Grey And Brown Decorating Ideas

Living room with area rug and lounge chairs

Credit: Tria Giovan

Today's gray living room ideas are anything but gloomy. With shades that range from rich charcoal to wispy dove, gray is easy to effectively incorporate into spaces of any style. These gray living room ideas demonstrate how to use this contemporary neutral on walls, furniture, and decor.

Monochromatic Gray Living Room

living room with sectional and sofa table two ceiling fans

Credit: James Nathan Schroder

Go monochromatic to achieve a sophisticated, layered look. This gray living room combines a deep charcoal sofa with pewter window treatments and dove-gray walls. The various shades all work together because they have a similar undertone. Break up the neutral color scheme with creamy off-white and natural wood tones on accent furniture and accessories.

Gray Living Room Furniture

white living room with blue sofa and side chairs and wood chest-style coffee table

Credit: Dana Gallagher

Although gray has a distinct presence in living room color schemes, it's still considered neutral. Consider applying gray living room ideas to big-ticket items, such as furniture and flooring, that aren't as easily or affordably changed. Versatile and timeless, gray works particularly well for investment pieces. In this space, the largest block of color comes from a graphite gray sofa, which is set off by deep blue accent chairs and patterned throw pillows.

Barely-There Gray Living Room Walls

white living room sofa two chairs large brown square ottoman

Credit: Edmund Barr

Choose a barely-there shade of gray for living room walls to add dimension while preserving a light, airy look. In this neutral living room, a subtle gray wall color picks up the warm tones of the concrete floors. Natural materials, including wood accent furniture and a brown leather ottoman, lend this gray-and-white living room an organic feel.

Airy Gray Decorating Ideas

gray living room velvet sofa

Credit: David A Land

Chameleon-like gray tends to adapt to its environment. In this living room, shades of cloudy gray appear airy thanks to high ceilings that create a sense of spaciousness and large windows that allow plenty of light into the space. Different intensities of gray on walls, furniture, and window treatments play with bright pops of pink and teal for a colorful yet sophisticated effect.

Dark Gray Living Room Walls

Living room with area rug and lounge chairs

Credit: Tria Giovan

Use gray to define your style and make personal collections stand out. Deep gray living room walls bring sophistication and warmth to this space. Here, the dark neutral provides the perfect backdrop for sculptural chairs, antique art, and vintage collectibles. The white ceiling and trim, as well as a large off-white area rug, brighten the space.

Gray Living Room Architecture

modern living room with arched ceilings

Credit: David A. Land

Keep the attention on interesting architectural elements by applying a neutral gray throughout the room. Stacked gray stone on the fireplace and a soft gray sofa let the large windows and soaring ceiling star in the space. Patterned throw pillows and contemporary artwork balance the room's use of color.

Natural Palettes with Gray

living room with neutral walls, teal painted mantel and cow-hide rug

Credit: Anthony Masterson

Use nature as inspiration when working with grays. The color palette for this living room is drawn from a natural setting under a cloudy sky. Wispy gray walls and a teal-painted mantel give the space an ethereal effect. A natural woven rug, faux cowhide, and a leather sofa provide earth tones that help ground the space.

Gray Living Room Upholstery

farmhouse living room white walls antlers

Credit: Julie Soefer Photography

A large comfortable sofa upholstered in a medium-gray fabric anchors a mostly white living room. Here, the couch's gray tones are echoed in the stone fireplace surround and a small side table, while a nubby brown rug and green pillows round out the nature-inspired color palette. This neutral works well with all colors and wood tones, making it a lovely alternative to beige.

Antique Gray Living Room Decor

gray living room assorted wall art

Credit: Annie Schlechter

Tie together a room full of vintage art with timeless gray walls. The gray paint color provides a neutral background for displaying a variety of pieces that have a timeworn patina. The color accents the distressed look of the antiques and makes burnished gold frames stand out. Colors pulled from the artwork, including indigo blue and soft red, appear on fabrics elsewhere in the room.

