I liked grey before it was cool!  All 500 shades of it!  Way long before EL James coined the phrase and took the world by storm with her erotic love story!

Whilst the world is in ‘shades of grey’ mode, I thought it only fitting that I also had my 10 cents worth about my favourite colour. Grey.

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Unsurprisingly there are a few more shades of grey than 50! Apparently the human eye can distinguish up to 500 different shades. These range from warm taupe greys to cool blue greys, to stormy charcoal greys (more authoritative and powerful) to greys that become almost white and cloud-like….ethereal

I am mad about grey because there’s a tone that’s suitable for almost every colour in the spectrum. Perhaps because it sits between the extremes of black and white, Grey is a perfect neutral, which is why us designers often use it as a background colour.  Rule of thumb is that greys with more brown in the mix will feel warm while white based greys will feel colder

Bold colours play off grey really well……. From chartreuse (design jargon for acid yellow/lime) and fuscia ( hot pink) to petrol blue (think jade) to name but a few…

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The cool toned grey can be balanced by a warm neutral or colour, as can a warmer ‘greige’ be balanced by a cooler hue…. So, contrary to popular belief, grey does not have to be cold, depressing or lacking in personality but rather energizing and bold, calm or reflective, mysterious and sexy but most always oh-so-cool and contemporary!

I promised some tips……..so how can you use grey?

  • Be bold and paint all you interior walls grey. Grey looks better en masse and as mentioned above, it is the perfect neutral ….
  • If unleashing Christian Grey is not for you, then Grey is most definitely a fabulous feature wall colour.   Dark grey is the perfect colour to showcase artwork, pictures and mirrors on your walls. It’s far more effective than white as it makes them stand out more
  • It is a colour that works well used as an accent for skirtings and window/door frames….
  • Make a statement by painting a front door grey – it’s this season’s black – and you’ll ensure you make an entrance, simple, stylish and very current
  • Grey tones in fabrics and wallpapers create a glamorous and striking effect, especially paired with pattern and texture. Try the same colour grey in different textures – linen, silk, velvet, glossy, matt etc

Greys that I love:

  1. Christian – if you don’t know what I’m talking about….. go read the book already!
  2. Bovine ( Plascon Expression E29-6) – this is my absolute fav! It’s a dark charcoal that’s sexy, stormy and very dramatic! Perfect for a feature wall or as kitchen bics……
  3. Dulux 30YY 33/047  – this is the most perfect smoky grey! Infact, I love it so much that I have painted my lounge walls in it!
  4. Dusk of Day (Plascon 2013 Range B6-E1-2 )– very trendy contemporary colour, would be fab in a living space with some low slung corner suite and modern classic furniture
  5. Dulux 00NN 62/000 – a softer pale shade, gorgeous for a romantic bedroom in combination with silver, gold, white or even a duck egg blue
  6. Greys Anatomy – of course!

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