How to Decorate With Gray Furniture & Black End Tables

Going gray is one of the hottest trends in home decorating. Gray comes in two undertones, blue and red. A blue-gray has a cooler tone, while a red-gray will feel warmer. By keeping your companion colors either neutral or in one of these two categories, you can select pieces which will go together with ease. This will allow you to bring in pops of vivid color to accent your color scheme and create a modern, updated look in your home. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1

Measure the living or great room you will be decorating. Transfer your measurements to 1/4-inch graph paper. Note the location of all doorways, door swings, windows, cabinets, fireplaces, niches or other features. Draw in the walls on the graph paper and show the location of light switches and outlets. On blank paper draw your existing gray sofa and chairs to scale. Draw your black end tables to scale. Cut these out with scissors.

2

Take photographs of your existing furniture and tape the photographs to a mood board. When possible tape a piece of the furniture fabric on the board for color matching.

3

Arrange your existing furniture on the floor plan you have drawn until you determine the most likely location of the furniture. In general, you should orient your sofa and chairs toward the strongest focal point, such as a fireplace. Try to form a sitting group so that each person sitting on the chairs or sofa has an end table near for drinks and so they can easily talk to each other while sitting.

4

Acquire a color palette from your paint store. This is a set of paint strips with all of the paint colors from the paint manufacturer of your choice. Determine if your existing gray furniture is warm or cold and make all of your color selections to stay in the same undertone. Select a gray paint color for the wall that is a light version of your furniture color.

5

Pick white for your trim color as it will look crisp and modern against the gray wall. Since gray, black and white are all neutrals, they will create a comfortable but muted feeling. Choose an accent color. If you have a blue-gray, choose a color that is blue, green or purple. If you have a red-gray, choose a color that is red, yellow or brown.

6

Select an area rug to anchor your sitting area. The rug should have elements of black, white, gray and your accent color, and it should be large enough so that the front legs of your chairs, tables and sofa can all rest on the rug. Bring in an additional color and texture by selecting a metallic finish that you like. You can incorporate this metallic finish in additional furniture, lamps, hardware, decorative objects, pots and accent pieces.

7

Add transparent, mirrored and clear objects to create another layer of depth in your color palette. Reflective surfaces often expand the appearance of a room and transfer light around a room, adding sparkle.

8

Select drapes and other fabrics within the same color choices. If you have a lot of windows to cover you may want to make your drapes more neutral. Upholstered furniture should reference your existing pieces but be inviting and interesting in pattern or design. Finish your room with larger art pieces with strong colors well mounted and lit. Add pops of color to move your accent color around the room with smaller objects or pillows.