Plus, how to choose the one that's perfect for your room.
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When you want a gentle hue that'll give your space a bright and airy feel, gray paint colors may not be the first ones that come to mind. But the right misty tone can set a mood that's totally uplifting and fresh. You can count on gray to go cozy or dramatic too. Gray is so versatile, it can do practically anything. (That's why we rank so many gray paint shades among the best neutral paint colors.) We're not the only ones who love it. We asked 40 interior designers to share their thoughts on the color gray, and we were pretty blown away by their responses.
Some designers have go-to grays they use to create an ethereal look, while others prefer a darker shade for a moodier feel. You'll find examples of both below. Whether you're aiming for light and crisp or warm and snug, there's a perfect gray here for the job. You can feel confident your choice will be trendproof because these are such adaptable and useful colors.
Ahead, discover how these design experts use gray paint colors in their spaces. You may even be inspired to push your furniture to the middle of the room, cover it in a tarp, and pick up a paintbrush like a pro. Our suggestion? Think about what kind of look you're seeking—pale and gentle or bold and dramatic—and order a few samples. Once you've made your choice, it's time to get to work. Let these 20 shades from the likes of Benjamin Moore, Farrow & Ball, and more get you started.
"Gray skies and a misty rain can be quite beautiful and comforting. Benjamin Moore's City Shadow captures this cozy feeling perfectly. Brighten it up a bit with unlacquered brass fixtures and hardware and pair alongside Calacatta marble. You can't go wrong!" —Katie Hackworth
"Lately, I've been having a good time with this deep gray. It changes a lot in different conditions. When the room is dark or in shadow, it seems almost black. But in direct sunlight, it's the color of a Baltic afternoon. So it's not boring. It also goes well with caramel leather chairs—something I can imagine putting in almost any office." —David Netto
"For a warm brown-gray, Granite is one of my favorites, bringing coziness and sophistication to any room. This color invites you to curl up next to a fire." —Alice Williams
"I love using this hue because it is elusive. Like its namesake, Stormy Sky can be dramatic but also translucent. I've used it everywhere from exteriors to kitchens, where it looks beautiful with white accents and metal finishes. This paint also works well as a base for other colors—I've even done 50-50 mixes with it!" —Windsor Smith
"This is the absolute perfect greige. No need to look any further. And it's amazing with a brighter contrasting trim. I love it so much that I've used it in three of my homes. In light-flooded rooms, it feels cool and crisp. In darker, cozier rooms, it's very soothing." —Shawn Henderson
"This is not really blue and not really gray. It's kind of creamy-dreamy, like a beautiful cloud. I think of an home office as a place where you just want to be restful and creative, and this is very calming—and very chic with a pop of navy or lavender. It's a blank canvas for whatever you're doing at the moment." —David Phoenix
"Appropriately named, Alaskan Skies offsets our state's dramatic change of lighting conditions throughout the year by serving as a neutral base for contrasting interior finishes, all while maintaining an uplifting atmosphere." —Bauer/Clifton Interiors
"There is something about this shade that you can't quite pin down. It reminds me of mist and fog—a little hazy and soothing. The pale gray manages to be versatile without being boring: It works in a variety of situations, from a light-filled bathroom to a spacious living room. On walls, it's subtle yet powerful enough to create dimension." —Michele Dopp
"Benjamin Moore Titanium is a soft, luminous off-white, with a little green in it that is bright enough to light up our often rainy weather here in Oregon." —Jessica Helgerson
"I call this blue-gray a 'shadow color.' It changes with the light, which makes it interesting to enter a room throughout the day. This particular hue conjures images of the ocean and the sky—ideal for a tranquil Southampton beach house, where I used it on kitchen cabinets. It provided a punch of color without being too over-the-top." —Sandra Nunnerly
"This blue-gray, in an eggshell finish, feels like an icy drink on a hot day. It visually cools off a room that gets loads of light. And then you can build in some warmth with layers of color and texture in the furnishings. I'd bring in earth tones like chocolate brown, rust, and mustard gold, and maybe pop it with a hit of turquoise." —Scott Laslie
"This neutral is so versatile and offers a cool and calm retreat from the heat. Art hangs beautifully on it, and it lets the room be the showpiece, not the paint color. Our design studio is painted this color, and we love the environment that it creates!" —Nancy Price
"I used this cool-toned, blackened-steel shade on the stair spindles of my own home. The color really pops against the neutral palette of the space around it. My advice for working with a slick finish: Make sure the raw surface is free of any blemishes, because once you apply the paint, the shine will magnify them!" —Christine Stucker
"I've been known to go on a gray streak, in every shade from steel to a warm French gray. No matter the gray, it becomes a serene backdrop for everything—flowers, books, art, fabrics, or people. I like bordering gray with white trim, white fabrics, and white furniture. Sometimes I pop a little red here and there. But you want to be careful when picking your gray—nothing too sad, cold, or dingy." —Matthew Patrick Smyth
"Like the little gray dress of colors, this is understated and trendproof—and ideal for a young brother and sister's shared bedroom, where adding a wall wasn't an option. It's neutral without being boring, and it worked with her favorite pinks and his favorite greens. It also made the space seem larger, so they could spread out, both literally and figuratively, to play, imagine, and dream." —Cate Dunning
"An ice blue exuding tranquillity, this is my go-to for rooms lacking glamour. If it's a space with no pizzazz and no specialness, no problem—I just saturate it with this color, and it's immediately sophisticated. Because it's able to be warmed up or cooled down, it's the perfect backdrop. Pair it with silver or gold, natural woods, and almost any blues, from turquoise to gray-blue." —Joni Vanderslice
"In homes far from honking taxis and busy sidewalks, I gravitate toward organic hues that echo the outdoors. This forest-inspired gray, the color of craggy stones, reminds me of trail hiking on autumn afternoons. Pair it with crisp whites, and layer in lush fabrics like suede and mohair to create coziness." —Vicente Wolf
"Available natural light plays such an important role when I'm selecting a paint color. For a London flat I recently completed, I was really drawn to this seductive, chameleon-like gray. With subtle hints of blue and green, it has an ever-changing quality that's a welcome reflection of the city's beautifully melancholic days." —Jeff Andrews
"I enveloped a Manhattan space in a stormy ocean blue that progresses into a contemplative gray that cocoons you, like twilight descending into stillness. The secret is an ombré technique: Stiffkey Blue starts on one side, and more drops of Plummett are added to the paint until it morphs into full-on gray by the other side. The colors are so all-encompassing—they continue onto the ceiling—and the effect is so total, your mind quiets within minutes. It's exactly what you need in New York City—or anywhere." —Tina Ramchandani
"I love the changeability of this chameleon gray, how it can take on the characteristics of the light around it. It's never the same, never static, always in flux—isn't that our wired world? In an elegant bedroom, I surrounded it with lavender and saw hints of the softest, most perfect lilac emerge." —Bennett Leifer
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