Living room in gray tones: description and design options
Today, the design of the living room requires the owners to take into account a variety of nuances. These are textiles, furniture, and all kinds of accessories. However, the initial and main stage is still finishing. And many choose neutral and noble tones for this. One of these tones is gray, the features of which we will analyze below.
Peculiarities
It is not without reason that gray is considered one of the most versatile colors. The fact is that his main ability is to beautifully combine and combine different shades. This means that the owner of the living room can choose gray to accompany both bright and neutral accessories and finishes. However, the benefits of gray do not end there.
- A living room in a similar tone can be decorated in any direction, from classics to eclecticism.
- If you take gray as a basis, then you can change the design of the room at the first desire. For example, it will be enough to update the curtains or change the upholstery of the chairs, and the hall will sparkle with completely new colors.
- Gray is not as easily soiled as, for example, white or beige. This will play into the hands of those people who cannot devote time to cleaning too often.
- Both light and dark gray scale has a calming effect on a person, absolutely not causing irritation. In such a living room it will be pleasant to relax after a hard day, spend a day off reading a book, gather friends for a noisy party.
There is only one drawback of gray - if there is too much of it, then the color will begin to dominate and create a feeling of gloom.But even this drawback can really be leveled - for this it is enough to increase the amount of light in the room.
Successful combinations
As we have already noted, the living room in gray tones will be the perfect backdrop for rich and neutral accessories and interior items. Let's see what other colors gray is best combined with, and which living rooms will be the most successful.
- Gray-white. Discreet and austere design, suitable for modern styles. The choice of white depends on the placement of the room. If it faces the southern sunny side, then you can pick up snow-white cold shades.
If the room is located on the north side, preference should be given to warm cream tones.
- Gray beige. A very pleasant and gentle combination that provides a homey feel. It is important to adhere to the following recommendation here: if the room is small, you need to add more beige, if it is large, an abundance of gray will be more appropriate.
- Gray-yellow... Yellow is a sunny and vibrant color that is often used to decorate living rooms. But if it is citric, acidic, then it should be at a minimum, only for accents. In the event that yellow is light, delicate, it can act as a companion to gray.
- Gray-pink. The combination of gray and pink is a fairly common option lately. To decorate a room beautifully, light gray colors must be combined with light pink ones.
Only a few individual details can be bright.
- Gray-red. A very interesting and fashionable combination. The red and gray living room is used in many contemporary styles. A light finish and rich accessories of ruby, dark red, wine colors will help to get a decent result.
- Gray-green. Green is a very positive color, because it is a shade of grass, trees, wildlife. Such a combination will allow the body and mind to relax and calm down. Moreover, if you want to get a peaceful atmosphere, you should use light green colors.
Emerald bright colors are used only in the case of light finishes and in small quantities.
- Blue-gray. This combination of colors will make the living room airy, very light and spacious. Blue evokes the most pleasant emotions, it reminds of the sky and the sea, is associated with water, and therefore is cool and calm. Especially interestingly, blue is combined with pearl gray tones, as well as with metallic.
- Turquoise gray... Such a living room will really appeal to those who love modernity and brightness. Here you can use a wide variety of shades of both colors, but designers especially recommend the color of wet asphalt in combination with rich turquoise.
- Gray-blue. Blue has a lot of fans, and it also goes well with gray. If the finish is light, you need to use ultramarine or denim, and if it is dark, then it will be emphasized by cobalt and royal colors.
- Gray violet... The spectrum of violet is huge: it is lavender, and lilac, and violet, and many other tones. They all go well with gray. In the case of large rooms, you can afford rich purple colors in large quantities, and in the case of small ones, a minimum of light ones.
- Gray brown. A complex but beautiful combination that requires at least two shades of brown. Beige is usually chosen as the third color.
Style solutions
Gray is versatile and elegant, so it can be incorporated into many styles. Let's dwell on popular and demanded design ideas.
- Art Deco. This style, which emerged after the First World War, embodied the desire for pleasure, the thirst for knowledge, luxury and sensuality, it is a real mixture of different sensations. Ceilings on several levels, shiny furniture, and expensive materials will be required. You can use both light and dark shades of gray.
In addition, bright accents are important, for example, posters, figurines, paintings.
- Grunge. Comfortable, unassuming style that only suits spacious living rooms. Here you should prefer natural materials for decoration, as well as simple fabrics. Furniture for such a living room should be expensive, beautiful, with rounded corners. Patina, aging, retro accessories are welcome.
- Loft. This is one of the areas where gray will show up best. The brutal, ascetic style originated in the era of industrialization, so it is very important to adhere to the "factory" design. Brickwork, natural stone, concrete floor, furniture of regular geometric shapes will help to achieve it.
- Lounge. This is a style of rest and relaxation. The center of such a living room is a huge sofa that can accommodate many guests. All shapes and lines are smooth, without sharp outlines. The colors are light gray, not overloading the mind.
It is better to keep the decorations to a minimum.
- Minimalism. A very laconic, restrained style that does not imply anything superfluous. Often kitchen-living rooms are designed in this direction when the need for space zoning arises. There is a minimum of furniture here, only the most necessary ones. Lighting plays a huge role in minimalism - it should be at the highest level.
