I have the majority of our living space painted in Behr Wheat Bread and absolutely adore it.

Currently I'd love to find the perfect pale blue/gray gray/blue, more gray than blue. I have about 10 samples of different colors on our bedroom wall and can't stand any of them. I'll think they are just right in the store and get them in the bedroom light and they are way too blue.

Sherwin Williams has a few nice ones... Repose Grey, Silverpointe, Battleship Grey... and a few more I can't think of right now :)

Oh and my dining room is Benjamin Moore's Metropolitan, from their Aura paint line. It's a nice bluey grey as well.

I just painted a tiny bathroom "Tin" by Glidden. It's a dark grey that has a purplish tint to it in my room. I was debating painting the room a plum color, so the purple undertones pleased me.

I've used Behr's Dolphin Fin in my last 3 bedrooms and still love it-it is a medium shade and fairly cool. Behr's Southern Shadows is great, too- it changes color with the lighting ranging in appearance from stark white to taupe to smoky gray.

Can anyone recommend a gray that won't look gloomy in a dark space? I desperately want to paint my entryway/stairway walls/hallway gray, but parts of it are pretty dark.

I have a small powder room with a marble tiled floor that I'd like to paint gray. The toilet and pedestal sink are a light almond. The fixtures are gold-toned. Any advice?

I only use white on the trim in my house and the rest of the neutral spaces are shades with a tints of blue, gray or pink that are barely visible yet they appear white to the eye.

I got the idea from a Dr's office and it proves very soothing.

In a bedroom I used Ralph Lauren (RL) greyish blues Whisper and Blue Mesa, and Behr's purplish/grey Distant Thunder together and and everyone says it looks dreamy. Upon entering you think the blues are greys.

In another room I used RL Ribbon Pink - which looks white, but more soothing - and paired it with the brown Behr's Simple Silhouette.

They all look great with the white trim.

amyeliz,

I used Ralph Lauren Polaris in a darker space and it looks good. I paired it with a wall of RL Artist Grey, which almost appears black, but you'd have to like adventurous color for that :)

culturepOp,

Ralph Lauren Soft Earth is a nice grey that would still look good with golds.

btw, I'm quoting colors I used 2 years ago which may not still be in existence, however you could contact RL for a current version of it.

Farrow & Ball's Light gray is perfect.

i actually just bought a very dark gray yesterday for 1 wall in the bedroom.

Those rooms are all gorgeous, but I LOVE that dining room. It's totally amazing.

beddybee --

I'm so glad that you mentioned F & B's light gray, it IS perfect.

Also, if I were to rewrite this post I would include Farrow & Ball's pavilion gray 242 for a beautiful gustavian gray that looks lovely with whites, pale yellows, creams, and taupes, and other understated colors from the traditonal Swedish palette.

amyeliz -- the pale silver (Restoration Hardware) mentioned in the post looks gorgeous in a dark space. Even at night in artificial light, it looks lovely in our room. We had BenMoore mix the RH color in their aura line, which we love. Also, we've painted the trim high gloss super white which brightens up the gray

I second bmb's comment. Dolphin Fin by Behr is really nice. I had my old 1 bedroom condo painted almost entirely in that color. If my partner hadn't vetoed any sort of grey when we moved into our new place, then I probably would have used it again. I found that any color scheme, whether fall-like and dark or spring-like and bright, goes very nicely with it. Very clean and crisp feeling, especially against white trim and light wood floors.

I love RL Moonlight its on the darker side.
I am enjoying a darker bedroom and much more fun to play with lamps and lighting in general, more dramatic.

anyone know a clean clean pale blue..i find that a hard color to work with or find. I have BM cashmere grey in my backroom but I need pale pale clear pale blue like air.

"Farrow & Ball's Light gray is perfect." - I agree it's a very easy grey to work with goes almost in any light anywhere.

Yes, yes, but what's the paint in the lower right of the original foursome?

We have Behr Dolphin Fin in the living room, Behr Squirrel in the dining room, and Benjamin Moore Pale Pewter in the kitchen. Friends thought it would be gloomy when we told them nearly every room in our place was going to be grey, but fortunately they were wrong!

rebeldress - check out BM grey cashmere (not cashmere grey) it looks green grey on the paint sample but its really more a blue grey. However, if you are putting into a room with lots of direct sunlight it can be more blue. I have it above my wainscotting in a room that has lots of natural light not direct sunlight so it cast more blue grey.

I'm considering gray more than ever, now.

Emily

Debbie Travis' Silver Spoon is fantastic for a small space. It is a very dynamic grey that can go from looking flat and grey, to cool and blue-green, to warm and beigey - All at once in the same space! It sometimes even has a bit of a lavender hue in the right lighting. Very Carrie Bradshaw, despite the different method of achieving the color.

