Above are the results of a “gray and” color game I asked Sam to play. I pulled out my collection of gray embroidery floss and asked her to choose some “gray and” color combinations from my huge collection of floss. She didn’t know what I was up to, but she was scary good at choosing matches to what I already had going!
I’m saddened that our western Washington weather will soon turn gray and drizzly, but I love that gray is making another comeback in home dec and fashion.
From the generic gray of old-school sweats to bespoke charcoal pinstripe wool suits, gray is taken for granted but not often celebrated. Let’s celebrate the current gray pairings! (Be sure to visit the links to see more, and spread a little blog-land love!)
Blue gray sofa with orange pillows — this blogger loves ORANGE as much as I love GREEN!
http://www.nobigdill.com/2012/02/simple-pillow-sham-tutorial.html
Some wonderful gray ground ikat fabrics with a variety of hot-color patches:
http://premierprintsfabric.com/designer-ikatdomino.shtml
My own photo, which started my current gray-awareness, of a corrugated metal commercial building with gorgeous true red window extensions. It is located somewhere just off of I-5 to the east, between 45th and 65th-ish. If you know, tell me in the comments; this was a drive-by photo shot!
Red accents in a white/gray room — look at that beautiful gray upholstery on the couch. This website is about inspired design, but it is also very inspiring:
http://www.4inspireddesign.com/2012/01/color-soiree-grays-reds-and-winner.html
And my favorite gray combination ever since 1976: Crimson and Gray — Washington State University’s colors. (My photo of some fabric I own) GO COUGS!
Another:
Not an ad for advertising’s sake, just another example!
Silver gray and dark chocolate brown; rich charcoal with warm cream, vanilla, or caramel (are you hungry now?) they all look good enough to eat! (Click on the photo to head over to Forever21!) I personally like the contrast, one dark and one light, but then again my two gray with tan fabrics photo’d above are balanced in shade, and I like them too!
And…
The nursery decor for this baby is sweet without being super gender specific — loved it!
http://www.ontobaby.com/2012/06/townsend-and-his-gray-and-turquoise-nursery/
Fabric for quilters; a complete collection of organic cottons in grays, mint, with pops of orange and Monsters!
http://www.etsy.com/listing/101550580/bundle-sale-monsterz-organic-mint-and
One of Sam’s color combos, and a piece of woven plaid fabric I’ve had for… a long time. I think it’s time has come back around.
Next…
If you need a color and pattern accents in a room, check out the etsy’s Bedbugg Boutique where I found the chevron stripes and 3-D dahlia embellishment.
Another of Sam’s color combos.
The two spiral flower pillows on the left inspired a bedroom makeover:
http://www.craftaholicsanonymous.net/master-bedroom-makeover
Almost last…
Ultramarine blue — just how perfectly balanced between blue and purple tones can you make it? It will look good even if you are close! Sam’s color choice on the left looks like what Old Navy/Gap had in mind. I think silvery gray is a perfect accent for this rich cool color.
And lastly, my (non-WSU) favorite with gray…
GREEN! I love scrolling through Better Homes and Gardens photo albums :)
http://www.bhg.com/home-improvement/exteriors/curb-appeal/revive-your-homes-exterior/#page=2
I hope you’ve enjoyed thinking about gray with me. I am loading up on happy-about-gray thoughts before the clouds move in for the winter!
What’s YOUR favorite “gray and” combination?
Gail
.jpg)