“Mr. Grey will see you now.” And so the spider welcomed the fly.
The romance of Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele has quite a fan following across the world. Be it the books or the movies, E.L. James’ erotic trilogy is much-loved by the fans. Many of them have also taken inspiration from the title and fallen in love with grey, a colour that’s been on-trend in the décor world for quite some time now.
A lighter shade of black, this elegant neutral is balanced, cool, and conservative. It’s great for formal looks, but can also be the colour that helps you let your hair down if you pair it with other colours to make it pop. The shade card includes charcoal, dove grey, ash, lead, gunmetal, oyster, pearl, powder grey, silver, and slate — and many others. It’s also combined with other colours to create new colours that have their own fan following — think greige, which mixes grey and beige, and grellow, which brings together grey and yellow, to create gorgeous colours that pair well with almost anything.
Sue Wadden, director of colour marketing at Sherwin-Williams, in an interview amid the pandemic, said grey provides a blank slate for homeowners to put their personal touches on a space with artwork and décor.
“Now more than ever, homeowners are thinking about ways to make their spaces more versatile. For example, a living room may also have to serve as a home office and kids’ playroom, and using grey paint as a backdrop can allow a space to serve a variety of purposes — professional or playful!” she said.
She added that grey will always be an important neutral and a popular colour for DIYers and designers alike, just like white has always been.
“However, over the past few years we’ve noticed people craving colour in their homes, which I think is a direct response to how pervasive Scandinavian minimalism was in the previous decade. This doesn’t mean we’re eschewing grey, more so that we’re looking for different versions of it,” she said.
This means that we need to explore the many facets and shades of grey to get unusual outcomes. Here’s how:
1. A silver grey sets the tone for a soothing bedroom, ideal to get your snooze.
2. Graphite and dove grey come together to create a room that’s balanced out by the mix of textures.
3. Pewter grey lends itself well to the kitchen, especially if you bring in some metallic shine.
4. Anchor grey, as the name suggests, can anchor any space.
5. Shades of grey closer to black, be it pebble or charcoal, create a sense of drama.
6. An ash grey sofa, surrounded by a comfortable rug and modern accessories creates the perfect space for one.
7. Porpoise grey and a stencil will give you an accent wall that’s worth showing off.
8. Put together a dove grey chair and a pretty monogrammed cushion for double impact.
9. Shadow grey might not be your colour of choice for a hallway but can pep it up with unusual lighting.
10. Smoke grey on the wall exemplifies that “beautiful things don’t ask for attention”. They grab it.
11. There’s a reason that the soothing cloud grey makes it to almost every other Scandinavian space.
12. Can’t think of where to use slate grey? Why not on the bathroom floor?
13. Show off your love for grey at the door by painting it an awesome shade — Flint grey.
14. Grey is calming and restful, even when you go with a mix of greys.
15. Add a little blush to brighten the grey background.
16. Shades of grey closer to white are brighter and create an elegant and formal look.
17. Geometric prints and textiles can help liven up a grey sofa.
18. A medley of textures can add interest and ensure that the room doesn’t look monotonous.
