Is your living room looking tired, old-fashioned and outdated? Do you fancy giving it a spruce up, perhaps a lick of paint and a more modern colour scheme? If so, have you considered making grey your focus colour?
Why choose a grey colour scheme?
Turn to Instagram or Pinterest and you’ll see that grey is having a moment. Banish all ideas that the colour is dull – it’s not. This trend is all about using soft, misty tones and pairing them with one or two complimentary colours for a throughly modern look. Grey is a fantastic base colour that even novice decorators can easily get to grips with. Read on:
Image: Archer & Co.
Four throughly modern grey colour schemes for living rooms:
Grey colour scheme #1 – modern & bright:
Pairing soft shades of grey with monochrome prints and bright colours (like lemon yellow or neon pink) is the trend du jour. Accent with bold printed furnishings, like the cushion below.
Grey, bright colours & bold prints. Image: Archer & Co.
Grey colour scheme #2 – metallics:
Use soft grey with metallics to incorporate two modern trends in one living room. In the picture below, the shop pairs grey with copper accessories, which add a touch of warmth to the room.
Grey colour scheme with copper accents. Image: Alexander & Pearl
Don’t assume you’re limited to copper. In these images, Norsu Interiors allowed the accessories to do the talking. On the left, Norsu opted for grey-on-grey with bold red and black cushions. The table and accessories are gunmetal grey metallic. On the right, black, grey, pink and gold tones are all used – giving the room a subtle feminine vibe.
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- Grey, black, red & gunmetal
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- Grey, black, pink & gold
Grey colour scheme #3 – earth tones:
Looking for something a little more classic? Opt for neutral colours with stone grey undertones and accessorise with furnishings in earth tone colours for a relaxed vibe. Natural materials, recycled glass, organic fibres and wooden textures work wonderfully with this scheme.
Stone grey paired with soft earth tones. Image: Sofa.com
The following following living rooms are modern, bright and airy. Both rooms are painted white, with large uncovered windows and beautiful wooden floors. The room on the left features a grey sofa with scatter cushions in solid leafy green shades. The wooden floor, wooden side table, faux animal fur rug and simple vase of foliage accentuate the theme. On the right, the brown-grey sofa is complimented by a shaggy rug and feather-print scatter cushions, both in neutral earthy tones.
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- Grey, white & green
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- Stone grey with earth tones
Pictures and styling by Darlings of Chelsea.
Grey colour scheme #4 – Scandi chic:
Scandinavian/Nordic design is seeing a revival across Europe and the United States. The style of design originally swept the world in the 1950s.
Scandi/Nordic style is very minimalist. Choose simple, modern, elegant and functional pieces for your home. Match cool greys with blues. Monochrome often features too. Restore original wooden floors, maximise natural lighting and declutter – this style is all about clean lines.
Grey sofa with Scandi charm – from Les Esthetes
Image credits from left to right: Wharfside / Skandihome / Skandihome
Grey is here to stay.
It’s not just us that love grey. Magazines have featured the trend too:
Pale grey has become a popular colour choice for walls over the last few years, and for good reason
Bonus tip:
Don’t be afraid to mix multiple tones of grey in the same room to add lots of depth. Here are some lovely neutral-grey pairings by Farrow & Ball:
Easy Greys (left) and Architectural Cool (right) by Farrow & Ball
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