GOODBYE GRAY HELLO BEIGE






It seems like everyone is painting walls white and kitchens gray.  

Until now.

I am here to tell you that gray is done.
Yep.....kaput....finished.....finito....

I don't mean that in a "What!  I just painted everything gray" kind of done but it might be time to retire the obsession.

You knew it couldn't last forever people.....trends come and go and when I don't get excited about seeing a pretty gray kitchen then I know I'm ready to move on.....

So what's next?  I think ivory and beige are going to make a comeback.  

"WHAT......builder beige!"  I know......stab me in the eye.

I can just see all of you with your arms crossed and a scowl on your face right now so simmer down and lets see if I can open your minds a little.

Nancy Braithwaite
I have probably pinned this room a million times....it's just so dreamy

Beautiful softness here....see how pretty white and cream work together!


The talented Lauren Liess




And how about these kitchens






Bathrooms

Beth Webb and the color is BM China White 


Do I see a slight softening on your stance yet?

Well let me make it easy for you with a handy cheat sheets of some favorite neutrals.



Here is a neutral dining room with ivories......and let me say this..... to make it work you need to add some black and green......


More cream accents......

Chair
Pouf


Are you just not buying it?  I know....I was on the gray and white bandwagon pretty strong.  But we have to keep it fresh right!

Be open to change:)

Shayfab





40 comments

toocolorcrazy said...

Girl you are speakin' my language!!!!! I couldn't agree more.
Gray works in a lot of homes but not ALL homes should be jumpin on that train.
Grays die in my home - or look purple. YIKES! Great post.

Cassie Bustamante said...

we recently updated our bedroom with a touch of beige and after i ordered the blanket (in beige) i had a moment of "WHAT HAVE I DONE?!?!" but i LOVE it!

Anonymous said...

Mama always said...Beige is best! LOL. I love ivory and beige, always works especially with a touch of black or leopard. I try to keep my home palate tight, ivory, chocolate and a touch of gray. This allows me to move stuff around when I get restless!

Shirley@Housepitality Designs said...

Great post!...I love it!....in one of our homes that we built back in 1992, I had what we called "off white" cabinets with a cream cultured marble top..loved the combination of the "off white" and cream...however, one of my main reasons for doing this is that I loved wallpaper in the bathrooms and most of the wallpaper backgrounds that I loved were of a cream color...so that combination worked well. Love these gorgeous photos!

Marty@A Stroll Thru Life said...

Not a real gray person, just a few accents. I have been on the beige bandwagon most of my life, however I like it in small doses too. Great post.

Kathysue said...

I have never been a big fan of gray in my own home, but have enjoyed seeing it in others, however I agree, it is time to move over. Beige is a tricky one for me, it has to be a linen color for me to like it. I love Kelly Moore's navajo white, it is so creamy and still light and fresh and of course swiss coffee is my trim and walls in our new home. I have never lived with white walls before and I absolutely love them, everything looks better in front of a white wall, even my cream and linen bedroom furniture. Love cream and white together. I agree, lets keep it fresh and paint is the quickest change other than pillows we can make!! Love this post!!

Unknown said...

I knew it! thankfully did my new house in sage green and cream, beige and a bit of brown/black for good measure. I agree that gray just looks tired at this point. We all could do with more warmth and coziness :)

Unknown said...

I just got a light gray sofa two weeks ago so I hope it's not totally over! I do enjoy warmer grays with some brown though and loved seeing these neutral rooms. I considered getting a beige sofa but the one I got is the Wayfair Sage Avenue Bailey and I didn't like the tan. Trying not to second guess my decision.

Vieux Carre said...

I never left this bandwagon! Over the past few years I have used grey for homes we have renovated to sell - do what the people want. But, when going for neutral in our own homes, ivories and beiges have been my mantra. Oddly enough, I just finished painting our entire cottage at the beach Swiss Coffee, which is mentioned here more than a few times! It is like a breath of fresh air. Thanks for a the wonderful post and accompanying photos. Gorgeous. And glad you included Grant Beige in your favorites. A painter here in New Orleans introduced me to that color 22 years ago and I have used it many times at full or a "cut" strength. Fantastic color.

Anonymous said...

I agree! I never embraced the "gray everywhere" trend, and white is just too harsh in many situations. Ivories/ beiges are the perfect calming colors. They can be warm and cozy or super sophisticated when it covers walls and trim. Some of my favorites are SW Dover White (warm and creamy even in poorly lit rooms) and BM Brandenberg, which is creamy with a touch of green undertones. Hope you are right so that my house will be back on trend when I sell!

Liana said...

Completely agree with you !
Grey is looking overused and tired. I've never been too much into the grey trend anyways (and I"m so glad is over). It looks horrible in North facing rooms and even worse if the room has LED lighting fixtures.
I still love grays in Swedish interiors paired with creamy whites, or in scattered accents , but not as a foundation.The combination of chalky whites, creams and sandy beiges has been favorite for many years, and works with pretty much any other color palette.
THANKS for shinning the light on the topic, great eye opener !

