Is Gray out of style? 5 tips to neutralize gray

One of the most popular questions I get asked alot recently is gray still in style?

There is alot of gray furniture on sale. Should I buy a new gray sofa set? Should I paint the exterior of my house gray! My friend says I should.

I’m selling my house.  I hear gray is a good staging color.  Should I paint my house gray to sell it? I saw some great prices on gray flooring. Should I buy it to sell my house?

NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! LOL

Trends come & go

Let’s face it.  Trends come and trends go.  The gray trend has been around for the last decade. 
But now due to the  pandemic, we are getting away from cold gray. We stayed inside cooconing in our homes for well over a year. Due to staying inside, we got tired of staring at our gray walls, gray furniture, gray kitchens, gray bathrooms and quite frankly, gray everything. We are now seeing warmer neutrals and bolder colors for pops off color among the neutrals. Maybe we learned a lesson from the all gray era to mix things up a bit.

For some (like me) I never was a gray fan, so this is fantastic news. Au revoir gray. Good riddance. However, for those that like gray, this is sad news. For those that decorated every part of their house in gray, this is devastating news.  Does this mean you have to redecorate your entire house?

The gray trend is out? Now what do I do with my all gray interior?

The all cool mid-toned gray trend in a room is out but that doesn’t mean that gray is out of our lives completely. The way we decorate with gray has changed. So before you feel you need to rip out your all gray kitchen, buy new furniture or change your gray flooring, there are many less expensive ways to neutralize the “all gray” home that we have created over the past 10 years without having to spend your children’s college fund doing it. Check out these 5 tips to neturalize the gray home decor in your house!

5 Tips to neutralize the gray home decor in your house!

There is no need to rip out gray flooring or gray kitchens to accommodate this new trend. In fact, you will still see gray being used, but its a much lighter gray in walls and furniture. The all gray trend is out but gray is still in our lives. Just in a lighter softer warmer way with other colors added for interest and variety.

Paint your walls using another neutral like white or greige.

One of the easiest, fastest and most cost effective way of toning down an all gray room is to paint your walls. Taking over the gray wall colors is surprisingly warm white walls. White walls is currently the number one choice among homeowners. But white walls are not for everyone. Creams, tans and beiges are also popular among neutrals. The neutral that is replacing gray is greige – a combination of gray and beige thus greige.

Read: What is a good warm white paint colors?

Read: Best cool white paint colors

Trending are gray accent walls

This room may have been all gray at one point, but you can tone down an all gray room. Painting over a dark gray color immediately tones down the gray in the room like the homeowners may have done here with these warm shade of white. Even though an all gray room is out, trending is dark gray, black, dark navy or dark green accent walls. The accent walls is a great way to pop the room with some dramatic color, tie in gray flooring or other fixed elements that are not being replaced all while creating a focal point to the room and adding interest at the same time. A win win.

Add pops of color in your accessories

This room has gray walls and a gray patterned rug. But the neutral couches, glass tables & mirrored cabinet, make this space feel contemporary and fresh. The blue accent cushions and blue pictures, complement the beige furniture and gray wall color and gray carpet. Replacing gray accessories with accessories with color, is an easy and inexpensive way of toning down the gray in a room.

Replace a piece or two of the gray furniture

The all gray matchy matchy furniture is definitely out. While you may have a set at home, you can break it up a bit by replacing a sofa, arm chair or love seat with a new style while still keeping the other gray furniture. These beautiful velvet blue accent chairs and the pops of blue accent pillows, breaks up and distracts the eye from the leather couch, ottomans and chairs. Notice the pops of color with the cushions, and the variety of styles of accent tables use in this room for interest. Mixing up wood, marble and glass works well as one does not dominate the others making this room feel pulled together in a stylist way.

In this photo above in this updated and styled room, we see the trendy cognac couch where previously you would have seen a gray one. This life edge wood coffee table is stunning, which sits on a gray, beige rug that ties the grays and beige design details together. Notice that the paint color for this room is a lightened up version of gray and does not dominate the room but rather gives a calming effect.

Read: 2021 Design & Paint Color Trends to Sell Your House

In the past year, we’ve seen a drastic change in the design trends brought on by the pandemic where we were hunkered down in our homes staring at the same 4 walls with our entire family day in and day out. With drastic changes, if you keep up with the current trends, this one will keep you spinning for awhile, but with careful planning, you can transition from one trend to another quite easily.

Read: Why you need a mood board to plan your design

Does this sound overwhelming? Need help?

Check out my online design & color consult here.

Hi! I’m Debi Collinson. I’m a designer & stager and real estate investor.

My design advise to the world is … styling your home is the BIG secret in having an Instagram worthy home as opposed to a ho hum look. My superpower is about styling to make your home stunning all while adding value to your home at the same time!

It all started back in 2006 where I nervously staged my very first home. The sellers liked their newly styled home so much that they turned down an offer for full asking price and stayed. I went back to design school and the rest is history. I’ve been working my “magic” with hundreds of clients to create a stunning retreat whether they’re styling to stay or staging to sell! In my spare time, LOL, I buy “fixer uppers” to fix up & either sell for a healthy profit or to rent. I’m currently living in my 9th “fixer upper.”