Lifestyle Inspiration Board Of The Week: Gray

Going Gray

Gray is one of the most utilized colors in interior design. I know a lot of people who wish to paint their walls in that subtle gray seen in Dior stores (including me), which Dior calls whispering gray. The decorator Thom Filicia is a big fan of Benjamin Moore’s Sweater Gray.

The appeal of gray is that it acts as a stylish backdrop for different decorating styles and genres. You can do traditional or modern, masculine and tailored or salon, boudoir style with a room painted with gray walls. Plus it also gives a room mood and allure, especially the darker shades.

For an apartment I am fixing up right now, I am using Benjamin Moore’s Thunder Cloud Gray 2124-40 for the living room and a darker gray for the bedroom called Dior Gray 2133-40. My current apartment also features a feather gray dining room (see last photo).

Note though that gray has a tendency to be dull. To move away from this, you have to play with different shades and textures and prints as in the mood board above that features floral prints, beading, embroidery and swirls alongside textures like silk, glass and shagreen.

From left to right: Beaded and embroidered clutch from Tabla; shagreen box; B glass coaster from John Derian at Bergdorf Goodman; leaf print fabric swatch from Westbury Textiles; and silk scarf from Bvlgari

Luxe City Guides: Amsterdam; Benjamin Moore paint chips; Tabla evening bag

My gray dining room