Happy Friday everyone!
I was hoping to share the bedroom reveal this week, but sadly, it is not to be. Although it is 99.99% finished, there are still some finishing touches that I want to add (that’ll be this weekend’s plan!) before I photograph it. Also, I’m testing out a new camera, because up until now I’ve been using my camera phone (slapped wrists from the blogging world!) which is fine for Instagram (go check mine out) but not the greatest for a website. I really want to up my photo game …we’ll see how it goes.
So, today I want to talk about something I love. Grey.
Those close to me, joke (I hope!) that it’s the only colour I know, because everywhere I’ve lived, at some point, has been grey. Well, I would argue otherwise. Yes, grey can be flat and well.. grey, but, grey can also be so much more.
Colour is emotive. For me, personally (and don’t take offence, this is all subjective), pale pastel walls leave me feeling empty, whilst strong, bright, colour saturated rooms feel oppressive. I know, because I have tried living with them all. There’s a whole ‘nother future post about this right there!
I have, in the past played about with colour. Probably every colour. Each one, lasting maybe a few months at the most before I got bored. Don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t mean that I hate colour. I just prefer it in small doses.
That being said, there are many, many colourful interiors that I absolutely LOVE. Such as these perfect examples of colour inspiration;
burkedecor via pinterest
stylecaster via pinterest
urban outfitters via pinterest
homes and gardens via pinterest
See! I don’t hate colour!
For a while after my colour phase, I played it safe. Neutral tones and pale greys provided a great canvas for my ever changing/increasing collection of ‘stuff’. As the seasons changed, so did my accessories.
This is because I am fickle. Or at least I used to be. Or at least that’s what I used to think.
I used to change style allegiance almost weekly. I really didn’t know what I liked, I used to let trends dictate my taste. Boho? That’s me! Industrial modern? Over here!! Mid-century Malcolm, that’s ma name! I wanted people to think I was all these things. In reality, I didn’t know what I liked.
I know this because I treasure very few possessions from back then. Those objects that I do still own, I could never see myself parting with and have been a part of every home I’ve owned. Now when I buy something, it is because I love it. Not just because it’s a bargain, or because I saw brass all over pinterest and this charity shop vase is brass….so….I have to love it.
And that has been the secret to finding my style. It’s not a huge revelation in design. Loads of bloggers and designers talk about designing from the heart, rather than being dictated to, however, it is a big revelation when you discover it yourself. Like discovering your colour.
Which brings me back to grey.
The first time I painted a room grey, I think I must have sampled about three shades, before hitting, what I felt, was the right one. It wasn’t. It was flat and soulless and probably just as oppressive as the saturated colour I had experimented with previously. So I sampled again. This time I must have tried about twenty different shades from various companies. The differences in some of the tester pots were indiscernible, until they were on the wall…
Wow. I hadn’t realized how different each tone could be. Where each colour looked ‘grey’ individually, beside each other, they came alive. The variation of cold to warm, and soft and chalky to hard steely tones was incredible. Each sample providing colour, but in the subtlest of ways. The grey I opted for was a mid-depth, not too dark, with a greenish-tinge. I loved it. So much so, that it lasted for three years!
Since then, I have been a big advocate of grey walls. In my opinion, the features of a room should be allowed to take precedence over the wall colour, whether they be architectural or your own belongings. Grey (light or dark) added into any colour, softens it, knocking it back, allowing the walls to recede, rather than feel oppressive, creating a beautiful and sophisticated room. These images below, are shining examples of varying tones of grey working well with their surroundings and providing plenty of colour inspiration.
turbulences-deco via pinterest
Everhot 100, Graphite, £7,390(www.everhot.co.uk)
gravityhome via feedpuzzle via pinterest
I could quite happily live in all of these rooms. All so relaxing!
Maybe this has changed your opinion on grey, maybe it has confirmed it. Maybe you don’t actually care. Either way, I hope I haven’t bored you with my grey ramblings and have found some colour inspiration in this post.
Oh. Yeah, So, back to my argument. My rooms have not all been grey, but various muted tones of the colour spectrum. Point. Made.
