Hi Friends!!  I hope everyone had a Happy Mother’s Day!!   People always ask me is gray here to stay-no one really knows but there are some pretty cool attributes about gray that may make it more lasting than other neutral trends.  I love all the gray rooms and accessories that are in home design today.  But, at first glance when looking at the meaning of gray, it’s a little perplexing why the color is so popular and how it manages to work with so many different design styles.

As a true neutral, gray communicates a void of movement, emotions, warmth or any identifying characteristics.  Yikes!!  But, somehow, I have also incorporated gray into my own home!  My media room plastered in a color similar to SW Repose Gray, feels calm, soothing and elegant to me.  Why is this?

It’s this very lack of emotions that makes gray so calming!  Because gray isn’t expressing much of anything, the color remains simply restful, quiet, and tranquil. It allows vibrant colors to pop while also cooling their intensity. Oh I get it!! Look how the colors in this art piece pop in a gray white plastered dining room designed by Sarah West!

Every color seems to perfectly complement some shade of gray – just take a look in this inviting room designed by Ellie Bale. All of her accent colors combine beautifully with a warm gray backdrop!

Dark, charcoal gray imparts the strength and mystery of black without its negative connotations. It’s a smart choice for this bar considering how this part of the home appeals to both men and women! 

Grays look great with both silver and ……………………………..

………….Golds!!!  One of my favorite new finishing trends is adding gold or silver leaf detail to blend with the hardware choice.  Super affordable it adds that bit of glam to any cabinet.

While gray goes wonderfully with most colors, picking the right gray to complement your accents can be tricky.  Boxwood Interiors had a great eye working with us in creating the plaster in that perfect shade of gray!

I place grays in two main categories!  Warm grays like the plastered powder above by Designer Trisha McGaw have a bit more green in their undertones.

Cool grays like the cabinet we finished for Ken Kehoe & Co. have more blue in them. This powder shows a cool gray door-(green undertones) with a cooler cabinet (blue undertones).  I love the way both finishes turned out–the door was accidentally painted white, and we added the graining with paint to infer it was of old stained wood!

So… put some gray in your home if you want:
•    to create an environment where compromise is encouraged
•    a neutral, non-invasive feeling
•    to reduce the intensity of another color, while still including it
•    to create an isolated getaway

Jerry Garcia says it well- “Every Silver lining has a touch of gray.”

Have a great week!  xo  Leslie