Colors That Go With Gray

So many of my clients have requested colors that go with gray lately, probably in light of the all-gray everything trend that has been circulating over the past year or so.  Personally, I think that there are just so many colours that go with grey that it is hard to narrow down the best.  In all reality, this has more to do with the decor of the rest of the home than it does with the particular shade of grey itself.  For example, in this contemporary style home, we wanted to bring a bit of pizazz to the grey and white living room with some pops of magenta and blush pink.  This would not go well in a traditional style home because the accent colors are too bold, but in a more modern setting they worked absolutely perfectly. 

A lot of people try to find colors that go with gray in order to balance out the palette of the room, but I personally prefer to keep things very subtle and monochromatic without muddying the water with accent shades.  I think that the best colors that go with gray are white and charcoal, which I supposed some could argue are just varying tones of the same color.  My decor preferences tend to lean quite contemporary as you can tell from my master bedroom pictured here, so I like to keep everything clean and monochromatic.  This probably is not in line with the popular paint colors 2019, but I know what I like.

I know that this is probably such a basic design question, but I really need help deciding on colors that go with gray walls.  Very happy with some shade of grey in our bedroom with it being closer to blue then black. As you can see our bedroom is done in a blue gray paint with crisp white accents.  I found really pretty coastal-themed bedding in navy and aqua which I think pairs nicely, but I still feel that there is something missing in the space.  When we were searching for paint colors that go with gray, I saw a lot of coral and orange shades (especially paired with blue) but I am not sure if that would be too loud for a bedroom.

In my opinion, blues are some of the best colors that go with gray because they create a somewhat monochromatic palette while still introducing other tones.  As you can see in this picture, the design is gorgeous! When we were trying to decide on colors that go with gray walls for our upstairs bonus room, I found myself particularly inspired by the shades of the ocean one day.  That enchanting swirl of grey, aqua, deep blues and navy is not only a very natural combination, but I find it very soothing and relaxing.  This color palette seemed like the perfect choice to combine with the gray paint colors we had already chosen for the entire upstairs and, after seeing it all put together, I am so happy with how it turned out. 

It is so funny to me whenever my friends and family ask with for colors that go with gray, because it is one of those shades (like white) that coordinates well with literally everything.  Whether you want to go with all grey room ideas like we did here, or just stick to grey walls as a backdrop to a bolder palette, you can pretty much do it all with this color.  When in doubt, I always recommend choosing a light grey tone for the walls and then experimenting with bolder colors for accent pillows, rugs, artwork and other textiles.  Don't worry too much about what colors go with gray walls, just treat it as any other neutral like white or beige and concentrate on the decor you want not on your wall color. 

I think that there are so many beautiful colors that go with gray to make a classic yet contemporary living area.  That being said, for this latest project we started for 2019, I struggled a bit to figure out what color curtains go with gray walls because they were going to be in such close proximity.  Ultimately I settled on this beautiful and very subtle sage green shade that almost looks beige from a distance.  I thought it would be a nice twist on your typical neutral and bring in the deep green hues from the trees outside the window.  Combining the soft green shade, with beiges and whites throughout the room made this space a bit different and more elegant than your typical gray living room ideas.