The Right Way to Decorate With Gray

Gray may be the “it” neutral, but it’s not the easiest color to decorate with. Go too dark and a space looks blanketed by storm clouds; too light and it reads dingy. Luckily homeowner Megan Breen found just the right balance for her Chicago home. When she and her husband, Patrick, bought their three-bedroom townhouse in 2012, Megan quickly swapped out its beige walls and worn-out carpeting for finishes and furnishings in silvery hues. “I probably went through 50 shades of gray picking paint,” says Megan. The roughly half dozen grays she settled on—from steely blues to taupe-y tones—demonstrate the color’s versatility and prove that done right, it looks anything but drab.

In fact, the Breens’ home is decidedly happy, thanks to its crisp white trim and many splashes of vibrant color. Example: This antique cabinet that got lacquered white, then lined with metallic Schumacher wallpaper. “I tried to mix the gray with cheerful greens and blues,” says Megan, who worked with designer Alexandra Kaehler to pull everything together. The result is “peppy and so livable,” says Alexandra. Now that’s a sunny forecast! 

“I’m hardly Goth, but I do love black,” says Megan. “With gray it looks so polished.” Case in point: Although three totally different chair styles (black Windsor chairs, slate-color skirted chairs, and geometric-print side chairs) live in this room, they go together like a set. To supercharge the color scheme, Megan topped the Ballard Designs buffet with a pair of Robert Abbey gourd lamps in zingy lime. 

A tweedy gray sectional from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams and an Arhaus ottoman upholstered in black Sunbrella fabric anchor the living area. The fun is in the accents, including punchy pillows and wingback chairs covered in a botanical print from Calico. The framed art is from minted.com.