Wall color gray: interior design trends with the trend color
The classic on the wall is still white, but the traditional wall color is facing some serious competition. In recent years, the wall color gray has become a popular color for interior design, which looks stylish and subtle with almost any interior design style. We think there are several good reasons for this. Gray is wonderfully flexible and shows off light furniture perfectly. The color can be used to conjure up a Scandinavian homeliness and cozy comfort, but gray tones always appear restrained. The colors can be applied to the wall in a variety of light and dark shades. In this article, we'll tell you how you can give your living room, bedroom and hallway a fresh and elegant look with the wall color gray, how the color nuances work best and how you can combine gray correctly to create a very unique atmosphere.
What effect does the wall color gray have?
Gray has become a popular wall color because it gives a room a certain calm and clarity. It looks harmonious and cozy and yet exudes elegance. Unlike white, gray doesn't make rooms look dull or too sterile. Above all, gray tones add depth and really set furniture and other items off. Gray as a background benefits color accents in living rooms, which are shown off even better by gray tones and appear significantly more high-quality. Dark gray tones from the color palette reinforce this effect. If you want to work with gray as a wall color, you should consider a few things when choosing, because the color palette is large. The motto is: gray is never the same as gray.
Digression: What does it mean that not all grey is the same? We usually only perceive nuances of colours that are "uncoloured" and appear "unsaturated" when painted. An example is a shade of blue that appears grey with low saturation, but still has blue-tinged pigments. Whether mud grey, silk grey or beige grey - grey wall paints are usually just shades of grey and appear as different shades of grey in a wide range, each of which creates a different spatial effect.
Effect of dark gray as a wall color
Dark shades of gray should be used primarily in larger rooms, as they make the walls appear "closer," which can quickly become overwhelming in small rooms. Long rooms, such as hallways, benefit from this. If you still don't want to do without a dark shade of color in a small room, you should play with a contrast between light and dark shades of gray or set accents with an accent wall. One trick to create a cozy atmosphere is to paint the edges at the top of the accent wall white, thus creating a strip of a few centimeters. The rest of the area is painted in the dark wall color gray.
Dark shades of gray always look elegant and classy in the color palette. Ideally, you should incorporate light-colored furniture and decorative elements and have large windows in the rooms to provide sufficient daylight. Niches designed with accent walls also benefit from the wall color gray and can become a stylish eye-catcher with the right elements such as plants.
Effect of light gray as a wall color
Light shades of gray create more space and coziness, especially in hallways, and make the room appear more open and inviting. The light wall color gray is often used to emphasize the Scandinavian style of living. The country house style also works particularly well with the nuances of the playful shades of gray. With this color, you can use both rustic furnishings and subtle home accessories. Paint light wall colors gray to make small rooms appear larger.
What can the wall color gray be combined with?
Gray wall paint combines well because, as mentioned at the beginning, gray highlights the furnishings. For example, cool gray tones combined with pastel tones are a great idea. The gray wall color creates a cozy atmosphere with fabrics and textures such as linen, white furniture, but also with a natural wood look. You can really add pep and sophistication with colored contrasts to the gray tones. A harmonious overall picture is created here by tones such as blue, red and yellow, but also dark tones such as a curry tone with high color intensity or a noble burgundy red. In children's rooms or work rooms, you can create a natural look by combining the gray wall color with a pink and green tone. Houseplants and lots of wood also look particularly good here.
Which furniture goes with a grey wall?
Both white furniture and a style with wooden elements go well with the grey wall colour. Furniture can be given a new colour using chalk paint. Wood in particular creates a cosy atmosphere, while white accents create the typical Scandi look. If you like something colourful and modern, you can also go for blue contrasts and use pink home accessories. Furniture made of stainless steel or metal also looks good with the grey wall colour.
How do the shades of gray wall paint differ?
You can get the wall paints in different color proportions and the mixtures give you an incomparable variety. Depending on your choice, the wall color gray can appear with an undertone of blue, brown, yellow, red or green. This creates either a light gray such as light gray or a cool undertone. A suitable shade of gray should therefore always be chosen in coordination with your interior design style.
- Bluish pigments in the wall color gray appear clear and can be combined with light gray. Wood also works well. The colors with a blue undertone are the ideal companions for wall colors in the kitchen or as wall colors in the bedroom .
- Wall paints with red or yellow pigments radiate warmth and security and should therefore be brought into harmony primarily with cool and bluish elements.
- Greige (a mixture of grey and beige) is often used on walls when you want to create a homely yet elegant look. A light sofa and rustic furniture are stylish partners and a mix of red and white also shows its potential with grey walls.
In general, you can paint entire walls grey, or you can use the tone to liven up a room with accent walls. If you want to paint an entire wall grey, you can break it up with pictures and decorative elements. Plants are also suitable.
Below we want to give you the most important tips that you should consider if you want to paint a room grey:
- If you choose dark grey, make sure it is neatly finished.
- Buy high-quality interior emulsion paints such as BAUFIX Ultra Cover Paint .
- When painting the gray tones of two colors, always start with the lighter one at the edges and then paint over it with the darker gray tone.
- It is better to use ready-mixed shades of grey, such as the BAUFIX colour accents .
- Before you begin, stir the gray wall paint well so that all the color pigments are evenly distributed. A paint stirrer is a good tool to use.
- Start with vertical, overlapping strips and then work your way horizontally with the paint roller.
- Use suitable accessories such as brushes, paint rollers, masking tape and masking film to apply the gray wall paint.
- A second coat of grey wall paint may be necessary to ensure complete coverage. When purchasing interior paint, make sure it has high coverage, such as our BAUFIX professional Easy Clean hard-wearing paint with high coverage according to DIN EN 13300 at 7 m²/l
Interior design trend: Gray concrete look
A real trend is the concrete look, which brings an industrial look to every home. The effect with the special, gray wall paint is a real highlight. The concrete look is achieved with special effect paints such as BAUFIX color accents, which, as a ready-tinted and satin-matt emulsion paint, quickly brings the popular paint finish to interior walls and ceilings. The concrete gray wall paint is ready to use, but can also be mixed, is lightfast and colorful.
When applying it, it is best to do two coats. First, apply a base filler as a base and smooth it out. Then apply the paint and the typical structured concrete look is created. It is a little easier and also suitable for rented apartments to wallpaper the walls with professional structured wallpaper and apply the effect paint.
This way, you can quickly and easily have a real loft in your own four walls. With our selection, every residential project is guaranteed to be a success and nothing stands in the way of the grey highlights.
Our grey wall paint: BAUFIX STYLES colour accents
- elegant highlights in current trend colors
- for interior walls and ceilings
- lightfast and durable
- wet abrasion resistance class 3
- opacity class 2
- Shades are ready to use and can be mixed with each other