True gray paint colors are very difficult to pick out! Gray paint does have several undertones with the blue undertone most noticeable in a "cool" shade of gray paint color. You will also notice a green or purple undertone in some gray paint colors. I usually pick up NUMEROUS sample chips, bring them home and lay them on bright white copy paper. It is much easier to see the undertones when you lay the samples on white paper. Another trick I use is to find a sample strip of variations of grays going from dark to light.
I have found that if you find a strip with a black as the darkest color you can go up the strip to the lighter colors and find a truer gray. I also look at all these samples in the different light that comes in the windows during the day as they change with the light. Even with all of that I recently ended up with a "blue" living room rather than the grayer color I was looking for! Sorry to say that you may have to repaint.
Here are some truer grays that may help you out. Your choice of gray sofa and warm wood floors sound perfect. As far as wall colors, consider blue and green undertone grays. Depending on the amount of light, your room can take it without looking overly blue. If you prefer warmer tones, choose a gray with chocolate or pink undertones.
If you like a neutral color, the green based grays are often the most neutral. As always, I suggest painting a few boards with your sample choices and placing them around the room. Its an extra step but often helps to make a better decision. I love all the info you have so kindly taken the time to share.
I have a new home being built and need to make my paint selections. I am only allowed one paint color for the walls and ceilings and have chosen BM Balboa Mist. Please let me know if you think this is too dark for ceilings and walls. I am torn between BM Cloud White and Simply White for kitchen cabinets and all interior trim. My hardwood floors will be a greyish warm brown and my countertops will be white shimmery quartz with a soft gray backsplash.
I am going for bright, clean, but warm, wispy and soft but not dingy or drab feeling. Any advice or suggestions on the safest route for paint color choices would be appreciated so much. Natural light (light that comes in through your home's windows) affects the way colors appear in a room and should be considered when choosing paint colors.
And the effect this light has depends on the direction in which it comes into the room and the position of the sun. This is because light from the north adds a touch of blue. If the room you're painting has a southern exposure, it will receive the most intense light. Darker colors will be somewhat brightened and light colors have the potential to leave the room washed out. In the evening, a room on the west side of your home will have warmth from the orange colors added and can leave rooms that are orange, red, or yellow saturated.
Eastern exposure adds a bit of green to your room's walls—you can brighten this room up with soft cheerful yellows. Laurel, thanks for the beautiful articles on the different Grays. I am getting ready to paint some of the rooms in our new house Gray. The first room is the living room combo dining room which is cobalt blues and white w/some champagne intermingled.
From this room, you can see the family room / kitchen (great room?). It has a wheat sectional with area run in wheat dark Gray & beige design. The Kitchen cabinets are going to be painted a dark tone of whatever Gray I go with on the walls. All of the rooms get lots of light depending upon the time of the day.
My question is when it comes to cool and warm Grays. My colors of cobalt in the one room I feel should be done in a cool Gray and the wheat colors in the family / Kitchen should be in a warm Gray. All of the trim – base boards & doors will be in white. I would prefer to use one color Gray in all of the rooms if possible and using a light Gray to keep the rooms light and bright. Is there a Gray that will work with both of my color schemes without giving off an undertone that will possibly clash? Thank you for any help you can provide on this.
I have read all your post with great interest and HOPE for finding some help as I am having a rather difficult time choosing the right gray for my condo in Sarasota. I have used BM Classic Gray in my other home in MA. My new place has whitish large tile floor.
I was hoping to find one of your posts with a white tile floor! Its an Open floor plan for living spaces and pretty hight ceiling(9.4) with crown molding. Faces South with mostly glass sliders-so very sunny! I have tried many paints on ever wall and nothing seems right!
Did I mention its light stucco walls- not a fan-but not something I can change. I have tried Light Pewter which was too dark for the look I was hoping for. After 4 paint color tries…I am headed back to the store to go with my classic…BMClassic Gray again.
I am looking for a truly light gray and white trim contrast. I tend to favor more of a monochromatic calm look with pops of colors with pillows/artwork/accessories. I feel the whitish tile is making it hard-plus I have not picked furniture or area rugs yet. I feel that the paint decision is the most important- but how to do this without any of the furnishing? Does stucco make a difference when choosing the color? And all the experts were saying grey is going out – I didn't want to date my home before the paint dried.
How To Make Grey Look Less Blue My kitchen colors are white cabinets, grey backsplash and a rather boldly grained granite counter with creamy white, grey and browns in it. I went with Benjamin Moore Balboa Mist which is actually in the white family I believe. I still have a bit of contrast with my white trim, but it is very subtle. I am very happy because it seems to lend itself to bringing color in with rugs and accent pieces.
