Gray Is The Surprising Color That Every Home Needs | HuffPost Life

Gray Is The Surprising Color That Every Home Needs

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Associate Editor, HuffPost Style

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The best way to brighten up a room is with gray. Seriously.

It's the perfect base color for any type of decor. The wide range of shades make it the perfect partner for an eye-popping accent color. Toss canary yellow, slate blue or magenta into the mix with gray, and it can make the scheme work to a home's advantage.

If a room full of gray walls isn't your thing, use it as the accent by incorporating it into trims, doors or even kitchen back splashes.

Try something new this time around by giving your space a touch of gray. Check out some inspiration with the beautiful examples below.

Top left: Domino, Bottom Left: Shauna Mailloux of Beautiful Matters, Right: Domino

Left: Rachel Paxton of Maison de Pax, Top Right: Domino, Bottom Right: Melissa Michaels of The Inspired Room

Top: Erin Rollins of Sunny Side Up, Bottom: Jennifer Holmes of Dear Lillie

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Before You Go

13 Shades Of Gray

Gym(01 of13)

After Hurricane Katrina, interior designer Richard Keith Langham returned to Mississippi to breathe new life into a home he originally decorated more than 20 years ago. In the exercise room, the gray-and-white-striped Romo fabric that tents the ceiling and the graphic carpet by Durkan establish a fanciful mood. (March 2011) (credit:Pieter Estersohn)

Bathroom(02 of13)

An American couple called on designer Jean-Louis Deniot to channel an 18th-century French aesthetic in their Paris apartment. The narrow master bath’s gray-and-taupe paneling is decorated with framed butterfly specimens. (January 2013) (credit:Derry Moore)

Bedroom(03 of13)

Though Lee Ledbetter was asked to decorate a New Orleans real-estate tycoon’s historic home in black and white, the architect-designer smuggled in other neutrals to break up the stark palette. Silvery grays cover the ceiling, walls, fireplace, and floor of a guest room. The starburst chandelier and mirror over the bed give the room a breezy glamour. (September 2012) (credit:Pieter Estersohn)

Dining Room(04 of13)

American fashion designer Kasper has long been an avid collector of contemporary art. The steel-gray walls of his Manhattan apartment’s dining room beautifully offset works by Edward Burtynsky and Anselm Kiefer. (April 2011) (credit:Pieter Estersohn)

Sitting Room(05 of13)

Interior designer Stephen Sills infused a Manhattan couple’s triplex with references to a venerable Upper East Side landmark. The sitting room’s wall treatments resemble the stonework of the nearby Frick Collection; the creamy upholstery and curtains add an ethereal sensibility. (January 2012) (credit:François Halard)

Living Room(06 of13)

For a couple’s apartment in a historic building on Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive, designer Jean-Louis Deniot created interiors that merge European refinement with American vigor. Dark walls inset with beige panels and framed by white moldings bring a sense of drama to the living room. (December 2011) (credit:Miguel Flores-Vianna)

Dining Room(07 of13)

When Lucky Brand execs Dave DeMattei and Patrick Wade bought their 1920s Beverly Hills mansion, they knew they needed to renovate. “The house was in good shape, but it was basically a vanilla box,” DeMattei says. They gave the dining room personality by pairing gray walls with curtains of a modern print from Barclay Butera Home. (September 2013) (credit:William Waldron)

Living Room(08 of13)

In an ultramodern home on Washington's Mercer Island, Seattle architect Eric Cobb added rhythm and texture to the living room walls with plank-molded concrete. An Ann Gardner sculpture seems to float above the space, while a yellow Metropolitan chair and ottoman by B&B Italia provide a bright contrast. (June 2011) (credit:Paul Warchol)

Bedroom(09 of13)

While fashion designer Stefano Pilati’s Paris duplex is bursting with color and a treasure trove of antiques and artifacts, his master bedroom is artfully spare. The soft-gray walls highlight the 18th-century Italian painting given to Pilati by his mother. (March 2013) (credit:Björn Wallander)

Library (10 of13)

For his beachfront retreat in Malibu, California, antiques dealer Richard Shapiro used plaster wall treatments resembling weathered stone to evoke “the look, age, and aura of a very old, windswept structure from the Mediterranean or Aegean.” In the library, the look of the walls' rich finish varies widely depending on the light, making the space both inviting and mysterious. (April 2011) (credit:Miguel Flores-Vianna)

Bathroom(11 of13)

Interior designer Michael S. Smith turned a high-rise residence overlooking New York’s Central Park into a stunningly urbane oasis for a pair of longtime clients. In the guest bath, he installed Ann Sacks's striated Asher marble to showstopping effect. (March 2011) (credit:Pieter Estersohn)

Bathroom(12 of13)

With the help of designer Mark Haddawy, Maroon 5 front man Adam Levine turned his Hollywood Hills home into a dramatic bachelor pad. The minimalist master bath is clad in cool gray marble and features an antique claw-foot tub and a simple Paul McCobb table. (March 2012) (credit:Roger Davies)

Living Room(13 of13)

Interior designer Bruce Shostak used a light gray to soften the living room of his crisp and formal circa-1817 country house in upstate New York. The elegant hue showcases the room’s historical pieces, including Louis XVI fauteuils, a 19th-century bas-relief of George Washington, a circa-1805 New York Pembroke table, and a contemporary bust of Thomas Jefferson made by Sculpture House Casting. (June 2013) (credit:William Waldron)

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