Beige once reigned as the neutral interior design color of choice, but modern tastes have evolved, and so have neutrals. Cooler grey tones have found their way onto designers' palettes, along with another hue gaining in popularity: greige. As the ultimate union of neutral tones, greige combines the comforting warmth of beige with the chic simplicity of grey. It's also an extremely versatile color, complementing warm and cool palettes and holding its own in a monochromatic space.
Painting an accent wall is one of the quickest and most effective ways to make a room pop — even with a neutral color like greige. The natural tones complement any color scheme, whether the existing decor incorporates brown woods, bold hues, or all-white furnishings. Enlist a warm shade to emphasize architectural features or a darker greige to contrast with white baseboards and crown molding.
While vibrant colors infuse personality into your decor, greige pieces can add chic comfort to a room. This classic color is familiar and inviting, making it the perfect choice for your cushions, accent pillows, and throw blankets. Warm up an all-white bedroom with gold-greige pillowcases and a duvet cover, or toss a greige blanket onto your jewel-toned sofa for an unexpected contrast. Combine multiple shades of greige for a luxurious, monochromatic display, or use pieces that include other colors from your decor to unify the space.
Nothing says luxury like an area rug on hardwood floors or wall-to-wall carpeting. If you're going to invest in a quality rug, look for one in a versatile color like greige. A greige carpet can really tie a room together with its use of mixed neutrals and natural fabrics. Choose one that uses saturated greys and beiges for endless inspiration.
Greige window treatments are a classic and timeless choice. From heavy, natural-toned drapes to wispy, creamy shears, neutral colors are the perfect frame for your windows when you want to focus on the view. Curtains in a khaki hue harmonize with the green landscape of the front yard. Shears and blinds in contrasting greiges can add interest to your window treatments without detracting from the rest of the room's decor.
Greige works perfectly as the base color for your decor since it goes with everything. Decorate with cool blue accents and green accessories if your greige is closer to grey, adding purples and pinks for a fun contrast. To complement a more brownish shade, opt for golds, oranges, and natural wood tones. If you already own furnishings in a distinct color scheme or finish, use greige details for a hint of calm, replacing old pieces with newer versions in — you guessed it — greige.
While greige is a seamless blend of two neutral tones, it is also an industry term for unbleached and undyed textile fibers. No greige design scheme would be complete without the light mushroom-grey tint of natural fibers, the ideal base shade. Canvas curtains and jute area rugs are versatile, sturdy, and — most importantly — easy to clean. Incorporate raw materials and greige goods in your interior design for naturally beautiful results.
You don't have to make a fuss to make a statement. Commit to your greige color palette by finding artwork and statement pieces in neutral tones. From dark tints to warm creams, greige includes more shades than you might realize. By limiting a gallery wall or artistic display to only neutrals, you can create a uniquely dynamic feast for the eyes. Display a selection of charcoal drawings, sepia-toned watercolors, or a series of black and white photographs for an understated drama.
Add an unexpected pop of color to your home with greige-painted doors. Not only does this surprise tone match your ever-changing wall colors and furnishings, but it also subtly enhances any architectural features on the door itself. (And if your door doesn't have any, consider using thin molding to create some.) Use warm tones to liven up a dark section of the house or varying levels of saturated greige to create a focal point at the end of the hallway.
If your neutral decor could use a little pick-me-up, try experimenting with bold greige patterns and textures instead of completely changing lanes into bold colors. Choose a fabulous wallpaper in dark greiges and metallic finishes to create a luxurious atmosphere, or go with delicate patterns on neutral-toned fabrics and furnishings to maintain an understated elegance. Textures can also help your greige pop. Whether you paint a red brick fireplace taupe or joint compound some texture on a wall, greige compositions are anything but bland.
Greige provides the warmth of beige with the modern feel of grey, but its many variations have different undertones that aren't visible at first. The shade of greige will change slightly depending on the light bulbs you use and how much natural light enters the room throughout the day. Before you commit to a shade, test the color on a wall that faces a window. Rooms that receive a lot of natural light could benefit from a darker, more grey greige.