When you choose grey materials (such as travertine, Granite, Quartzite, porcelain) and pair them with grey tones on the walls, cabinets, and floors, it creates a cool, neutral canvas.
1. Grey is a canvas. When you choose grey materials (such as travertine, Granite, Quartzite, porcelain) and pair them with grey tones on the walls, cabinets, and floors, it creates a cool, neutral canvas. Like white, grey does not compete for attention with design elements. Unlike white, grey blends more than contrasts with bolder colors. As opposed to a severe color, such as black, grey will not overpower or diminish the effect of bold, accent colors.
2. Grey is sophisticated. Jennifer Lopez recently re-imagined her California home in shades of grey with the help of interior designer Michelle Workman. According to Workman, Jennifer wanted modern and streamlined but to retain sophistication and stylishness: “There are all these tones of gray, and we played with that—using a bit more of a gray-taupe here, a bit more of a gray-blue there. It's almost like a black-and-white film from the forties." (Consider Ostrich Grey quartzite, White Oak marble, or Metal Silver Matte with light grey walls and grey-blue furniture accents to achieve Jennifer’s vintage movie look!)
3. Grey creates depth. As grey comes in shades from near white all the way to dark charcoal, it’s easy to use it to create light and shadows. Subtle variation of the same color can add character and take a plain room to a multi-dimensional one, creating recesses and reliefs where there are none. White does this in a bright, airy way, giving the illusion of more space. Grey achieves something similar in a subtle, warm way, altering space by taking a large room to a cozy one. (For example, strategic use of darker grey accents in one area of a large living room will create a nice sitting area.)
4. Grey is versatile. The many faces of grey make it a versatile color. Grey is also unique in that it responds differently to the colors with which you might choose to pair it. It gives depth to subtle colors, like pastels and organics, and enhances bold colors, like jewel tones, by showcasing them against a muted background. Whether with pastels, vibrant colors, or even itself, grey blends evenly. When mixed with other grays, blacks and whites it creates a striking, contemporary look.
5. Grey is subtle. White tiles against a peacock blue wall is a bright, cheerful statement with a crisp contrast; Grey tiles against a peacock blue wall is a warm, more subtle way to provide contrast while still embracing color. Choosing where you want that cheer and where you want that warm look is a subtle art in itself. Perhaps your selections will depend on what room you’re in and what purpose it serves. I.e., you might select shades of white with blue accents in the kitchen or breakfast nook to brighten your morning and shades of grey with blue accents in the bedroom to encourage slumber.