Glamorous Gray Living Room

mantel decor white china

Credit: Werner Straube

Gray-green walls wrap this formal living room in an elegant, tranquil vibe. Moldings on the fireplace wall are coated in the same color to add subtle dimension without the visual interruption of a contrasting color. Warm gray and beige tones appear on upholstered furniture, window treatments, and an area rug for a serene, tone-on-tone look.

Yellow and Gray Living Room Color Scheme

blue yellow and grey living room

Credit: Lauren Rubinstein Photography LLC

Warm gray and citrus yellow are a fashion-inspired combo that can be an unexpected but fabulous addition to a living room. Brighten a cool gray space by bringing in bright yellow accents. Start with a foundation of gray furniture and yellow accessories, then add navy blue accents for a dynamic decorating scheme. Limit the amount of sunny yellow you add to keep the scheme fresh and bold.

Decorating with Shades of Gray

living room with grey furniture

Credit: Kim Cornelison

This gray-and-white living room marries different shades of gray with varying undertones. The stone around the fireplace features purple undertones, while the light gray walls incorporate warm shades of beige. Gold accents and bright throw pillows warm up a charcoal sofa. A large fiddle-leaf fig plant adds a natural touch.

Slate Gray Living Room Walls

living room with grey walls and chandelier

Credit: John Merkl

These dark slate gray walls are anything but dreary, especially with the help of bright white trim and open shelves. A warm brown rug tops golden wood floors to prevent the small living room from feeling cold. Small hints of hot pink add modern color and foster a glam look.

Gray Living Room Accents

dark grey sofa below mirror

Credit: Ryann Ford

A dark gray sofa becomes the focal point of this largely white and tan space. Gold accents pick up on the undertones of a pale beige chair, and layered rugs add cozy comfort underfoot. Jewel-tone accents liven up the gray living room furniture.

Modern Gray Living Room

living room with light grey walls and white fireplace

Credit: David Patterson

This modern gray living room captures neutral hues across the black-and-white spectrum. Light gray paint on the walls complements a black-and-white sofa. A white fireplace and ceiling beams balance dark walnut floors. Turquoise chairs break up the neutrals, as does a colorful accent pillow on the sofa.

Cool Gray Tones

blue-grey walls and velvet sofa

Credit: Brie Williams

Stormy blue-gray living room walls pair with a velvet sofa for a luxurious twist on traditional style. Silver and white accents keep the space light, and beige window treatments soften the look. A sisal rug adds nubby texture and an element of warmth.

Cozy Gray Living Room Ideas

warm grey walls and sofa

Credit: Paul Dyer

Warm grays give this space a cozy vibe. White wainscoting helps the heather gray sofa stand out, and a gallery wall with golden frames emphasizes the warm tones in the greige wall paint. Blue accents add to the serenity of the gray decor.

Turquoise and Gray Living Room

grey walls with turquoise furniture

Credit: Anthony Masterson

Shades of turquoise and blue on furniture, accents, and art take center stage in this neutral space. Light gray walls and a large expanse of windows provide a subtle backdrop. A white area rug further emphasizes the vibrant furniture, and a collection of accent pillows on the mushroom-tone sectional gives the gray living room texture and interest.

Mix-and-Match Gray Decor

light grey walls with black furniture

Credit: Michael Partenio

Combining shades of gray is a subtle way to give any room character. These light gray walls balance the deeper tones of the furniture in this gray living room. Bright accents provide the right amount of contrast and visual play, and a zebra-print rug adds a fun focal point.

Intensely Gray Living Room Walls

dark grey walls and beige sectional

Credit: Laura Moss

Create an intimate living room or sitting area with a backdrop of steely gray. In this space, the walls and ceiling are the same color, which constructs a continual visual plane. Leaving the ceiling white would have made a jarring break where the saturated gray walls end and the ceiling begins. Light, soft neutrals give the space a comfortable aura, as do richly colored accents, such as the pillows and draperies.

Gray Walls with Living Room Art

grey gallery-style wall

Credit: William N. Hopkins

Hang black-and-white art prints on a dark gray wall to add drama to the display. A basic neutral color scheme provides a cohesive way to display many shapes and sizes of images without the arrangement becoming overwhelming. Gray walls make the framed and matted prints pop, while additional items, including mirrors and a TV, in the same scheme bring dimension to the collage.

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