Gray wall paint – how to use this trend color correctly

Grey wall paint: interior design trends with the on-trend colour

The classic wall colour is still white, but this traditional shade is facing serious competition. Grey wall paint has become a popular colour for interior design in recent years, as it appears stylish and understated with almost any interior style. In our view, there are several good reasons for this. Grey is wonderfully versatile and showcases light-coloured furniture perfectly. With this shade you can create Scandinavian cosiness as well as a snug, homely feel, while grey tones always remain discreet. The colours can be used on walls in a wide range of light and dark nuances. In this article, we’ll show you how to give your living room, bedroom and hallway a fresh and elegant look with grey wall paint, how the different shades work best and how to combine grey correctly to create a unique atmosphere.

What effect does gray wall paint have?

Grey has become a popular wall color because it gives a room a sense of calm and clarity. It looks harmonious and cosy while still exuding elegance. Unlike white, grey does not make rooms look dull or too sterile. Grey tones add depth and really showcase furniture and accessories. Colorful accents in living spaces benefit from a grey backdrop, which makes them stand out even more and appear significantly more high-quality. Dark greys from the color palette intensify this effect. If you want to work with grey wall paint, you should keep a few things in mind when choosing a shade, because the palette is huge. The rule is: grey is never just grey.

Side note: What does it mean when we say that grey is not just grey? We usually only perceive nuances of colours that are “achromatic” and appear “unsaturated” when painted. An example is a blue tone that appears grey due to low saturation but still contains bluish pigments. Whether mud grey, silk grey or beige grey – grey wall paints are usually just different shades of grey and come in a wide range of tones, each creating a different effect in the room.

Effect of dark grey as a wall colour

Dark shades of grey should mainly be used in larger rooms, as they make the walls feel “closer”, which can quickly become oppressive in small rooms. Long, narrow rooms such as hallways, on the other hand, benefit from them. If you still don’t want to go without a dark shade in a small room, you should play with a contrast between light and dark grey tones or set accents with a feature wall. One trick to create a cosy atmosphere is to paint the edges at the top of the feature wall in white, creating a strip a few centimetres wide. The remaining area is painted in the dark grey wall colour.

Dark greys also always look elegant and sophisticated on the colour palette. Ideally, you combine them with light furniture and decorative elements and have large windows in the room to let in plenty of daylight. Recesses with feature walls also benefit from grey wall paint and, with the right elements such as plants, can become stylish eye-catchers.

Effect of light gray as a wall color

Light grey tones create a greater sense of space and cosiness, especially in hallways, making the room feel more open and inviting. Light grey wall paint is often used to emphasise the Scandinavian style of living. Country-house style also works particularly well with playful shades of grey. With this colour you can combine both rustic furnishings and subtle home accessories. Paint light grey walls and small rooms will appear visually larger.

What goes well with grey wall paint?

Grey wall paint is easy to combine because, as already mentioned, grey makes your furnishings stand out. For example, cool greys together with pastel shades are a great idea. Grey walls paired with fabrics and textures such as linen, white furniture or natural wood finishes create a cosy feel. You can add real punch and sophistication with colorful contrasts to the grey tones. Harmonious combinations include shades of blue, red and yellow, but also darker tones such as a rich curry with high color intensity or an elegant Bordeaux red. In children’s rooms or home offices, you can create a natural look by combining grey wall paint with pink and green tones. Houseplants and plenty of wood also work particularly well here.

How do the shades of gray wall paint differ?

You can get grey wall paints with different color components, giving you an incomparable variety of shades. Depending on your choice, grey wall paint can have undertones of blue, brown, yellow, red or green. This creates either a light grey such as light grey or a cooler undertone. You should therefore always choose a suitable shade of grey in harmony with your interior style.

Bluish pigments in gray wall paint create a clear look and can be combined with light gray. Wood also works well. Colors with a blue undertone are the ideal partners for kitchen wall paints or as bedroom wall paints.
Wall paints with red or yellow pigments radiate warmth and coziness and should therefore primarily be harmonized with cool, blue-toned elements.
A greige (a mix of gray and beige) is a popular wall color when you want the room to feel cozy yet elegant. A light sofa and rustic furniture are stylish partners, and a mix of red and white also shows what it can do when combined with gray wall paint.

In general, you can paint entire walls grey or use the shade to liven up a room with accent walls. If you want to paint a whole wall grey, you can break it up with pictures and decorative elements. Plants are also a good choice.

How to: paint a room gray

Below we’ll give you the most important tips you should keep in mind if you want to paint a room grey:

If you opt for dark grey, make sure you apply it very neatly.
Buy high-quality interior emulsion paints such as BAUFIX Ultra Deck Paint.
When painting with two shades of grey, always start with the lighter color at the edges and then paint over with the darker grey.
It’s better to use ready-mixed grey shades such as BAUFIX Color Accents.
Before you start, stir the grey wall paint thoroughly so that all color pigments are evenly distributed. A paint stirrer is very helpful.
Start with vertical, overlapping strokes and then work horizontally with the roller.
Use suitable accessories such as brushes, rollers, masking tape and protective sheeting to apply the grey wall paint.
A second coat of grey wall paint may be necessary to ensure full coverage. When buying interior paint, look for high opacity, such as our BAUFIX professional Easy Clean Durable Paint with high coverage according to DIN EN 13300 at 7 m²/l.

Interior design trend: grey concrete look

A real trend is the concrete look, which brings an industrial style into any home. The effect created by this special grey wall paint is a real highlight. The concrete look is achieved with special effect paints such as BAUFIX Farbakzente, which, as a ready-tinted, silk-matt emulsion paint, quickly brings this popular finish to interior walls and ceilings. The wall paint “concrete grey” is ready to use but can also be mixed, and is lightfast and intensely colored.

For best results, apply in two coats. First apply a base filler compound and smooth it out. Then apply the paint and the typical textured concrete look will appear. A slightly easier option, also suitable for rental apartments, is to hang textured non-woven wallpapers and then apply the effect paint.

This way you can quickly and easily create a real loft feel within your own four walls. With our range, every interior project is sure to succeed and nothing stands in the way of stylish grey highlights.

Our gray wall paint: BAUFIX STYLES Color Accents

stylish highlights in current trend colors
for interior walls and ceilings
lightfast and hard-wearing
wet abrasion resistance class 3
opacity class 2
colors are ready to use and can be mixed with each other

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