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Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Vision in Gray

When I was a teenager, my mom painted the walls in the living and dining rooms gray. It was something like this color ~ Stormy Gray from Benjamin Moore.....

It is actually a nice color but to a teenager, whose years are stormy anyway, I didn't need to be reminded daily. It was very tastefully done as my mom is a wonderful interior decorator. She paired the gray with lovely ivory upholstered furniture and wonderful art. Still, it was dark gray to me. I shied away from gray for years until recently. I designed a beautiful dining room, living room, and office (still a work in progress) with this color palette.....


Benjamin Moore: Cement Gray, Natural Wicker, White Chocolate, Wet Concrete

It is turning out swimmingly. The fabrics in the space marry the color palette. The cement gray was the hue I chose for the tray ceiling.

I am overcoming my avoidance of gray but I still have a bit of an aversion to putting it on walls. I am beginning to love it on furniture though in all shades and tints. The last High Point Market was alive with these hues so I was able to see them in all their splendor.

Take a look at the photo at the beginning of this post and the two below all compliments of Living, Etc.



The picture at the top has a very soft gray tint upholstery. The second one, a deep shade. The one just above is my favorite. A moderate gray boasting of elegance. I love that it is paired with warm gold pillows. Beautiful!

Its funny how certain times or events in one's life can leave an association ~ either positive or negative. In my gray case, on the negative side. I have learned two things from this gray recovery of mine ~ 1) gray is beautiful when used in a well designed room, 2) I will not be painting the walls gray when Lauren is an adolescent.

What are your thoughts on using gray? Do you have any color associations you'd like to share?

8 comments:

  1. This is great inspiration for me too. My boyfriend and I are renovating/remodeling his house and I'm planning an overhaul of the dining room in shades of grey.

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  2. I love gray! My plan is to paint the dining room gray (some day).

    I have a problem with certain shades of blue and pink- a bedroom makeover gone wrong when I was teen (and I was the "designer").

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  3. boring and cold... and lacks imagination.... I don't care for this at all....

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  4. No photos yet but I am working on a condo using B Moore August Morning, a yummy orange/persimmon combined with grays-999 and fairview taupe. The 999 is MBRM and taupe is den. Lots of spicy, warm hues to + turquoise to complement. Very nice, even on a gray day in Seattle. Love the combo Patricia!

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  5. I am OK using warm undertone greys for residential walls or ceilings. I just completed a kitchen makeover for my Mom using "Revere Pewter" from Benjamin Moore paired with natural alder cabinets, epozy aggregate floors, and satin nickel hardware. Magnificent, I must say!

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  6. Gray is relaxing to me. I love it!

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  7. I love gray too. We painted our bedroom over the summer in Benjamin Moore's pashmina gray. It ties-in nicely with the gold and cream colors we have. Thanks to Trish & Aimee at Valerianne (in Vienna), they helped me coordinate a duvet and accent pillows in gray and gold. I loved how it turned out.

    And I love the gray sofa you featured with gold pillows. Very striking.

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  8. In my very first apartment I splurged on gray and white Ralph Lauren bedding. I have loved gray ever since. Now that gray is so popular again, I wish I had kept the bedding!

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