Step Aside, White: Grey Is The Easiest Colour For Your Home

Hey, it isn't just the go-to colour for minimalists. White has always been favoured as a timeless hue, whether as the perfect backdrop or a tool to create the illusion of space. Of course, it never hurts to have a tinge of white to balance things out - but there's more to life than just a blank slate of colour!

Enter greys - be it light dove shades or dark, inky hues, the neutral colour is classy, modern, cool, and easily blends with any interior style. But the best part is - unlike fussy whites - they don't look dirty easily! Perfect for low-maintenance homes, check out some of our favourite greyscale spaces, and learn some tricks to using grey right at home below:

1. Don’t Overdo It

Interior Designer: SQFT Space Design Management

Unlike white, grey might take some getting used to and moreover, it’s not as easy to change up or modify. So rather than turn everything grey, it’s better to start small and slow by adding grey accents or staging your background (e.g. drapes, walls or flooring) in the calming hue.

Interior Designer: Think Studio

To kick off your grey décor path, do place grey pieces with other neutrals like beige for a warmer feel or pair with strong unexpected colours like red or yellow, for drama and intensity.

2. Mix It Up With Various Shades of Grey

Interior Designer: Turn Design Interior

Avoid decorating your home with the exact same grey tone, as it can be quite monotonous or plain. It’s a better idea to employ greys in various shades - whether it's in a gradient or a mish-mash of tones to give your space a bit of dimension. For instance, pair dark grey walls with a slightly lighter shade on your furniture or accents.

Interior Designer: Ergonomic Designs Solutions

3. Solve Design Problems With Greys

Interior Designer: Surface R

Like its pale counterpart white, grey can be used to improve all sorts of spatial issues, be it widening smaller areas or to anchor and define a space in open layouts. For instance, one trick is to try darker grey floors with light grey walls to vertically elongate a room with low-ceilings.

Interior Designer: SQFT Space Design Management

For small spaces, work in light grey into the background i.e. walls, flooring or carpeting and drapes to extend the area and contrast with dark grey focal furniture pieces such as sofa sets or cabinets. For very large rooms, apply deeper grey hues on walls or wallpaper to rein in excess space and add cosy.

4. Energize With Grey Hues

Interior Designer: Movent Signature Design

Grey is a strong and naturally cool colour. This means that even with warmer undertones or combos like ‘greige’ (gray and beige), the colour scheme can be prone to appear cold or emotionless.

Interior Designer: Design Integra

Thus, it’s best to add uplifting, energizing pieces that radiate warmth. Colour-popping throw pillows, or busy-patterned rugs, even a floral element in print or art (or actual flower arrangements) can do wonders for mostly-grey interiors.

5. Let Ample Light In

Interior Designer: Yong Studio

Grey interiors can almost immediately invoke a cool, jazzy, modern appearance on its own but the right lighting will seal its stylishness in place.

Interior Designer: Movent Signature Design

To brighten or invigorate grey interiors, ensure access for natural lighting to shine through with minimal window treatments and sheer drapes. For late evening and night time lighting, keep the décor ambient with warm white or incandescent lighting that is even and layered (with an assortment of lamps, task and accent lighting).

Colour Coordinate Your Space

Love a calm, collected vibe, or thrive in a bright, cheery space? The right use of colour at home can achieve the right moods. Get an experienced interior designer with a honed eye for colour to help you bring those ideas to life. And we can help - request for a free quote here, and Qanvast will match you up with 5 reliable interior firms, based on your budget and style.

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