RL's Forde Abbey has come up a lot on AT before. It's a great color but too dark for my bedroom (no actual windows...) so I'm going a few shades lighter.

I just painted my guest room gray. It's ICI/Dulux in "Zeppelin." It's a medium hue, on the cooler side but without any strong undertones of blue or green or purple. The room gets a decent amount of natural light, but the color looks great during the day or at night with artificial light. I have it paired with white trim and white bedding, and it's very serene and sophisticated. I have red accents (throw pillow, side table, etc.) in the room and it looks great, although every accent color I thought about using turned out to pair well with the Zeppelin color. It's not much of a chameleon color, changing with the light or the colors next to it, but it is a very true, rich, lovely gray.

I've recently repainted my entire 1BR apartment: Sherwin Williams Verastile Gray in the bedroom, living room and kitchen, and Popular Gray (one shade lighter on the strip) in the hallway and bathroom. LOVE IT! The Verastile Gray is very soothing/calming/cozy without being the least bit gloomy. I have white trim and medium toned wood floors.

LoriSF-

try, BenMoore's Patriotic White. It's the freshest, palest blue you could imagine.

Very useful post - thanks, Leah.

Just painted our livingroom Benjamin Moore Cement Gray in Aura and I love it.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jendavid1000/3788280119/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jendavid1000/3800430837/

wow. so many suggestions. Thank you everyone!

spent A LOT of time thinking about grays for our hallway. would up using two from the brown part of the deck -- benjamin moore abalone & elephant gray. incredibly happy with both of them. also seriously considered iced cube -- before deciding on brown over blue as the undertone.

ps to amyeliz -- this was exactly my concern with our hallway. check out bm abalone or iced cube silver -- both are great and not at all gloomy or dark.

Consider your room light source. I painted the walls in our loft BM Sea Froth (2107-60). this warm gray on the brown side worked well with the light blue I used for the kitchen and darker brown gray (Smoked oyster 2109-40) I was using for an accent wall. Sea Froth is so light that it absorbs the colors of the light that comes through our west facing windows. In the morning when we get reflected light the color seams cooler. In the afternoon and under incandescent lights it looks just like the sample color. In the evening with the orange and pink tones the color looks pink.
I was quite alarmed the first day i noticed the color change, but have grown to enjoy the shifting shades as part of the cycle of the day.

favorite grays:
1. Ben Moore's titanium (but at 125%)
2. Miller Paint's shadow orchid a pale cement gray with touch of purple/mauve. I've never seen an equivalent - it's a one of a kind color and stunning

Sherwin Williams Repose grey..
I was looking for a grey that didn't read too blue or purple.
Very happy with it.

this post came just in time...i'm doing a yellow and squash theme for my bedroom....thanks!

BM Wish is in our living room and BM Silver Fox in the foyer, in a brightly lit space the latter has a violet hue to it. I love it with white trim!

I love Benjamin Moore #985 Indian River - it's a nice neutral brown/grey that's perfect with white trim and cool accent colours.

I'm addicted to gray! What a great post. It's hard to find the right one though and the variations are so subtle.

Currently, my bedroom is Gray Owl (Benjamin Moore). It's really subtle, with a hint of green. (http://mochihome.com/bedroom/group-design-help-choose-a-wall-decal/)

I also have a bathroom painted Pigeon Gray (BM). That's a nice deep gray with purple undertones. It's very crisp.

I've also done a living room in Tundra, which is on the same chip as Pigeon Gray. It's light light gray, but in bright sunlight has a purplish glow. Very dreamlike. (http://mochihome.com/living-room/eco-friendly-paint-recap/ -- it doesn't match the green couch though!)

A few years ago I painted the entire inside of my house BM's Balboa Mist. It's a soft grey that changes with the light. Decorator white woodword and black doors with brushed silver knobs. Loved it every day. Very fresh.

Gig's Grey by Pratt & Lambert, my favourite grey.

Do you know what is the blush paint color in the Oliver Dunn, Moss and Co store in Georgetown? Been looking for the perfect muted peachy pink for a while...

I adore Pratt & Lambert's Rubidoux (2304), a dark, warm taupe gray, and its paler version, Feather Gray (2302). Unfortunately, it is difficult to find P&L retailers these days. But these divine colors are worth the effort!

HELP!!

Someone up above posted something about "Behr's Southern Shadows". I need this paint chip code. I went back to the store to get more paint, but they changed everything and looked at me like was an idiot b/c they couldn't find this color anywhere. I just used this a few months ago! I need to finish up some painting around the house and I got rid of the can and the chip (so therefor I do earn my "idiot" card). But if anyone can email me at melanieletot9@hotmail.com to let me know what the paint mix code is or the name with paint chip code that WOULD BE AWESOME!

