{friday finds: gray, grey, greige}


Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter HC-172 – DecorPad

The color gray is a gray area. It is a complex color. “That’s not gray, that’s…”

The shade of gray that is “in” right now is a brown gray. It looks good with the warm tones that have been trendy the last few years. When asked about customers’ preferences, Michelle from the Edina store, agrees, ” people usually shy away from the cooler grays and gravitate to the brown grays.” When selecting a gray paint color, pay attention to the undertones. Are you seeing a blue-gray, a purple gray, a green gray? Pearl grays can be iridescent and have purple and pink in them. A good charcoal gray is closer to black, but much softer than black. So many choices.

I pulled some reader comments on grays from Apartment Therapy postings. If you are searching for a gray you may find these comments helpful.

… my dining room is Benjamin Moore’s Metropolitan AF-690, from their Aura paint line. It’s a nice bluey grey as well…

…Ralph Lauren Soft Earth UL29 is a nice grey that would still look good with golds…also, Forde Abbey TH06 is a great color…

A few years ago I painted the entire inside of my house BM’s Balboa Mist 1549. It’s a soft grey that changes with the light. Decorator white woodwork and black doors with brushed silver knobs. Loved it every day. Very fresh….I’m addicted to gray!

I recently painted with Benjamin Moore Feather Gray 2127-60, and it’s gorgeous. Depending on the light, it can look sort of blue or silver, and it’s just such a soft shade, like a bird’s wing…

I love gray and found BM Stonington Gray HC-170 here on Apartment Therapy. Everyone said it was the most neutral gray and did not take on purple, green or blue the way some grays do. Oh, how right they were…

Benjamin Moore Coastal Fog 976 is a color offers a wonderful chameleon-like background for other colors. I had it with a white sofa and chair and smaller accents of bright, light green — also had deep brown. It also looks fabulous with red and with black…

Our new grey is Ralph Lauren’s Artist’s Studio VM 157. LOVE it. Has more of a blue undertone than brown.

Currently, my bedroom is Gray Owl 2137-60 and OC-52 (Benjamin Moore). It’s really subtle, with a hint of green. (I also have a bathroom painted Pigeon Gray 2133-50 (BM). That’s a nice deep gray with purple undertones.

We’ve got you covered with the warm and cool grays found in this wallcovering – Ideal Home

Ideal Home

Chelsea Gray (HC-168) is the background in Brooke Shield’s NY living room.

Can’t commit to grey on your walls? Image from Vtwonen found on Decor8

Metallic wallpaper from Graham& Brown – Ideal Home

Benjamin Moore Nightingale AF-670 – Pottery Barn

Cow Parsley wallcovering by Cole & Son

Benjamin Moore Whale Grey 2134-40 and Deep Space 2125-20

For more photos of this space visit Cheeky Living.

Ideal Home

Benjamin Moore Kendall Charcoal HC-166

Benjamin Moore Abalone 2108-60 (The lighter grays are hard to see in photos)

This is a work in progress from china shepherdess.

Love the gray and black accents – Ideal Home

When looking for paint colors remember to bring in fabric samples, flooring, or whatever you have available, so Hirshfield’s sales staff can assist you with your paint and wallpaper selections. If you can’t see the difference in a purple gray vs. a green gray, not to worry, that’s when our sales staff can be of assistance. They work with color every day, all day. Grab some samples and audition them with your finishes, your lighting, your husband (not really), in your home. Need more one-on-one assistance, think about a color consultation.

Check out the paint coupons on the Hirshfield’s website and this last link to gray.

25 Responses to “{friday finds: gray, grey, greige}”

  1. Amy Says:

    Thanks for the shout out! You’ll see an after soon.

  2. Marsha Says:

    Direct from The Nate Berkus Show, he declares his favorite grays:
    Benny Moore’s 1516 Moon Shadow and 1598 Silver Lake for light grays. eye. The Benjamin Moore Historical Collection for his dark grays.
    This is from the blogger who pens The Perfect Gray and was the one who popped the question on Nate’s show last week.
    http://www.aperfectgray.com/2010/09/im-legend-in-my-own-mind.html

  3. sha smith Says:

    I have been looking for the perfect gray for 5 years! what IS the perfect neutal gray with NO GREEN and no blue?