- Scandinavian. Another style that requires an abundance of light. Natural, environmentally friendly materials are used in the decoration, the furniture is simple, no frills. Important elements are living plants, seascapes, crafts made from natural materials.
- Techno. Style with strict geometry and rough finish. The walls are practically unfinished, mostly plaster or brickwork is used. The ceilings are silvery, glossy, and the floors are often concrete. Curtains in this direction are not required, but blinds will be an excellent solution.
- High tech. A very modern style that promotes the latest technology. It is better to decorate the walls with decorative gray plaster or metallic wallpaper. Furniture should be light, airy, the best option is transforming sofas. The inclusion of glass elements is mandatory.
In addition, only new and most modern technology is appropriate in such a living room.
Furniture selection
Furniture for a gray living room mainly depends on the style. But a few general tips should still be highlighted.
- The main element of the living room is the sofa. The size of this piece of furniture will depend on the dimensions of the room. Everything is quite simple: if the living room is small, choose a straight folding sofa or a transformer that will take up little space. If it is large, you can choose a corner model or place the sofa in the center of the room, successfully zoning it.
- Companions to the sofa must necessarily be poufs or armchairs, as well as a coffee table. It is advisable to choose simple furniture, gray does not like pretentiousness. It should also be noted that the furniture can be either gray or not. We have indicated the successful color combinations above.
- If the size of the room and its stylistic orientation permit, a wardrobe can be installed along one of the walls. It is desirable that the sliding doors are mirrored. You can leave them without a pattern, and also decorate with light sandblasting. Many owners also choose beautiful bright photo printing, which often becomes a very interesting accent.
- When choosing exactly gray furniture, you need to remember that it should be a couple of tones darker than the walls, but lighter than the floor. This combination of shades will allow you to form the most successful design options.
Textiles and decor elements
A gray living room cannot be imagined without rich and beautiful accents. One of the most important elements will be curtains. Since gray is rarely used in classical directions, heavy floor curtains will have to be abandoned. A more modern and interesting solution would be light curtains, as well as roller blinds and roman blinds. If there are not enough curtains, and the light interferes with the daytime, it is recommended to purchase blinds.
The color of the curtains should be several shades darker than the finish and furniture.
If colored curtains are chosen, then they should not be "left alone." The chosen shade should overlap with other textiles in the room. This can be the upholstery of chairs, the color of chairs or ottomans, the color of the bedspread. However, you should always remember about the measure: if the companion color interrupts the gray, the whole concept of the style will be violated.
As for the decorations, they can be gold or silver, both of these colors are great for gray. As decor items, you can pick up graceful figurines, abstract paintings or landscapes, beautiful wall clocks. A large illuminated aquarium, as well as a few live plants, preferably succulents or palms, would be a great solution.
And also the decorations can be colored, matching the color of curtains and other textiles.
Specialist recommendations
If you are just planning to decorate the living room in shades of gray, we recommend that you heed some advice from interior designers. This will help you make the right decision and not make unnecessary mistakes.
- Gray is suitable for both small and large spaces. But if the room is small, only light shades should be used. Decorating the walls and floor in light colors will visually enlarge the room, stretch it out. The dark ones, on the contrary, will narrow the already small space.
- A monochrome gray interior may sound boring, but it's a deceiving impression. The main thing is not to use too dark colors. In monochrome designs, gray is diluted with pastel tones and then lightened. If, nevertheless, the decision is made to use dark tones, then bright accents are simply necessary.
- In small living rooms, gray should be combined with light colors such as cappuccino or beige. The ceiling must be light, and the niches in the room must be dark. In addition, it is advisable to equip each niche with lighting.
- The gray color will perfectly correct any unevenness in the walls and floors. In large rooms, for this you need to use cool light colors, but in small rooms it is important to prefer a warm range of gray.
- For a living room decorated in gray tones, nothing is more important than good lighting. In this case, you can use lamps of both cold and warm colors. Cold ones are recommended for large rooms, warm ones - for cramped ones. There must be a central chandelier, as well as several decorative or spotlights. Backlighting will also be useful. If the room is delimited into zones, lighting needs to be thought out for each of them.
Beautiful examples
Gray living rooms, if carefully designed, can be unique and completely different. We suggest that you familiarize yourself with 10 beautiful ideas that can help those who wish to decorate their room in exactly this range.
- A spacious and interesting room that combines dark gray, light gray and white colors.
- Light gray living room with bright paintings, fresh flowers and an abundance of sunlight. A dark soft carpet complements this design.
- Modern living room with lots of white. The interest here is aroused by austere paintings and accessories, as well as an abundance of reflective surfaces.
- A minimalistic, almost monochrome room. There is a minimum of decor here, but this is the beauty of this room.
- Living room with dark furniture and blue curtains. An unusual idea here is the accent wall with the image of the city map.
- Light gray shades go well with delicate blue flowers. Live plants, as well as beautiful and bright lamps will help to complete this design.
- The combination of gray and pink is a good solution for not too large rooms. However, there should be few such juicy elements.
- Sunny rich yellow is one of the best companions for grays.This color scheme is very often diluted with white.
- Urban modern living room. Unusual armchairs, bright pillows, lighting, beautiful decor on the curtains - all this makes this room ideal.
- In studio apartments, many owners love bright elements. In this photo, you can see how the dark gray in the living room is successfully combined with the lilac in the kitchen.