Gray rules! Over the past few years, and for about 80% of the projects I’ve worked on, gray has been the preferred starting point for color schemes. Gray is everywhere – interior paint colors, cabinetry, quartz and granite counter tops, tile, upholstery fabrics, carpet…you name it, it’s gray!
Within the gray family of colors, there are many variations and subsets. For example, there are smoky blue/grays, soft and fog-like green/grays, cool and icy grays, and warm grays with a bit of beige or taupe in them. Some of my “go-to” grays have been in the Benjamin Moore 2108 range (Lacey Pearl, Abalone and Silver Fox), Benjamin Moore 2112 range ( American White, Cement Gray and Stormy Monday), Sherwin Williams 6071 through 6073 (Popular Gray, Versatile Gray, and Perfect Greige) and Sherwin Williams 6001 and 6002 (Grayish and Essential Gray). Accents in blue and blue/green have been very popular choices.
On three or four recent projects this year, clients have been requesting beige color schemes and I love that. Light beige is a great choice for common areas such as entry foyers, stairways and kitchens, allows progression to darker beige colors for family rooms or dining rooms, and creates many possibilities for accent colors throughout. Some favorite and popular beige colors are Benjamin Moore HC – 47 Bradstreet Beige, HC-39 Putnam Ivory, HC-45 Shaker Beige and AC-7 Adobe Beige. Coordinating colors can range from corals and reds, blues and greens to taupes and browns. Beige tiles, counter tops and fabrics are coming back in popularity.
Gray and beige don’t need to be mutually exclusive. You can successfully combine gray and beige colors throughout projects. The key is finding colors that complement each other, and the challenge is to create a color scheme that flows from room to room. One of my areas of specialization is color selection. I’d love to help you select a color scheme on new construction or renovation projects.