From House To Home

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Glamorous, glorious gray.

That’s right. Gray is breaking out of its perceived glum shell, and designers are celebrating gray’s gorgeous possibilities.

“When you talk about color symbolism, black and white have definite associations. Because gray represents the neutral, it’s often seen as neither positive nor negative,” says Betsy Gabb, a member of the International Interior Design Association and the Interior Design Educators Council. “You can see why some may have thought of gray as dull.”

In fact, gray has plenty of interesting characteristics.

“It’s probably more difficult to use a gray well than an off-white or pale green,” says Gabb, who is the interior design program director in the college of architecture at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Achromatic gray occurs when mixing black and white. The ratio of black to white determines its shade. These grays are literally neutral. They pair well with metals and neutral woods.

Chromatic gray occurs when another color or colors are mixed with black and white. Mixing complementary colors, those opposite on the color wheel, will also produce a gray with hues reflective of the color with the highest ratio.

While considered neutral, special attention must be given to chromatic grays. The eye can detect even slight variances as a color hue increases or decreases. Gray also can create illusions.

“When gray is placed next to any color, the gray automatically picks up the complement of the color it is placed beside,” says Gabb. “When placed next to red, the gray takes on a green cast. If placed next to blue, it will have an orange cast.”

Chromatic gray is also warm or cool, depending on the dominant color. Warm grays have more red, orange, or yellow hues, says Gabb. Cool grays pull more from the blue, green, or violet spectrum.

Because chromatic grays are associated with different hues, it is wise to take that hue into consideration when selecting metal hardware and wooden cabinetry, flooring, and trim.

While considered neutral, special attention must be given to chromatic grays.

Finally, Gabb recommends considering gray’s reflected light qualities. The darker the shade, the more light it will absorb. The lighter the gray, the more light is reflected. It’s important information for choosing gray used as a backdrop, such as wall color or draperies. Gray backgrounds are good for showcasing art.

“Grays cross all styles and have been used in both historic and contemporary designs,” says Gabb. “Its ability to complement other colors is one of the reasons gray has been used throughout design history.”

TIPS

The many aspects of gray:

• Achromatic grays are formed from mixing only black and white.
• Complementary colors are mixed to create chromatic grays, which are either warm or cool. Color or colors added to achromatic gray also make chromatic gray.
• Warm grays have red, orange, or yellow hues present.
• Cool grays have violet, blue, and green hues.

The Perfect Backdrop

Because gray is considered a neutral, Aaron Carlson, owner of Aaron Carlson Design, Inc. in Omaha, Nebraska, uses it like white and taupe.

He uses textures to make the space come alive. He adds color in the details, such as ottomans, pillows, and art.

Both color and texture contribute to the overall character and feel of a space. A lighter value--the lightest grays--and objects with the smoothest textures tend to give a room a more formal quality. Things with darker values and more rough surfaces tend toward the informal.

In a recent room design, Carlson combined gray mohair, silks, grass cloths, and other fabrics. Gray was used as the wall color and leaned into the purple and green hues.

“Gray has a timelessness about it,” Carlson says. “It’s also an easy, quick change--by removing and adding colors, we can basically transform the whole room quickly.”