If you’re considering painting your home and have searched for color inspiration on home improvement shows or magazines, you can’t have missed the color gray. Gray is seemingly everywhere in home decor and graces kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms and living rooms. Designers use gray in small flips as well as luxury home remodels, which indicates gray truly is a color for everyone.
So why is gray paint so popular? And how can you pick the right gray color for your home? Here are our best answers for painting your home gray.
Why is gray paint so popular?
We haven’t found exact research on why people are so drawn to gray these days. If we had to make an educated guess based on work with hundreds of clients, however, we’d say it’s for the following reasons:
Gray paint is a classic home color
Every decade going hundreds of years into the past boasts a popular shade of gray. You can find gray in the history books as well as in super-modern homes. Gray is a total classic, and unlike those bright red dining rooms from the early 2000s, never goes out of style.
Gray paint is the perfect neutral
Gray goes with everything, which means even your old hand me down orange coach can find a spot in a room with gray painted walls. Lighter shades of gray can pair easily with nearly every color, while darker, more saturated charcoal grays can be the perfect backdrop for your statement hue.
Gray paint can go extremely warm or extremely cool (and everything in between)
All paint colors can be warm or cool toned, but gray runs a wide gamut between warm and cool. That means there are plenty of ways to use gray paint to set an overall tone in your home. The right greige can warm up a cavernous space, while a cool gray can make a luxury bath feel airy and spa-like.
In a nutshell, everyone can find the right shade of gray paint for their home, whether it’s an interior or exterior painting project. From rich asphalt hues to almost-white cloudy tones, there is a gray paint for everyone.
So if you’re asking, “should I paint my home gray?” the answer is probably “yes”!
How do I choose the right gray paint for my home?
Since there’s a gray shade of paint for everyone, choosing the right gray paint can be a little tricky if you’re not sure what you want the gray paint color to do for your home. Here are a few questions to consider when choosing gray paint for your home:
Is the gray paint for the interior or exterior?
If the gray paint is for your home’s interior, you can’t go wrong with a “greige” which is a gray paint that has beige undertones and goes with everything. Plus, it’s warm enough to avoid looking stark in larger homes.
If the gray paint is for your home’s exterior, choose a darker, more saturated gray for the siding and a very light gray or cream for the trim. These darker hues will make homes of any style look classic and stately.
Is your furniture, trim or cabinetry warm or cool toned?
If your furniture is warm toned, choose a gray paint that leans neutral with a few warm undertones. If your cabinets are a light, cool wood, you can go with a saturated charcoal gray paint to make them pop or a lighter cool toned gray paint to make them blend into the background.
Do you want to add statement pieces or colors to the room?
If you’re a homeowner that likes a bold color or two, you can go to either end of the spectrum with gray paint. Choose a light, silvery gray to make that yellow comforter stand out or choose a vibrant dark gray to balance bright blue or fuchsia accessories.
Ultimately, your two biggest factors to decide are “warm or cool?” and “light or dark?”. Once you know where you stand on that spectrum, it will be much easier to choose the right gray paint for your home.
What is the most popular color of gray paint?
While our clients choose many different colors of gray paint, we can say with confidence that the gray paint that’s been getting the most attention recently is the all-purpose greige. This hybrid color is far from the builder-grade boring beige of the past. It’s rich and sophisticated and pairs well with white trim. Clients also love that it goes with what they already own, so they get a beautifully updated look without breaking the bank purchasing new furniture and accessories.
We are also seeing lots of moody charcoals for exterior paint or front doors. This color can be dark but is never drab or depressing. Homeowners love the updated look for the exterior, with the added benefit that landscaping (especially leafy plants and bushes) really pop against this shade.
Most popular gray paint colors
If you still need some help choosing your perfect gray paint, here are some of our favorite gray and greige shades from PPG:
Flagstone – a midtone cool gray with a black undertone
Dover Gray – a saturated, cool charcoal with black undertones
Elemental – a light, cool gray that pairs well with everything
Wheat Sheaf – a gray-yellow greige with green undertones…the perfect warm neutral
Stonehenge Greige (one of the most popular for our clients!) – the perfect exterior greige
Gray Flannel – a deep gray that makes white and yellow accessories or trim work pop
Most reputable painting companies will also offer a color consultation as a part of your painting contract. So if you’re still not sure which gray paint to choose, ask your professional paint expert!
Get Expert Help for Interior and Exterior Painting Projects
Our professional paint experts are ready to paint the interior or the exterior of your home. We’ve worked with many clients to help them pick the perfect shade of gray. Contact us today for a free interior or exterior painting quote.