Kelly said...

I love grey and white but I've already started mixing mine with beige. It all goes together harmoniously. Neutrals will never go out. I don't see this as a trend.

Wonderful Life! said...

Agreed! I cannot live with cool colors in my own home and recently painted our kitchen Sherwin Williams Canvas Tan. It's a great color! I may paint everything that color!

carol jane said...

I love gray. Beige is so boring, even in the photos you shared. I'm not buying it. I think we should use what colors we love, and not what the trend is.

Nancy said...

you made my day with this post. you're a visionary! so glad i resisted the change when everybody and their brother declared gray as the must go to paint. my house is all about the beige! just goes to show what's old always becomes new again. if only that would work for aging eyes and bodies. ha!

Unknown said...

Music to my ears! Gray is so depressing! Beige is warm and inviting. I'm so happy!

Cyndi J said...

Nope. Not buying it. So over brown and beige!

chris. said...

Boring with a capital B you would have to be nuts to use beige again.

SHERRY HART said...

I agree Chris...it can be but I guess it depends on how much texture is in the room! It's not for everybody that's for sure:)

SHERRY HART said...

Totally agree! I don't like to follow trends ! I painted the inside of my house all white 10 years ago before everyone was doing it:). It works for me but not everyone!

SHERRY HART said...

I'm not a fan of brown and beige either but I do think beige and gray can be pretty!

Anonymous said...

I love how Jenna redid her house with all these neutrals. She did it on a budget too.

http://blog.jennasuedesign.com/2017/02/the-livingdining-room-cottage-house-flip-reveal/

Thanks for your AMAZING blog! I love reading it. You are so talented, smart and funny!

Anonymous said...

I've been feeling this for awhile now. Cool gray just feels too cold. I'm really liking warm gray (greige) and taupe right now. It just feels fresher and warmer.

designchic said...

I love them both, but have to say I am a little partial to the beige family - feels warmer and mixes so well with other colors. Happy Thursday!

SShaw said...

I got so excited when I saw this post! Grey is so gloomy...I am anxiously waiting for this trend to pass.

Anonymous said...

Are you lumping in your fabulous "Iron Ore" on the gray train??? I hope not. I like small doses of gray......to me it's a neutral, but I am embracing more creamy white theses days.......I may need to repaint a couple rooms and add more beige and white. I wanted to paint my bedroom Iron Ore, may need to rethink that.....oh no....more indecisions.

Anonymous said...

I’m not buying the beige! I am way into Greige though. It’s a warm version of Gray that is so gorgeous with lots of textures. Gray is a classic and is never out of style.

Jenn said...

Sorry, Cream & Beige look old & dated- I have been a huge fan of gray, white, and black for the past 20 years, even before they were trendy. To me they are calming influences. Anything with a yellow undertone just seems so blah & stuffy! But hey, everybody should do what makes their heart happy, and gray makes my heart happy!

Anonymous said...

If you have a room where you cannot decide on a color, beige and cream always work well with other colors. Grey not so much! I love to mix neutrals, greys creams and taupe are verysoothing soothing to me.

Suzanne M. said...

You made ly day today! Bought my beige paint months ago! Didnt do it because I've been and asking myself : am I doing this right, i need to brighthen up my rooms take away these dark colors! You got me going and I love the final result that you have shown us! Thks

Unknown said...

Can you tell me the color of the cabinets in the kitchen post and the tile flooring?

Anonymous said...

What is the paint color of the kitchen cabinets in the picture provided?

Anonymous said...

Yes please! What is the color used for kitchen cabinets? Would love to know

Unknown said...

I dont like my white bathroom cabinets because they are old and look old but I think I will try the beige as shown on the photos before replacing my cabinets. What a great soft look and clean look but what color has been used - I am confused!!! lol

Unknown said...

What paint color (no gray) would you suggest for a room with navy furniture?

Valencia said...

Thank you thank you!! I do not
Want gray on my walls. I love the coziness of beige.

Anonymous said...

I also would like to know the color of the kitchen cabinets.

Anonymous said...

I have large rooms and a 2 story great room with lots of windows. I had it painted in a soft gray since we built the house and it always felt cold and uninviting so I bucked the trend back in 2028/2019 and painted everything in beige and it instantly warmed it up and made it cozy. So glad I made the change before COVID since we spent all our time at home. Soft, warm, comforting, I’m all in!!

Kim said...

I don’t like gray and don’t even look good wearing it, yet I gave in several years ago.
I’ve been having more experiences with how lighting and the direction of the natural light profoundly affects how a color looks in a room. In our new home we painted everything Agreeable Gray - after 4 years I don’t think my home is too thrilled with AGray.
My other home LOVED Revere Pewter, yet I knew it might look too muddy in the new home. For a diversion we painted our office Manchester Tan - very yellow undertones w south-facing light. Just repainted it with Accessible Beige at 75%, perfect.
Undertones can be frustrating because they change throughout the day.

Unknown said...

Sherwin Williams bungalow beige is what I did my cabinets and Roman column for the walls it is clean and classic

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