Four Go-To Gray Paint Colors

Four Go-To Gray Paint Colors

It’s official – gray is the new beige.  Where we used to see camel, sand, and caramel grace family room walls, we’re now seeing colors like Nantucket Mist, Coastal Fog, Gray Mirage… you get the drift.

For our new house I knew I wanted a few different gray paint colors throughout our ground floor, and I knew I wanted them warm.  I happen to love the blue, steely grays as well, but those weren’t going to fit my warm grasscloth wallcovering in the dining room, or the Chiang Mai pattern I had chosen for the living room throw pillows.

I’m sure my painters thought I was nuts, but I ended up bringing home nearly 40 different colors to try around the house, and at least ten of them were gray!   Herewith some photo evidence of my paint sample madness:

 

 

Oh and here’s more:

Yikes!  I know, I know, I’m a crazy person.  But I really wanted to get it RIGHT.  And in the end I’m telling you I could not be more thrilled with the colors I’ve chosen.   I have found four awesome warm grays that you literally can’t go wrong with.

Isn’t it nice to know that I tested 800 different grays and found the perfect ones so you don’t have to??  All of these are Benjamin Moore, by the way – the brand of choice for the painters I hired.  Fine with me – BM has great colors and quality paint.

 

Benjamin Moore’s Coastal Fog:

Coastal Fog

Now, this picture above is straight from the BM website, but I’m telling you it reads much darker and more brown than this picture lets on.  Coastal Fog is a deep, brooding wall color that at first you might think “Yikes! Too dark!” but I promise it’s not too much – perfect for a velvety den or family room.

You’ll see our family room painted in Coastal Fog, below.  Such a sad state of affairs, this room (I swear it will get better!  We moved in five days ago!).  But I really wanted to show you how cozy and dark those walls are, and how gray / beige they are…

 

 Benjamin Moore’s Inner Balance:

Inner Balance

Again, this color comes out more beige and neutral and dark than this picture above would have you think.  Inner Balance is actually super close to Coastal Fog, but it’s a bit more gray and a touch lighter.  I had our entire entry hall painted this color, in the hopes that it will make a nice background for this fabulous stenciling project in the near future:

 

Via Jones Design Company

 Actually, the wall color in the picture above is almost how Inner Balance looks in real life – a cross between beige and gray.  Very warm, and dark enough to be a bit dramatic.

 

Benjamin Moore’s Ashwood:

Ashwood

 Ahhhh, Ashwood.  I had our living room painted in this color, and actually our upstairs hall as well.  This is a breathy, light, fresh gray.  Here’s a living room shot I found that looks true to form:

.

Via Decor Pad

You may notice that some of the really light grays can feel clinical or really steely – not Ashwood.  It’s like a fluffy cloud.  An absolutely terrific neutral.

 

Benjamin Moore’s Pale Oak:

Pale Oak

I had my toddler’s room painted in this neutral, pale gray.  I have a Navy and Orange color scheme going in there, and I thought a pale gray might be a nice change from the typical “little boy blue”.  It’s terrific – a totally modern color; a very very pale gray.

Here’s a great shot of Pale Oak in a little girl’s room:

Via Little Green Notebook

Turns out Pale Oak is also one of interior designer Candice Olson’s favorite grays – do you recognize her name from HGTV?  Apparently Pale Oak is one of her go-to colors!

 

So there you have it – four fabulous grays, all warm in tone and all personally tested by yours truly.  Go with these colors and I promise you can’t go wrong!