Many of my clients want a light grey wall instead of white. Not sure why. I think some clients think it’s easier to choose a light grey paint colour. But just like white or any colour there is no perfect light grey paint colour. But here are my tips for choosing the right light grey paint colour for your home.
Warm greys and cool greys
Just like white paint colours there are warm greys and cool greys. Warm greys have beige undertones and cool greys have blue undertones.
But everyone sees colour differently. So it really is a personal choice based around your interior style goal, colour scheme and the light (natural and artificial) your house receives.
Colour and light are best friends. Choosing a paint colour needs careful consideration of both artificial and natural light sources in the room.
If for example you get a lot of sun light in a room you could look at cool greys.
Choosing a paint colour is a very nuanced exercise. As there are many considerations including function, light, interior style, overall colour scheme, including furniture and furnishings and so on.
Light grey colours I’ve used recently
For a client in Burwood whose style goal was Modern Hamptons I specified Paramount Design for the walls and Vivid White for the trims.
The client wanted a stronger contrast between the grey and white so opted for Terrace White instead for their grey walls.
In another project I specified Silkwort for the trims but easily would use this on the walls. For my own apartment that I plan to renovate later this year I’m considered Clear Concrete which has a beige undertone.
Everyone sees colour differently the best thing to do is to find a light grey colour you like in another object. For example a piece of clothing, cushion or ceramic and try to colour match it.
Paint your samples on a piece of paper rather than directly on the wall and move the paper around different rooms at different times.
No paint colour will look the same in every room in your house because of the different light each room receives at different times.
So focus on the room you spend the most time in during the day. At night time your artificial light will ensure the colour samples look different again.
The other day a lady called me in distress as she need to tell her builder what colour to paint her walls urgently. She was confused and feeling the pressure to get it right. I explained that over the phone I could provide limited advice.
Which was given there is not perfect colour and every colour looks different in each room and because grey (and white) is a neutral colour I made a choice between the two colours she narrowed down.
However, to be 100% certain of your choice because it takes a lot of time and money to paint a room let alone a house, seek professional advice on choosing the right light grey paint colour for your home. It’s worth it.
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