Thank you :)

We're doing one wall in our bedroom in Gray Wolf by Benjamin Mooore and the other walls Cascade White. I love Gray

I've been looking at the sample of Benjamin Moore's Titanium that I put on my wall, and just wishing it was a bit darker, though not as dark as Horizon Gray, the next chip down. Then I came across Lizzy C's post recommending Titanium at 125%. Alas, Benjamin Moore can't do a pint-size tester. Can anyone describe, or show a picture of what will happen to Titanium at 125%? Lizzy C are you out there? :-)

Looking for a soothing paint color for my bedroom. Needs to coordinate with a Restoration Hardware Italian Cypress Paisley duvet and shams in "Silver Sage." The rest of the bedding will be ivory. I've got a dark modern-ish sleigh bed. I was thinking Pale Silver from RH???
HELP!!

pratt and lambert grey moire and silver mink together. absolutely magical.

I would love a gray paint recommendation for my bedroom. The furniture is a dark cherry (more deep brown than cherry) and the bedding is Calvin Klein's Acacia - pewter and plum tones:
http://www1.bloomingdales.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=113700&CategoryID=8223&PageID=8223*1*24*-1*-1*9

I don't want the room to look too dark. Any suggestions? I'm thinking of Sherwin Williams' "Alpaca."

Re: Parma Gray - I'm interested in the photo above with that grey pared with a range of greens and chocolate browns, and keep coming back to it. But the paint in the picture does not really look like the paint in the sample. Is it really the same? Does Parma Gray match well with greens/browns? Thanks!

Mouse's Back is the cutest paint name ever!

This post is so informative. Any suggestion all you color gurus on a grey that wouldn't detract from a wall full of windows with a south-facing bay view?? I want to enhance the view of the water, not compete with it. Thanks for the help!

what is a good trim for the stonington gray? We just decided on it for our room and now we need a trim color.

Thanks!

I have a living room/dining room combo similar in layout to jendavid1000, with one wall of windows. My condo faces east so it doesn't get much light during the times I'm home after work. I tried 6 shades of gray, all of which look different on the wall compared to the pictures I found online. RH Ash (too beige) and pale silver (too blue), Behr Dolphin Fin (really liked it but thought it was too dark) and Mahattan Mist (too lavender), BM cement gray (too lavender) and gray owl (winner!). Gray is one of those frustrating colors that one shade could work on one person's walls while looking awful on another, so you really just need to try them out on your own wall.
Thanks to all the recommendations on this post, I only had to try out 6 shades before I found my color...I thought I was going to have to paint my entire wall in mosaic samples of gray!

I really want to paint my living and dining room gray in my new house. my town has a lowes, a home depot, and a sherwin williams--no benjamin moore and certainly no restoration hardware or anyplace that sells farrow and ball.

I know that I could get any paint tinted in one of their colors, but I can't get swatches/samples.

can anyone recommend a gray that might work that I could see swatches/samples of in town?

the rooms face east and I really want something light. when I look at the chips I lean towards the bluish grays.

WHAT is the color in the top right picture? That is exactly the gray I have been painstakingly searching for!!!

Hi Jmmoore,

The color in the top right photo is Revere Pewter HC-172 from Benjamin Moore. I just saw it in the latest issue of Real Simple, they have a whole article on decorating with gray!

Has anyone been able to successfully color match the color Pale Silver from Restoration Hardware? Love the colorsfrom RH - but don't care for their paint quality.

I've been told the match for silver sage at BM is Grey Whisp and have tried the next swatch down, Night Mist, but it's still too saturated.

Any ideas? Many thanks!

this is so perfect! Have been visiting paint store after paint store trying to find the right "french gray"--not too cold or icy for our bedroom which doesn't get a ton of light. Have written down a bunch of these! Still have made it to farrow & ball but need to...

I love grey. Our living room and dining room are BM Chelsea Gray, which is a gorgeous, rich, and creamy dark gray that looks incredible against BM Oxford White trim. Our bedroom is BM Coventry Gray, which is lovely but a bit blue for my taste. And finally, our sunroom is wood panelling whitewashed in a greyish white called Sea Pearl (also BM) which is perfect. I'm thinking of painting the bathroom BM Kendall Charcoal next.

i just painted my baby boy's room with Behr (primer+paint) Graceful Gray and it is lovely. we have a few other grays (Seattle Mist, Fossil Gray, Woodlawn Colonial Gray, Bedford Gray) and they are all great.

doodlebugz - we had our local Benjamin Moore mix RH's pale silver in their aura paint (my favorite). It looks identical! But it was a dream to paint with the aura, unlike using the drippy RH paint. 1 coat in aura is the equivalent of 2-3 in RH.

