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Interior with gray wallpaper: how to make grayness exquisite

The universality of gray cannot be overestimated. Such a completely neutral background is the optimal solution for any interior. The achromatic spectrum does not compete with other shades, because it is just a shadow, a cross between light and darkness. Thus, the colors of furniture, decor and textiles will remain equally saturated, but due to the lack of contrast they will be perceived more calmly.

Gray wallpaper today is a fashionable design move that can be seen in modern interiors. We tell professional tricks, how to design them to not get boring.

Gray color impact

In nature, gray is the color of the sky covered with clouds, stones, dry earth, morning fog. All these are static phenomena, not concealing any threat. The gray subconscious affects soothingly, resembling the descending twilight and predicting the approach of the night. However, without bright impregnations, it can oppress and bore, so the achromatic interior should still be complemented with colorful details.

The gray palette includes a large number of shades – from almost white to barely dusted black. It is also the color of many metals: iron, nickel, cobalt, zinc, mercury, silver. With its shadow quality, gray allows you to create optical illusions of volume on flat surfaces. This technique is well known to artists who can draw realistic 3D pictures with just a simple pencil.

By choosing a suitable pattern and texture of gray wallpapers, you can visually expand the space, increase the height of the room, deepen it or divide it into functional zones. Such decoration will last as long as possible without causing irritation, and its excellent compatibility with the rest of the spectrum will allow you to change furniture and textiles as much as you like without having to re-glue the walls.

Pros and cons of gray wallpaper in the interior

Of course, when there is a desire to make a “background” in a room of that particular color, the first fear is boredom. How can a gray interior be pleasant?

It can be very pleasant. Among the advantages of this choice is the possibility of constant experiments and additions, which can be changed depending on the wishes and mood. If you make bright accents in the form of textiles, then they can be updated if necessary at any time without large investments. Such simple “backgrounds” really open up opportunities for “dynamic” design.

Among the cons, there are great chances to make the room too dark, especially if such shades prevail in the decoration of the walls. Our tips below will help prevent such mistakes.

Gray wallpaper design selection

The most common design options:

Gray wallpaper in a shade of gray (solid color)

Wall covering in one shade of gray is used in the setting of miniature apartments, in low-light rooms. A plain wallpaper is combined with an abundance of decorative elements on the walls: paintings, massive wall clocks, mirrors, installations.

Gray striped wallpaper

Gray striped wallpaper visually expands the room. A wide gray strip “pushes” the walls, this technique is suitable for a small room. Vertical frequent stripes raise the ceiling, also such a finish is suitable for low ceiling rooms or an attic.

Gray brick wallpaper

Gray brick wallpaper will be a great option for creating an accent wall in a loft style bedroom against white or peach walls. Also, brick imitation is suitable for the hallway and the wall by the fireplace in the living room.

Gray wallpaper with a pattern

Gray wallpaper with a pattern is suitable for the bedroom and living room in a classic style, and gray wallpaper with a pattern of bright colors will decorate the children’s room. The color and size of the pattern depends on the color of the companion and the size of the room. Geometric and abstract patterns are suitable for medium and large rooms, small simple patterns – for small ones.

Gray wallpaper with flowers

Gray wallpaper with flowers are suitable for the bedroom in a classic and modern style. The color of the drawings can be gold, white, to match the curtains or furniture.

Successful combinations of gray wallpapers with other colors

To better understand the nature of gray, it is worth considering that its shades are expressed in percent, where 0% means pure white, and 100% – black. Gradations of light and shadow make it possible to accurately transmit any image, for example, black-and-white photographs and old films. Being achromatic, gray is perceived quite naturally surrounded by any color. Even a motley picture in the style of expressionism against its background will look restrained.

Before you make a choice in favor of a particular color, you should pay attention to the saturation of gray wallpaper for the walls. If the tones are dark, they need to be lightened, which means that preference is given to warm pastel colors. Light gray shades combine favorably with vibrant colors. Our detailed guide below.

  • It is better to refuse dark colors. Brown, burgundy, blue may be present, but in a minimal amount, for example, in the patterns or in the color of the sofa cushions. Their excess will make the room too gloomy.
  • Traditional white and black look quite harmonious with gray, but the combination still looks too simple – suitable for minimalism or hi-tech. In modern interiors, colorless decoration is very often used, where only white, gray and black are present. This situation looks very concise and stylish, without a single extra detail. If you want to add colors, you can always do this with the help of decor, textiles or color lights.
  • Violet and red are eccentric colors, but surprisingly with gray they are “friends”. A room in such a range looks vibrant and emotional, but do not overload the interior with bright accents. Gray should dominate.
  • Shades of pink add harmony, especially if it is a delicate palette or dusty pink that is fashionable today. These colors will make the room less dull. The result is a very delicate interior, successful for the bedroom of a young girl.
  • Blue and gray – this is a profitable combination, suitable for those who seek peace and do not seek brightness in the interior. The combination is harmonious, but still somewhat cold, if you want to add warmth, you can turn on beige.
  • Does gray go with warm yellow and orange? Yes, this way you can make the room very lively and emotional. As a rule, such active colors are more often chosen for living rooms, in the bedroom it is not recommended because you need more peace of mind. Also can be used in the kitchen.

In addition to the above colors, gray wallpapers can be harmoniously combined with gold, olive, green and other colors.

Gray wallpaper in design of the rooms

New examples of design using gray wallpaper are collected in the photo galleries on our website. Presented to your attention modern creative solutions for stylish and comfortable interiors of various rooms. If desired, you can use the ideas you like, making a renovation plan in your own apartment or house.

