Gray Living Rooms

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 living rooms of any style.
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Shades of Gray

This gray-and-white living room marries different shades of gray with varying undertones. The stone around the fireplace features purple undertones; 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.

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Slate Glamour

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 continue the glam feminine vibe.

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Accent Piece

A dark gray sofa becomes the focal point of this largely brown and white 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.

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Full Spectrum

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.

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Rainy Day

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.

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Metallic Tones

Warm grays dominate this space for a cozy vibe. White wood paneling makes 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.

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Ocean Blue

Turquoise and blue on furniture, accents, and art take center stage in this neutral space. Light gray walls 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.

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Mix and Match

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 design idea. Bright accents give this living room the right amount of contrast and visual play. A zebra-print rug adds a fun focal point.

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Choosing Neutrals

What's the secret to a neutral color palette that shines? Watch and learn how to balance color, pattern, and hue in a neutral space. These tips can serve as a design base for any gray living room.

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Airy Gray

Chameleon-like gray tends to adapt to its environment. In this living room, shades of cloudy gray become 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 color walls, furniture, and area rug. Using varying shades of gray mitigates its cool tendencies for a soft look.

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Intensely Gray

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.

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Barely-There Gray

When the objective is light and airy, a whisper of color elevates a room into the stratosphere of polished. In this traditional living room, a subtle shade of gray colors the walls. The hue helps to highlight the detailed moldings and trims by providing the slightest bit of contrast. This gray-and-white living room features metallic silver framing and finishes to bounce light around the space.

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Furniture Color Picks

Although gray has presence, it can still be considered a neutral. Color is typically applied in paint form and neutrals are reserved for big-ticket items, such as furniture and flooring, that aren't as easily or affordably changed. But when the hue in question is gray, consider using it for one of these investment pieces. In this space, the largest block of color comes from a graphite gray furniture set. Although the feature color, it easily transitions to neutral status should the walls take on a different hue, like terra-cotta or golden yellow.

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Gray Background

Keep the attention on interesting architectural elements by applying  a neutral gray throughout the room. Similar shades of gray on the walls and furniture let the architectural beams star in the space. The throw pillows and drapery panels echo the beams' deep tone, balancing the room's use of color.

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Gray Area

Use gray to define your style and put personal collections on display. Gray living room walls in a loftlike space bring sophistication and warmth to the open space. Here, the gray provides the perfect backdrop for rattan chairs, an antique Chinese cabinet, and an Asian-inspired coffee table.

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Glamorous Gray

Gray-green walls wrap menswear-gray furniture and mirrored accents in a Hollywood-chic vibe. The paint color covers the walls, moldings, and mantel to provide a wash of soft color without the visual interruption of a contrasting trim color. Mirrored and dark accents give this living room more glamour.

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Natural Palettes with Gray

Use nature as inspiration when working with grays. The color palette for this living room is drawn from the sky. Gray-blue walls and creamy white upholstery give the space an ethereal effect; natural woven shades, a stone cocktail table, and wood floors bring it back down to earth.

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Dramatic Display

Dramatically display black-and-white art prints on a dark gray wall. A back-to-basics color scheme is 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; additional items—mirrors and a TV—in the same scheme bring dimension to the collage.

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Gray Upholstery

A large comfortable sectional sofa upholstered in a medium gray anchors a mostly white living room. The gray sectional echoes the limestone tiles framing the fireplace and works well with all colors and wood tones, making it a lovely alternative to beige.

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Gray and Yellow

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 charcoal gray space by bringing in bright yellow accents. A gray-and-yellow throw pillow is a great starting point for building a decorating scheme. Limit the amount of sunny yellow you add to keep the scheme fresh and bold.

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Emphasize Antiques with Gray

Tie together a room full of antiques with a soft French gray. The painted walls provide a neutral background for displaying a variety of pieces that have a timeworn patina. The color accents the distressed look of the antiques, putting them on stage. A mix of modern upholstered furnishings keeps this living room from looking like an antiques store.

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