COLOUR THEORY

Grey

An understated, underrated shade that’s a friend to every hue, our colour guru, Amelia, explores why we’ll always love this nearly neutral

Grey is one of the most commonly used colours in a home, and for good reason. As a nearly neutral that packs more of a punch than white or beige, grey can sit alongside any other colour, and is more or less guaranteed to bring a subtly chic look.

But why is it that so many of us are inclined to decorate with grey? The answer is that it can act as a backdrop to almost any scheme. ‘Decorating a room with a grey sofa is like working on a blank canvas – it’ll go with any colour combination and blend into your personal style, from modern through to Scandi,’ says Danni Burroughs, head of product at Snug (snugsofa.com).

Grey sits between black and white, and the large spectrum of shades between these two polar opposites means that choosing a specific grey hue can be trickier than most. Natasha Bradley, colour psychologist at Lick paints (lick.com) highlights the importance of undertones when choosing a grey. ‘A flat grey carries no positive physiological benefits, it can actually generate a dull and lifeless emotional response, which is why you should choose a grey with a coloured undertone. For example, grey with a pink undertone will generate a nurturing feeling, grey with a green undertone will bring life into a room, and grey with a blue undertone can be very soothing,’ she says.

And it’s these undertones of grey that you need to ensure complement

It’s the colour for you if:

1 You want a chic blank canvas 2 You’d like a calming space 3 You want to add in pops of colour

Gunmetal grey matt emulsion, £46 for 2.5ltrs, Graham & Brown

Crown City Break silk paint, £18 for 2.5ltrs, Homebase

On Mute flat matt paint, £46 for 2.5ltrs, Coat Tropical Wanderlust wallpaper in Madagascar grey, £195 for three rolls, Mind The Gap

Mineral Stone matt emulsion paint, £18 for 2.5ltrs, Wilko

the direction your room faces. ‘A north-facing room receiving little natural light will benefit from a warm, yellow-based grey, while a southfacing sunny room would suit a blue-based, cooler grey to balance out the light,’ says Emma Bestley, creative director and co-founder at Yes Colours (yescolours.com).

Whatever hue you choose, there’s one room where grey, used as the main shade, will always be a winner, and that’s the bedroom. ‘Grey is an excellent choice for those wanting to improve their sleep quality – its calming effect relaxes and suppresses brain activity, making it perfect for decorating a bedroom,’ says Dr Rosmy Barrios at Health Reporter (healthreporter.com).

This calming effect comes especially when using a paler grey. ‘A light grey will maintain a light and airy feel and will therefore make a space feel bigger, whereas a darker shade will provide you with a cosy, cocooning feel instead,’ says Emma. We love seeing a pale grey used to enhance a smaller kitchen, and a deep grey used to create a comforting, cave-like feel in a living room.

Lautner contemporary satin grey wardrobe, £320, B&Q

Donny large wool throw, £108, So Cosy

Lars boucle armchair, £449, Mad About Mid Century Modern

The rules

DO

Consider your shade’s undertone Add interest with textures Experiment with colour combinations

DON’T

Use blue-grey in a north-facing room Forget to try before you buy Be afraid to mix and match shades

The perfect pairings with grey

Create a Scandi or pretty pastel look with these combinations

The Scandi palette The pastel palette