picking a gray for interior walls

QueSrah

Any great tips for picking a gray?  We have a pretty open floor plan and want to paint over the pinkish beige that's in the kitchen, family rooms, upstairs and downstairs halls and entryway.  I am pretty sure we want a warmish gray and don't want to go too dark since most of our light comes from the east and west so it could get really oppressively dark when the sun is in the wrong place.  What else should I take into account?  Any suggestions for resources or faboo shades you've used in the past?

ch ch ch chia

Our family room is a light grey... we really like it.  It's Benjamin Moore Moonshine.  It isn't really warm... it has sort of greenish undertones, but is definitely grey.

We had the same problem with darkness, so the first grey we picked was AWFUL!

hollace

When you look at the paint chips look in the white colors for a nice grey.  I have one in my hallway  and kitchen that borders the living room.  The living room is like  a beach house blue ( I think it's called).  The grey is something like snow flake.  They compliment each other nicely.  Its a great color, it's "there" but not in an overwhelming way.  General rule with paint, find what you like on the chip and then go a shade or two lighter as it will be more intense on the walls.  Unless that's what you like  Good luck.

 

SecretServiceWife

We have gray in our living room too, I don't remember the name - it was a Do it Best color matched at HD.  Looking at swatches online though, it looks like similar colors are Silver Gray or Ashes (both by behr)

In some light it seems to have a green undertone, in others in seems a little purpley.  

I love it.

Our living room is a dungeon for about 6-8 hours a day - and this lightened it up sooooo much.

When I was picking grays to try, I wanted to go darker (at HD there's a color called elephant skin by behr) and I wanted that - but the color I picked ended up being 2 shades lighter and it's perfect.   

MrsPhilDunphy

PEople sweat Benjamin Moore Silver Sage hard core, if you would entertain something with greenish undertones. We just picked a grey for the bathroom - Behr Silver Screen. It's very very light. I'll let you know how it goes. 

ch ch ch chia

We almost went one shade darker (Grey Horse) - here's a blog with both colors:  http://scienceofmarried.weebly.com/2/category/painting/1.html

QueSrah

ch ch ch chia:

We almost went one shade darker (Grey Horse) - here's a blog with both colors:  http://scienceofmarried.weebly.com/2/category/painting/1.html

Ooh - that's helpful. 

DCtoLowcountry

Our kitchen, and dining room above the chair rail, are Smoked Oyster by Behr. We're happy with it.

emisi

We used Behr's Timber WOlf, color matched at BM. 

It's a little blueish in the undertones, which I love.  It looks amazing in my dining room.

BabyHatch

We just painted our room Ashley Gray by Benjamin Moore. I heart it. Its kind of a gray/beige blend with green undertones.

QueSrah

I think we've got it narrowed down to two options - Benjamin Moore London Fog or Cumulus Cloud.  At this point, I think we might just flip a coin and be done with it :P  Now we just have to decide what color to paint the basement so we can start the painting madness.

WinesNotWhines

I can't help with grays, but I'd get a sample size of both colors and paint swatches on your wall to see what they look like with the light in your room. I did that in our living room and it really helped to see the different colors next to each other (I swatched 4 different colors).

megstoo

I have a soft grey in my kitchen (don't remember the name) and a silvery/blueish/greyish in the 2nd bedroom. 

Grey's are VERY hard to find the right color in my mind because there's so many different undertones.  The first grey I had for the kitchen had to much of a peach undertone, the 2nd had a toupe undertone.  Your best bet is to get a few sample's (not just the cardboard swatches).  We use all sherwin williams paint so that's were my recommendation goes. 

MrsHabious

WinesNotWhines:

I can't help with grays, but I'd get a sample size of both colors and paint swatches on your wall to see what they look like with the light in your room. I did that in our living room and it really helped to see the different colors next to each other (I swatched 4 different colors).

Definately this!  And, if you don't love what you picked out, we LOVE ours - Behr's Manhattan Mist.  We get so many compliments.

ch ch ch chia

QueSrah:

I think we've got it narrowed down to two options - Benjamin Moore London Fog or Cumulus Cloud.  At this point, I think we might just flip a coin and be done with it :P  Now we just have to decide what color to paint the basement so we can start the painting madness.

FWIW, based solely on internet pix, I really like Cumulus cloud!

pixieprincss

I adore gray walls, but I only have a gray "horror" story. I had been advised that for a true gray, I should pick from a Pantone book and then get the color custom-mixed. But, I didn't believe it--I know gray when I see it.

So, we picked a lovely gray for DS's room from a paint chip. DH and I each took a wall and started painting. Then we stepped back and realized in that room it was purple. Purple is lovely, but not at all what we were going for. We sold the paint on CL and then went with a lovely tan.

I am still pro-gray. But,I am now  also pro-sample cans.

QueSrah

pixieprincss:

I adore gray walls, but I only have a gray "horror" story. I had been advised that for a true gray, I should pick from a Pantone book and then get the color custom-mixed. But, I didn't believe it--I know gray when I see it.

So, we picked a lovely gray for DS's room from a paint chip. DH and I each took a wall and started painting. Then we stepped back and realized in that room it was purple. Purple is lovely, but not at all what we were going for. We sold the paint on CL and then went with a lovely tan.

I am still pro-gray. But,I am now  also pro-sample cans.

That's basically why we're repainting half the house - we agreed on a beige before we moved in and once it was on the walls it looked a little pink.  DH was horrified, and now five years later we're finally doing something about it.

We'll definitely be buying samples this time to test out

victoria1212

I am late in replying but in my old place we used Sherwin-Williams Morris Room Grey and it was a nice warm, neutral grey.