    • Marsha Says:

      Look at Hirshfield’s Zen Retreat 0535 for a darker gray and Benjamin Moore Barren Plain 2111-60 and Stone Harbor 2111-50 for two lighter grays. Do not judge by viewing them on-line.

      Send me your address and I will be happy to send you out samples.
      Thanks.
      mrh@hirshfields.com

      • sha smith Says:

        Thanks for the reply. I am looking at B-M color wheel(in hand) and I see GREEN in Stone Harbor and Barren Plain. I cannot finish my dining room/kitchen until I get the perfect gray. I can go dark or medium. Any other suggestions? I hate green! I have never even owned a green piece of clothing.

  4. Marsha Says:

    I asked Becky from our Roseville location to look at Stone Harbor and Barren Plain. She can see no green in the Stone Harbor, a little brown, but no green. She also inquired about your lighting and thought that might be throwing off the colors.

    She suggested you look at 2112-60 Cement Gray and 2112-50 Stormy Monday. She sees a brown hue, but no green.

    • sha smith Says:

      you have been so patient! at the B-M store I met a woman who is on the same quest. Her husband said she has one more chance to get it right! I don’t feel so all alone:) It is the light. It is a room with glass walls and is facing east. I may have to move!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      • Marsha Says:

        Are you in the Minneapolis/St.Paul area? Let me have one of our colorist stop by, and I know you two will find a color.

  5. Becky Says:

    I received a request for the paint color in the Ideal Home photo. It is a Dulux color from England and I had no luck crossing it over. Here are a couple suggestions from Hirshfield’s and Benjamin Moore:

    Look at Hirshfields #0525 Marseilles. It is difficult to tell color from a photo. The color I see in the photo is a gray blue with a bit of green. If you would like a true gray Hirshfields #0511 Cystern is a great color.
    You can also look at Benjamin Moore colors, Blue Heather #1620 or for a bit deeper color, Little Falls #1621. Blue Springs #1592 has more of a gray cast.

    Hope this will help you.
    Becky
    Colorist Hirshfields Roseville

  6. Julie Says:

    Hello~I stumbled upon this discussion while researching BM’s Barren Plain and Stone Harbor. I need a light, clean gray with no purple, blue, or green undertones for our teens’ rec room in the basement. I want to do wide horizontal stripes on one wall (behind the sofa), and I thought these two colors would work. I keep revisiting Barren Plain, and sometimes I think I see hints of pink/purple. Has anyone else noticed this? I do not want lavender walls! The search for a gray has been endless! Many thanks for any feedback you can provide!

    • Marsha Says:

      Julie,

      All grays have an undertone. Barren Plain and Stone Harbor are almost “true” grays, but they do have a slight red undertone. These colors are warm grays and very pretty looking. I recommend buying a sample pint, put it up on the wall and see how it looks with the lighting in the room. If you also have natural light coming into the room, you can see how the light plays with the paint color. I hope you found this helpful and good luck with your painting project.

      Becky
      Hirshfield’s Roseville

    • sha Says:

      Oh JUlie, I know what u r going thru! it’s been 2 years for me looking for the perfect gray still haven’t found it. I see the purple too! have u looked at platinum gray b-m ext rm?

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  8. Amanda goldich Says:

    Becky…. Which is your favorite gray with a strong purple undertone???? I prefer BM:)

    Thank you!
    Amanda

    • Becky Says:

      Amanda,
      Try these colors: From Color Stories CSP505, Affinity fandeck AF-590, and from the Preview fan deck, Sea Life 2118-40. All are Benjamin Moore colors; they may look too purple but when you put them next to a real purple they are gray. Good luck.
      Becky

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  13. {friday finds: again with the grays} | Hirshfield's Color Club Says:

    […] fill of gray? I can tell by the continued popularity of the black and blue and gray all over and gray, grey, greige posts on the blog. I put my curator’s hat on and pulled more room settings and comments from […]

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    […] The professionals at Hirshfield’s always know what colors are on-trend, and more importantly, what colors will really make the room pop. You can even have a color stylist come to your home. But if you want to do a little more research before picking out colors, check out some of our other blogs – like this one on the many shades of gray, or this one on greige. […]

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