Q: My boyfriend recently purchased a beautifully modern loft. I would love to help him decorate it. The ceilings at 18 feet, the windows are just as high, so most of the thing I need to purchase will either have to be custom made or extreme DIY. Also color choices haven't been easy, my boyfriend is in love with grey, so the couch is grey, the rugs are grey, the dining table to grey!
(The picture is about the same floor plan as his, but not his style or color choices)
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creamy pale yellow is beautiful with gray
Hahahaha don't go too crazy unless the place is yours too!
let him have all the grey he wants, and then dot little things around in bright colors: win/win
I say embrace the gray and add a few pops of color (teal, yellow, green) via dishes, pillows, etc. White walls. Make sure he knows that a few choice pieces of really large art will make a much better impact that small stuff.
im crazy about bold blues with grey. adds drama without being too "colorful". have you considered building some gas pipe shelves? could add character and be a great complement to the modern lines and you could build them floor to ceiling on the cheap!
see: http://www.the-brick-house.com/2009/09/shelving-unit.html
"My boyfriend recently purchased a beautifully modern loft. I would love to help him decorate it."
Did he ask your advice?
What does he like and what does he need?
Like bepsf I hope the boyfriend is on board. Whether he is or not he is going to resist if you try to girl it up. (If he doesn't resist, you have another problem.) I would continue to look for greys with some good black pieces and then add pops of color in red or orange. In the blue family I would look for dark teals and navys. Check out some of the color palettes in the small cool competition that men are living in.
Gonna sound like a broken record but pops of color would be great with grey. Also adding some pieces in white or clear might also be nice. Flor makes really great carpet squares in bright colors. CB2 has some really great shots online of their grey couches accented with yellow, orange, etc. You could probably get some ideas there.
Great big lighting in white or clear would also be great.
I have quite a bit of black furniture, black countertops and white walls. I added color with clocks, art and home accessories and briq stools in different bright colors. I also added white cubitec shelving and a white sapien bookshelf. Everyone that comes into my space talks about how bright it is, not the reaction you'd expect from a place filled with black furniture :-)
Here are some inspiration shots from cb2 with grey couches. I was looking for a grey couch about a month ago myself :-)
http://www.cb2.com/sofas/furniture/flex-gravel-sofa/f4680
http://www.cb2.com/sofas/furniture/avec-pewter-sofa/f5058
http://www.cb2.com/sofas/furniture/movie-steel-sofa/f6378
What *doesn't* go with gray? Gray is a neutral - add whatever color(s) you and boyfriend like.
Blues. I love aquas with gray - especially with pops of orange in the room. It would also work with the green sectionals.
For storage - think up. Some cool shelving (even just stacked Ikea shelves) with a ladder would accentuate the height, add some storage, and overall it would look really cool (Not your question, but I think it would be fun).