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Living Room

GRISAILLE ROOMS – THE ART OF DECORATING IN SHADES OF GRAY!

May 25, 2011
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Gray living room with painted grey exposed beams, grey sofa, coffee table, fireplace, a white cabinet and a large fern in the corner in a grey pot

“Grisaille” comes from the art world and it means “a style of monochromatic painting in shades of gray”.

These two French living rooms make decorating in grey an art in and of itself! Something inviting about these smokey colored rooms. The grey adds an air of sophistication to both spaces.

I like this. Move over white colored walls…grey may be the new way!

Grey French living room with exposed beam ceiling, wood floor, large grey area rug, built in bookshelves, Louis XVI armchair and a chaise lounge sofa

What do you think of these all grey living rooms…too much grey or just perfect for you? Like or dislike? Please do tell.

Happy Wednesday!

xo
Coco

P.S. Check out COCOCOZY Twitter feed to see photos of a party I attended last night. Make sure to follow along on twitter…you never know what I’ll tweet about next!

Photos: Elle Decoration

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16 responses to “GRISAILLE ROOMS – THE ART OF DECORATING IN SHADES OF GRAY!”

  1. ckl says:
    May 25, 2011 at 1:45 PM

    I love grey! I especially love that you can use it as a back drop for color to pop or keep your room serene feeling by mixing in shades of white and cream…

    Speaking of, I need to find the prefect grey for my living room/dining room and I cannot make up my mind! I have tons of natural light in these rooms and I am currently thinking about BM Stonington Gray. Thoughts? Thanks, Courtney

    Reply
  2. Ângela Varela Cunha says:
    May 25, 2011 at 1:55 PM

    hello Coco, I’m Angela a portuguese interior designer, and blogger with a real crazyness about gray. In my blog’s presentation I wrote “Unpretentious guide for interior decoration, of a white and gray addicted”. As you can imagine, I designed my house around this colors and I love the space. Even my clients ask gray as principal color in their design sqeems, so fair to say, gray is the new black or should I say beige? Love the blog.

    Reply
  3. Suki says:
    May 25, 2011 at 1:57 PM

    Watch out with grey. I painted by bedroom grey and it looks like blue. I hate it 🙁

    Reply
  4. maison21 says:
    May 25, 2011 at 2:03 PM

    gray is one of my favorite neutrals! goes so well with pops of just about any color.

    Reply
  5. H.G. The Countess says:
    May 25, 2011 at 2:41 PM

    I love my living room grey walls… Benjamin Moore Winter Gates 🙂

    Reply
  6. Holly says:
    May 25, 2011 at 3:43 PM

    These are beautiful! Chic and elegant but also comfortable

    Reply
  7. Cynthia's Blog says:
    May 25, 2011 at 6:40 PM

    I just love these rooms. I am trying to pick out the perfect gray for my bathroom. Then thinking of painting the master bedroom gray as well.

    Cynthia
    http://coffeeonthepatio.com
    http://www.cynthiasblog.com

    Reply
  8. Ruthie{Look~Learn~Love} says:
    May 25, 2011 at 10:17 PM

    So much more calming then white on walls I think and when paired with colorful accessories makes such a great impact!! Love teal and gray, yellow and when paired with black it’s striking.

    Reply
  9. Intrigue and Inspire says:
    May 25, 2011 at 11:35 PM

    It’s very now and I like it but I don’t know how long I could really live in a room with gray walls. My formal living room is gray and I love it but I really only visit it. I do like the unexpected pops of pink in the second picture. I think it adds a lot.

    Reply
  10. meenal bishnoi says:
    May 25, 2011 at 11:53 PM

    i am all for grey walls..it is such an elegant color and a perfect neutral..my library is all grey..fairly dark grey at that and i absolutely love it! the images you have shared are simply beautiful..have a lovely day, coco..do visit my blog when you have a moment…xx meenal

    Reply
  11. Kimmy Mhanna / Kimberly Mhanna says:
    May 26, 2011 at 5:24 AM

    I love grey walls. They can add a warm, elegant touch to a room.

    http://acouturelife.blogspot.com

    Reply
  12. The Cuban In My Coffee says:
    May 26, 2011 at 6:16 AM

    Hi Coco, I love grey as well. I am using it in a couple of kids rooms right now. It is such a calm and chic color. I especially love it as it was used in your feature space with the natural rustic elements and beams. I personally use it in my master bedroom.

    Reply
  13. THE TOTS says:
    May 26, 2011 at 3:38 PM

    I love grey. My design studio is grey and so is most of my clothes…hmmm. So soothing and can be dressed up or down with many accent colors when you get bored!

    Reply
  14. Conspicuous Style Design Blog says:
    May 26, 2011 at 6:19 PM

    My home is all gray and white, and my portfolio is almost all gray, so every new client who sees it wants gray, too! I can’t get away from it (although I have no real desire to as it is such a great color to decorate around)
    Stacy

    Reply
  15. Lisa says:
    May 27, 2011 at 11:09 AM

    I’m not too fond of the monochromatic gray rooms, but do like dark gray walls (almost black) or gray accents. Unfortunately, I live in Seattle where the sky is gray much of the time (especially this year). I tend to be drawn to cheerier colors that feel warm and remind me of the sun (that I’m missing).

    Reply
  16. I'm Busy Procrastinating says:
    May 29, 2011 at 4:45 PM

    Found your blog today from Haymarket Designs. Will be subscribing shortly.

    As far as the monochromatic gray, I’m not a fan. I like gray as a base, but require some pops of color. And the thing about gray is that it coordinates with so many bright colors. I just want to throw some bright pillows and art in those rooms above!

    Reply

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