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Greige really is the best of both worlds.
Whilst grey is the arguably the most popular neutral in interior design today, 'greige,' a combination of grey and beige, is being favoured more and more for its capacity to warm up an all-over grey design scheme. Greige is really the best of both worlds, combining the cooler and more placid look of true grey with the warming nature of beige.
Greige is nothing new to the design world – in the 1980s, Giorgio Armani became known as 'the king of greige' for his abundant use of the colour in his designs. But a proliferation of greige paint is moving the trend to the fore.
COAT sells a ready-made Greige swatch pack with five of their most popular greige paints. 'A top colour for summer decorating projects is Tuesday’s Child, a graceful light greige, with a slight green undertone, which is natural and bright, bringing that biophilic feel to the room,' says COAT Paints' colour curator, Aaron Markwell.
Greige is certainly not the most difficult colour to use in your home, but its application can take some getting used to – using grey or beige independently is as easy as it gets, but marrying the two and striking a balance between cool and warm design schemes comes with some challenges.
'How you dress the room is really important in making neutral schemes sing,' says Aaron. 'Upholstery in slightly deeper tones than the walls adds grounding and subtle contrast that looks really considered. When choosing accents like cushions and artwork, use a bolder version of your neutral colour. For example, coffee browns for taupe schemes or olive greens for greige schemes like Tuesday's Child.'
Read on for 21 ways to use greige in your home...
This contemporary living room is a great example of how much warmth a greige colour scheme can add. If a crisp white wall was used here, the grey sofa and black accessories would become cooler and more contemporary. Greige is often an easy way to soften a room with lots of modern monochromes.
Pictured: House Beautiful Freya Sofa at DFS
Greige is very susceptible to the influence of other colours – the shades and tones used near or next to it will dictate if it leans cooler or warmer. Here, pairing a greige wall with ochre and gold brings out its warmer side – a great choice in a bedroom.
Pictured: Alderman™ No.60 at Mylands
Greige has always been popular because of its versatility and calming qualities. Lean into the serene side of greige with a soft design scheme that uses organic materials, natural woods and some greenery.
Pictured: House Beautiful bamboo Venetian blinds at Hillarys
There are very few colours to avoid when decorating with greige. Sage green can bring out any green undertones in your greige paint and will complement natural accessories.
Greige is a versatile shade that complements earthy colours, such as this Spiced Honey shade from Dulux. A greige shade with a warm undertone also works well with natural materials like wood and clay.
Pictured: Spiced Honey at Dulux and Just Walnut at Dulux
The warmest greige can appear almost taupe in the right light, and in fact if you do choose warmer greige as your principal colour in a living room, you can really layer on other warm neutrals like a true beige or a cream.
Black accents will always work in a greige living room. So too will your pale creams and off-whites. A matt black is especially effective, as light lands so softly on matt surfaces – glossy black would look a lot harsher here.
Decorating with whitewashed wood is a simple way to introduce elements of greige without painting your walls. Whitewashing brightens the look of wood surfaces without covering any natural grain, which gives you a naturally occurring greige shade.
Pictured: Chest of draws at Dunelm
Intuitively, grey and griege will always be a seamless match, as well as grey and beige for that matter. This pared-back grey living room idea, with the walls painted in Lick's Greige 02 Soho Warehouse Matt shade, keeps things simple, leaning into Scandi and Japandi minimal styling.
See more at Lick
Greige is a brilliant choice for your outdoor spaces because it sits so happily with common garden materials, including most shades of wood (just be careful when using a very red wood, overly saturated shades don't always work with cooler colours). It's a great complement to black wrought iron and painted brick.
Pictured: Garden seating at Not on the Highstreet
Black and white is so often seen as a complete design scheme, without the introduction of a third complementary colour, but all-over monochromes can often appear harsh. If you have a lot of black and white pattern or accessories in your home, try a greige wash on your walls – this Annie Sloan colour was inspired by the look of aged French linen.
Pictured: French Linen Paint at Annie Sloan
If you're creating a WFH space, and need colours to help you concentrate, greige is a great choice. In colour psychology, grey represents neutrality and balance, and can encourage focus, whilst beige is said to be calming and relaxing.
As this elegant kitchen corner demonstrates, greige can be used effectively in more traditional settings. For your hardware, avoid anything too polished or reflective, and choose instead an antique brass or dark nickel. The cream enamelware is a great touch here, too.
Pictured: Cornice™ No.65 Paint at Mylands
There is always a case for embracing soft greige, and matching with an equally pale wood and chalky accessories. As you can see here, it creates a really serene spot. The green tree is an important styling element here, as it prevents the living room from looking washed out.
Pictured: Cookham Reclaimed Coffee Table, and all accessories at Layered Lounge
Greige pairs well with lighter woods for a modern and harmonious overall look. The splash of navy and striped rug adds some interest to the neutral look.
Pictured: Margot Bed in Whitewashed Oak
Greige is of course a staple of the Scandinavian colour palette. We love the subtle undertones of pink here that work so well in south or west-facing rooms with lots of warm natural light. Again, your best bet for any metalware is something antiqued or matt.
Pictured: Delilah Rectangular Acacia Wood Dining Table at The House Beautiful Marketplace
If you are a fan of laidback, bohemian styling, greige is your best friend. Bohemian design schemes are usually sparing with colour, but too much white or grey in one room can be a bit insipid. A warmer greige will complement your wood, rattan and other natural materials.
Gallery walls work most effectively when they're fairly full with an eclectic mix of styles, but in a greige space, too much colour or detail might appear overwhelming. You can offset some of the busyness by choosing complementary neutral tones in your artwork, and slim frames in paler woods.
Pictured: Nature Creation Gallery Wall collection at Desenio
This bathroom is wonderfully serene and calming, and an example of how greige can be a warming colour. This design scheme is all about soft and natural textures, and mixing lots of different greige tones – ideal for creating a little sanctuary in your home.
Pictured: Calacatta Amber Honed Marble Hexagon Mosaic at Mandarin Stone
Warm copper and gold tones can lift cooler grey. Greige, thanks to its creamier colour and warmer base of beige, also works well with metallic accents that have a warm undertone. A splash of colour, like the bright orange in this retro living room, creates a warm and inviting finished look.
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