After decorating with grey for years, I am thrilled with Benjamin Moore's Granite. It has a subtle lavender hue that changes with the light and time of day- there are no blue or beige overtones. It has real depth. I used BM's midrange paint after my professional and expert painter had a lot of problem with the Aura paint.

Just painted with "zinc" by Martha Stewart and really liked it.

Looking for a grey to tone down pinkish/orange toned wood floors. I want a charcoal gray sofa from ikea. The rest of my house is earth tones. Any suggestions would be great.

I am about to repaint our master bath with SW's repose grey after trying first with their amazing grey... even in a bright, open space with a southern exposure, it's just too oppressive with cherry wood and slate tile. Need to stick with a grey hue for sure, but lighten up and reduce saturation a bit. It's an equally warm tone (a red-tint instead of a cooler blue or green tint), but it recedes rather than compete with the intensity of these very rich and bold architectural details.

can anyone help me find this very light creamy gray?

I can't stop thinking about this color.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_m94q3gOR-dI/TJGO0ErBp9I/AAAAAAAAI4M/LKWOE4GIAcc/s1600/gap12.jpg

" Gray is the new neutral"...check out blog on the subject with colorjedi.blogspot.com...in a nutshell in the BenMoore line I like for warm grays..Hc-172 Revere Pewter...Oc-14 Natural Cream...Af-100 Pashmina...Hc-105 Rockport Gray...Af-680 Thunder...I call these my natural French Linen Grays...Put with a blue ceiling like Gray Cashmere 2138-60 or Gray Lake 2138-70 and a softer off-white trim like oc-45 swiss coffee, and you have a fresh beautiful look... Dusty Grays with Green undertones 1529 Stingray and 1530 Senora Gray...OC-48 Hazy Skies... For Blue Grays I use AF-685 Metropolitan ( Great with Mid-Century looks!)..Titanium (really light and pretty...reads much bluer than you may think)...Horizon...Gray Horse...Artic Gray...and my most favorite...1557 Vapor Trails...Use on all my french painted finishes as one of the colors..and if you tilt to the blue/violet undertone Affinity's Eternity...Cooler Grays...Coventry Gray...Stonington Gray...Gray Owl...Affinity Granite...Dolphin...Rodeo..Harbor Fog...Other good trims to use with these grays...Vanilla Milkshake...Distant Gray...And I love for an off-white wall as well as trim for a mid-tone gray...oc-23 Classic Gray. ColorJedi

LeahDC - I am worried that RH Silver Pale will be tough for the Ben Moore store to match. They don't have it in their system and say that lighter colors are harder to match. How was your experience in getting a BM match?

Horizon by Ben. Moore is a beautiful pale gray-very clean and crisp.

Grey is a tricky colour to pull off but it does give you more leeway with what you can do with the furniture....perhaps something with a Contemporary Art Deco feel.

Thanks for your article - it helped me on my journey to find the perfect grey. I ended up grabbing a few of the 2x2' color swatches from Benjamin Moore, and chose 'Coventry Gray' and we're thrilled w/ the result! It is right in between white and black with no blue/green/purple/pink tones. not too light, not too dark. love it.

2 colours I have used with great sucess recently are Benjamin Moore Gray Mist. This colour is like the "new" Cloud White. It is definately a colour againt white furniture, but light enough to read as white. I have painted all of my kids rooms this colour now, with different accent colours in each room. It worked with every combo and reads a little different.
The other is the perfect furniture colour paint and I painted my firplace mantle this. Benjamin Moore Iron Mountain. The perfect off black with a little blue

i saw some questions about trim with grey. we have wood trim and have tried two grays so far.

SW popular gray: http://www.lifeonchurchill.com/2011/11/lovely-grey.html
and
BM stonington gray: http://www.lifeonchurchill.com/2011/05/bs-room-before-after.html

My entire house is painted grey - inside and out! I think grey walls are a lovely, tranquil backdrop that work well with lots of different accent colours. I have fuchsia, lime green and turquoise fabrics - mostly from Designers Guild - and a lot of white.

The outside walls are a Sto paint with lotus extract very similar in colour to Farrow & Ball's Pavilion Grey. Inside my sitting room is F&B Strong White - a really soothing soft putty-like grey - with F&B Off Black on the floorboards. The dining room is F&B Cornforth White. My bedroom is F&B Pavilion Grey with Off Black floorboards. My studio is F&B Manor House Grey with Off Black floorboards. And my hallway is about to have Strong White above the dado rail and F&B Down Pipe from dado rail to floor! I've started painting the skirting boards the same colour as the walls - in F&B's dead flat paint - to avoid a white stripe around the room.