I think West Elm must have read the thread a little while back when we were all dissing them for all of that chocolate furniture they keep producing (yuck)... and this is their answer.

Well, grey has had a couple of major moments. Somewhere in the 1980's and somewhere back in the (late?) 1950's. I think that if you're careful about what you let it refer to, you'll be fine.

I like their Acorn color a lot. Saw some great Joy Mangano Huggable Hangers in light and dark grey at Target last night.

I like grey a lot, but somehow these pieces just seem to miss the mark - maybe because the shapes aren't all that great?

I was wanting grey in my bedroom, though not necessarily furniture.

I feel the exact same way about grey as a neutral. Personally I hate beige, so grey is perfect for me. Although i personally wouldn't go with a gunmetal grey dresser, one in dove grey would be lovely.

orangejuice--

"We" weren't all dissing them.

Anywho, I like this finish, but it does not photograph great.

Grey is good, but grey with the right texture is great.

Anybody know what kind of plant that is in the vase?

Oh, also, to address the topic at hand... I, too like grey - but definitely do not like those pieces. I think the shade is a little off and the shapes are just all wrong.

Pretty sure it's a branch of figs.

I like the shape of the first two tables very much. Nice transition pieces if you have any Chinese painted furniture.

Being a beige-hater myself, I love my gray sectional sofa. Currently I have a blue-green-gray (Benjamin Moore's Soft Chinchilla) paint color theme going on, with everything else brushed steel, frosted glass. light maple and gray. I love that I can change the walls one day to a warm color and everything else will still fit.

I'd be into gray finished furniture...but not from west elm.

Why not?

It really bugs the crap out of me when someone summarily dismisses any one company, be it West Elm, IKEA, Ligne Roset etc.

There's gold to mine at almost any retailer, and if the word "designer" is in your screen name, you should probably know-- and acknowledge-- that.

I have been to the NYC store, and I don't like how the floor samples have held up.. That's all. I'd rather wait a long time to save up to buy something of higher quality that I know will endure over time. I like their accessories, but as for their cabinetry I have some concerns after seeing it in person.

And have you ever watched how people bang, poke and prod the floor samples?

And where can you get anything of any remotely modern style at their price point? Where?

It's going to take a while, by the way, for me to stop liking that espresso dark brown finished furniture. I think I like this grey, but I'm eager to see it in person to start falling in love with it and looking for places to put this stuff. I DO like gunmetal finishes, in general.

I went to the DC West Elm after work one night last week; first time in any of their stores.

I slowly adjusted to the fact that I'm at least 25 years older than (what I assume to be) their target demographic.

I liked the accessories a lot, and they may see me again if my tax refund is the right size. But I had the same reaction to the furniture floor samples that designerK did, especially with the case goods.

I like the stuff pictured above. A lighter shade would be nice as well.

I like a warm gray, but if I'm going to have gray shelves or a table, I'd rather just go with steel. More durable, too.

I like the various steel shelves in the Sundance catalog.

I can't help but think of the lacquered "Italian" furniture with the high-gloss faux wood grain when I see this. This trend is just not going to endure the test of time.

It would be wonderful if West Elm could figure out a way to charge a little more money for better quality wooden pieces. I've noticed that even cb2 has upped their game in this regard.

And then you'd bitch about how there wasn't an affordable alternative to IKEA.

Btw, no "trend" will stand the test of time if you buy the whole suite.

I could also see this gray finish going 40's glam paired with some mirrored pieces, or going Big Sur beachy, paired with other limed or light wood (think driftwood) pieces, or paired with Asian painted pieces as mentioned above. I think it very versatile.

I love grey (which I differentiate from gray)* as a neutral, esp. for walls. I don't know about those furniture pieces in particular, but I'd definitely go for grey walls. I have a blue grey on my bedroom walls, which I absolutely love.

* grey = that rich color that makes all others pop, the sky before a thunderstorm.
gray = Minneapolis in November when there's no snow and no color and no hope left in the world.