I am looking at a warm grey for my dining/sitting room. My accents are yellow/gold and purple, my furniture is light oak and I have dark floors. Wondering if you can recommend paints for the gray and off white. I was thinking for the gray I would go with a yellow or purple undertones and same with the off white. Am I in the right direction, thanks Phe. Rather than sticking with traditional white walls in your kitchen or dining room, the newest trend is a soft gray with the undertones of one color or another.
When it's done right, you get a gorgeous contemporary color that works well with many styles of furniture. More often than not, what you see in your local paint or home improvement store is not what you get in your home. If your gray walls are more purple, green, or yellow than you intended, we have some lighting tips to help you achieve the perfect shade of gray. Dear Jillian…Your post turned out happens to be one of the best advice ever in the lengthy decision process to repaint the interiors of our house in Texas. As predicted, light wood tones, even darker, are a perfect match with these two colors in the background.
Leather sofas along the line of taupe tone and grey corduroy sectionals also come to be a perfect fit with drift of mist in the background. I would love some advice because I'm having a very hard time choosing a color to paint my cabinets. My walls are French White by Benjamin Moore. And I was thinking of painting my kitchen cabinets with Ashley Gray by Benjamin Moore. But I want to make sure it still looks warm.
My kitchen is somewhat open and higher ceilings. I get a good amount of natural light during the day and then mid-afternoon things start to darken up which makes all the colors change. Could you suggestion a light grey accent wall color for my white wall theme bedroom.
Floors will be the Congoleum Carrara marble dura ceramic tiles. Vertical blinds will be a soft white with a super subtle hint of silver depending on lighting. Bedroom furniture will be a soft white, ceiling is a soft white. Any suggestions on a light gray Benjamin Moore paint color and trim color for the baseboards for the entire room? Northern light exposure in the afternoon.
The color to avoid in a room with purple-gray walls is yellow. Yellow and purple are complementary colors, meaning they are opposite each other on the color wheel. When placed near each other, each color looks brighter and more intensified.
Yellow-toned wood such as oak, yellow upholstery, fabrics or art intensify the purple undertone in the gray paint. Instead, use brown or tan wood in the room to invoke a warmer color on gray walls. Soft white, cream, tan and brown colors on upholstery and fabrics make the wall appear more gray and less purple. Bring in additional purple or blue fabrics to help neutralize the purple undertones on the wall, making it appear more gray. Hang black-and-white photos in black frames and white mats to influence neutral gray in walls.
Indeed it is from our first house right before our tenants moved in. I would say out of all of the paint colors I will go over in this post, SW Lattice is the purest grey I have found so far. In fact, after seeing this in our house, my brother used this color in his own house. Brian's boss asked us for a recommendation on a gray paint color and ended up choosing Lattice in the end . I highly recommend this gray paint color in really any space. It is light enough to work extremely well in rooms without a ton of light but also looks lovely in natural light .
Lattice is a great neutral backdrop and looks pretty fabulous with bright accents or a more natural decor. It is so versatile; you really can't go wrong with this color. I have walnut colored hard wood floors,gray quartz & quartzite countertops, and cararra marble backsplash. My wall color/trim/cabinets are builder off-white and lot of bright blue and red accents.
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. I have been trying to find a gray paint that doesn't turn purple. I have had three Sherwin Williams color consultants come out to my house. They have said my house is difficult because the colors change from one wall to another. I would like a light gray for my main area.
I am trying to find something that looks good with my counter tops. The first two ladies said my counters had warm grays in it and the third lady said it looked cool. The first consultant came out and we just looked at swatches. The second lady recommended Worldly Gray and it turned out looking purple during the day and mauve at night. The latest lady recommended I try Useful because she says I need more green undertoned grays to help with the purple and blue that seems to come out on my walls. It looks green on the sample chip and I'm concerned it won't look gray.
If you prefer warmer tones, avoid gray-blue paint colors or green gray paint. These will make your room look and feel even colder. Use yellow or beige based gray, sometimes called greige, to bounce as much light around as possible. How much natural light does the room get? Northern light is blue in color and will give a room an even cooler feel.
East and west facing windows give either warmor cool light depending upon whether it is morning or evening in the room. Southern exposure will give you the truest color read at all times of day. Furthermore, you need to think about what'soutsideyour windows — A hill? All of these scenarios will color the light that is coming through your windows. What about non-natural lighting sources? Are they incandescent or florescent; are there tons of lights, or way too few?
These all contribute to why your gray wall turned blue, or green, or even purple! Never choose colors at night with all the lights on only. You must look at them during the day in natural light as well. Before I get started with the best paint color families to use, I want to warn you to stay away from gray paint colors when you have gray floors, whenever possible. Well first, it's just way to easy to pick the wrong gray. There are hundreds of grays and they each have their own undertones.
And floors has a lot of variations and chances are they will clash. Gray paint may have an undertone of blue, green, purple or brown. Pick up a handful of gray paint chip cards in shades that appeal to you and take them home.