Gray wallpaper in the bedroom

In the interior of the most intimate room, gray wallpapers will look very profitable, but in most cases it is better to choose light shades. Gloomy colors can even be an irritant, which is not good for a bedroom, so designers often paste them on walls outside of a person’s field of vision.

Dark walls are relevant for the bedside zone, namely, behind its back. Classic designs also include wallpapers with patterns, possibly bright colors.

In order to dilute the “grayness”, in the bedroom you can add beige, yellow, pale green and blue shades.

In spacious rooms, it is permissible to choose a wall decoration with large ornaments and drawings, for small-sized ones it is still better to abandon such an idea, the room will look even smaller. In modern interiors, gray photo wallpapers look great.

A bedroom with gray wallpaper will seem more comfortable if you complete it with soft textures – a velvety rug, a carpet, pillows, pouffes, and also provide good lighting.

Gray wallpaper in the living room

Gray wallpaper in the interior of the living room – a decision on this decoration should be made, starting from the style of the apartment. In modern interiors, this design will look good, they do not stand out against the general background, especially if made without ornaments and patterns. In styles such as high-tech, minimalism or loft, silver-plated wallpapers will look advantageous.

One of the walls can be decorated with black and white photo wallpapers, for example, with the image of the city landscape.

For styles of Provence, country, classics and art deco, you can use wallpaper with a pattern. Their combination with other colors will allow beneficial zoning of the space.

Furniture will help to give such a room vibrancy and brightness. It is better to choose bright colors or light wood. If you still decide to add brightness, then it is better to make sure that the selected color is also traced in the decor, then the interior will look complete.

Gray wallpaper in the kitchen

Gray wallpaper in the kitchen is beautiful and fashionable, but requires compliance with a number of rules before you design a wall. For example, if the room under the kitchen is poorly lit, and rather cramped, it is better not to choose dark shades. Also, designers do not recommend gluing plain wallpaper for narrow rooms.

In order to avoid gloominess in the interior, often experts recommend using additional shades in the design of the walls. For example, yellow, pale pink, blue. They will make the gray kitchen more cheerful, and help zoning the space, which is important.

And a little more about zoning. Most often, a separate dining area is required, for which wall coverings are used. It is for this purpose that wallpaper with patterns is often used, and the decor can be matched to the tone of the picture.

It is easy to determine the color of furniture in such a kitchen – light shades or a bright color, for example, red or blue, will look best. If you choose the second option, do not make the “background” exclusively gray, white and blue colors will not hurt.

Gray wallpaper in the hallway

As a rule, in the hallways there is little natural light, and therefore they are often made with light finishes in order to somehow compensate for the drawback. Gray wallpaper in the hallway is a rather controversial decision, but if you choose light shades and apply design solutions such as beautiful tiles on the floor for zoning, it can look very good.

In such a hallway, not massive furniture made of light material will look good, to revitalize the interior, use bright decor.

Gray wallpaper in the children’s room

The kids room is the place where wallpapers are most often at risk. Given this fact, you can choose special “coloring” with a black and white pattern. So the child will receive an interesting and developing activity, and parents will not have to worry about how to remove traces of felt-tip pens from the walls. For school children, gray wallpapers will also be a good option, not distracting from study and leisure, but in this case it is better to purchase colored furniture.

Furniture in the room with gray wallpaper

Before choosing furniture, we again draw attention to the saturation of gray in the selected wallpaper. Too dark shades require lightening, and for light wallpapers you can choose saturated colors, including brown. This applies to furniture and accessories.

If you want to decorate the interior with wooden furniture, it is better to give preference to light wood or bleached wood, which in combination with cold shades will help to lighten the interior.

You can choose dark furniture, if the shade of gray wallpaper is very light, then the contrast looks favorable and it will be nice to be in such a room.

Selection of curtains for gray wallpaper

To choose the curtains will not be difficult. Gray is a universal color, and any type of textile will look great with it.

If there is a desire for lightness and airiness, give preference to pastel shades, you can choose a transparent sheer curtains. In the bedroom, for example, white, blue, and purple curtains will look good.

Bright shades, regardless of the texture of the fabric, will always emphasize the window, and colors such as red, brown, green and others like that are best used only in modern interiors.

If you want contrasts, against the background of dark walls you can “play” with dense light fabrics. For example, in the bedroom it would be nice to choose cream or white curtains.

Dark curtains will look good only in spacious rooms, with bright walls, if you can afford it – feel free to experiment.

The shade does not require compliance with any special style and type of curtains. You can choose any: sheer, rolled, filament, Austrian – in general, all types of curtains that you want.

Bright accents & decor in the gray room

Once the curtains and furniture are selected, it’s time to pick up bright accents for a room with a gray “background”. How to saturate the interior with colors and make it successful?

As has been repeatedly mentioned above, the choice depends on the shade of gray and the degree of illumination of the room. But keeping the interior bright with textiles is always a good idea.

Combinations with silver tones will look beneficial, so you can add luxury to the interior without much effort.

The easiest way to add brightness to the interior is to put a bouquet of flowers. This, by the way, is another method to add chic to a room without a large investment.

Textiles are an interior item that you can always experiment with, especially in rooms with a neutral finish. Having chosen an accent color, it can be used, for example, in chair covers, choose pillows of this shade, and hang the same curtains. The interior will already become much more harmonious and better.

Decorative elements, such as paintings, can also be a way to bring brightness to a gray interior. In general, for some reason, decorating walls in reality is not customary. Meanwhile, it is the emphasis on wall decorations that makes the room “finished” and creates the very “design from the picture.” So do not neglect this.

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