Gray Matter

The color gray has hit the scene in a major way...lately I've been seeing gray hues in everything from home decor to runway shows and it's been picked as one of the hot paint colors by HG for 2007.

I had a reader who was planning on buying a gray sofa ask "what shades look good with gray", and to answer their question...ALL colors look good with gray if you pick the correct tones. What some people don't realize is that gray is like a neutral color, you can mix it with anything and it'll look good. The color wheels shown above are considered depictions of the "Real Color Wheel" on both the color and gray scales if you're familiar with using a color wheel this may be of some assistance.

I've put together rugs featuring various patterns and prints that include the color gray to show how well it works with different hues. The rugs below include both warm and cool colors mixed with different shades of gray.


I chose rugs as samples because rugs are a quick way to make a big change in a room. Once you change out a rug you can use the other colors included to choose pillows, other fabrics, artwork, and accessories that will go in your space.