Renovation

Blue Gray Painted Rooms Inspiration

Your search for the perfect blue gray ends here with these designer-approved paint colors

September 1, 2017

Gray paint has been trending in the design world for several years and it’s easy to see why. The color acts as a neutral but has a bit more depth than white or beige. But choosing the perfect gray can be a challenge given the number of shades available—way more than 50, by the way. It’s helpful to think of grays in terms of undertones. Like white paints, grays have subtle hints of color that can affect how they appear in a room. Some of our favorite shades of gray feature a bit of blue. A few coats of blue gray creates a cool, sophisticated space, and the hue is a great complement to bright colors and bold art.

The versatile paint color has become a favorite of designers as well. Many of the industry’s top talents have chosen various shades for client projects and even their own homes. Designer David Kleinberg used Benjamin Moore’s Fog Mist in his Hamptons retreat, and the cool shade is the ideal backdrop for a large black-and-white photograph. Darker blue grays, such as the shade in Brooke Shields's Manhattan living room, can give a room a dramatic look, while lighter tones work well in bedrooms and kitchens.

Blue gray is also a color that looks great in several different finishes. For a Manhattan apartment, architect Lee F. Mindel painted the bedroom walls in Benjamin Moore’s Sterling and chose a glossy finish that reflects light from the adjacent windows. Designer Joe Nahem used a medium blue-gray paint to create a neutral backdrop for an vivid Andy Warhol print and a pair of bright turquoise chairs. These rooms from the AD archive range from traditional to contemporary, proving that blue gray is a color that suits any style. Discover the paint colors used in each of these spaces and find inspiration for your next project.

1/10
Painted in Benjamin Moore’s Gray Mist, the master bedroom of a Manhattan townhouse designed by Leroy Street Studio architects and decorator Christine Markatos Lowe contains a Veere Grenney Assoc. four-poster and a 1940s Van Keppel–Green chest of drawers from Wyeth.
Photo: Henry Bourne
2/10
At the English country home of Nadja Swarovski, a Guy Davis photograph of a lion is displayed over the Union Jack–covered bed in the room of her son, Rigby; the walls are painted in Farrow & Ball's Ammonite.

Photo: Miguel Flores-Vianna
3/10
At a Long Island home renovated by designer Daniel Sachs and architect Kevin Lindores, the tub in the master bath is by Waterworks, the Indian watercolors were purchased at Rago, the curtains are of a Chelsea Editions linen-cotton, and the walls are painted in Farrow & Ball's Elephant's Breath.
William Waldron
4/10
In Brooke Shields's Manhattan living room, portraits by Will Cotton of the actress's two daughters hang on walls painted in Benjamin Moore's Chelsea Gray.

Simon Upton
5/10
In the living room of a Connecticut home designed by Joe Nahem, walls painted in Benjamin Moore’s San Antonio Gray offset an Andy Warhol silkscreen and a pair of 1960s Carlo Nason floor lamps.
Photo: Pieter Estersohn
6/10
A Swedish Empire secretary and chair stand in the master bath of this Thom Filicia–decorated home on New York's Upper Saranac Lake. The beadboard walls are painted in Benjamin Moore's Brewster Gray (as are the Feiss ceiling fixtures), the sconces are from Circa Lighting, the tub is by Waterworks, and the Oly bench is upholstered in goat hide.

Photo: William Waldron
7/10
A New York City apartment designed by Shelton, Mindel & Associates features walls painted in Benjamin Moore’s Silver Lake gray.
Photo: William Waldron
8/10
In the master suite of the same Manhattan apartment by Shelton, Mindel & Associates, the walls are painted in Benjamin Moore's Sterling gray.

Photo: Björn Wallander
9/10
In the kitchen of a Manhattan penthouse designed by Rafael de Cárdenas, the cabinetry is painted in Thundercloud Gray by Benjamin Moore and features bespoke hardware by E. R. Butler & Co.; the sink fittings are by Waterworks. Gracing one wall are several photo-based works by Walead Beshty.
Oberto Gili
10/10
In the designer David Kleinberg’s Hamptons sitting room, painted in Fog Mist by Benjamin Moore, a Darren Almond photograph hangs above a vintage console topped by a 1950s French lamp; the walnut bookcase is by David Kleinberg Design Assoc., and the Bielecky Brothers wicker chairs are cushioned in a Zimmer + Rohde stripe.
Related: AD’s Guide to Decorating with Color