Grey is the contemporary homes neutral. Rarely bland, never dull, always surprising. It’s had a bad rap in the past, but it’s coming in from the cold. The trick is to choose tones that have warmth in them, in other words, shades of grey with hints of pink. Then you’ll have a grey that will lighten up any room, imbuing it with a sense of calm sophistication.
1 Polished Plaster. The walls in this home, just outside Rome, were finished in a custom-mixed plaster finish in a bespoke shade of cool grey called ‘Decorative Concrete’. It was made for the home owner, Norwegian interior designer Hanne Lise Poli, by the specialist manufacturer Weber.
2 Accessories matter. Grey literally can bring a sense of sophistication to almost anything it touches. This is Team ED’s kettle of choice, the Emma kettle by Stelton. (It also comes in pale blue, black and white too though).
What's everyone reading?
3 Perfect paints. There are many great greys on the market today, but key is to choose warm greys to ensure a room doesn’t feel cold. This is especially important if it’s a North facing room. ‘Lead Colour’ by Edward Bulmer Natural paints is a great match for the one shown in this room. Milan’s too have a great grey palette with ‘Mid Wedgwood’ being our favourite.
From the Dulux Heritage collection, ‘Pewter Plate’ is another warm, mid-tone grey. Perfect to connote comfort and cosiness.
4 Texture always counts. With a colour like grey, surface finish is everything. Whether textured paster, polished lacquer or as in this hallway, the relief of wall panelling. It gives the shade an added dimension of light, shade and depth.
5 Grey can be soft too. Beautiful for bedlinen, grey does not have to feel overtly masculine. It’s all about the mix of materials. Throw in lots of linen (the crumpled look really suits this hue) and some velvet pillows and sweet dreams are guaranteed.
For more pictures, see our comprehensive Dove Grey moodboard of rooms, products and interiors inspiration
And check out even more of our on-trend Colour boards here
