Gray or Brown - Which Neutral ARE You?

Color is relative.  Everyone sees it differently from one person to the next and it always means different things to different people.  It also has such a phenomenal impact on your spaces, how we use them and how we see them.  And I can and have written plenty of words on bold color, muted color, accent colors and everything in between.  Today, however, I want to talk about the ever-important neutrals.  

And my burning question for you is . . . which camp are you in?  Gray or Brown?

Most every space is outfitted with a main neutral for their entire building dotted with accent colors throughout.  This is generally achieved by a main wall paint in a basic neutral hue.  But this can also be achieved in your flooring, whether it's a wood look or a neutral backdrop for your main carpet.

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QUICK SHOW OF HANDS

Look around your Library (or whatever room you happen to be reading this in right now).  Can you identify your one main neutral?  It's most likely on the majority of your walls.  But as I said before, it can also be on your floors.  So what color is it?

Now what family is it in?  Gray?  Or Brown?  And by brown I mean the taupe tones, creamy naturals, off whites, etc.  And contrary to popular belief, even if your walls are white, the undertone can still be either a gray or brown.  It all just depends on the base.  A true clean white is pretty independent of either category, but most people don't opt for that.

Now that you've identified your neutral, can you tell me if you're happy with it?  Would you change it to another color or tone?  Have you had this color for years and you've grown tired of it?  If so, you might find yourself ready for a switch to the other side.

WHAT'S WITH ALL THE GRAY?!

So as I'm sure you're all very aware by now, for the past decade we've been leaning heavily toward gray as our neutral.  It's everywhere.  Which is slightly surprising seeing as how most people used to view gray as very clinical and drab.  It was seen in the more industrial settings for the longest time and therefore viewed as cold and uninviting.

NOW ADD A LITTLE DESIGN PANACHE

People were using warm colors for the longest time and I even had an architect that used to describe these color palettes as the "starbucks palette".  Everyone wanted them and the warm browns and earthy colors were taking the commercial world by storm.  Naturally, people grew bored with it.  So designers began to toy with gray as a main backdrop for their designs.  Not to mention all the Joanna Gaines followers were overwhelmed by the farmhouse phenomena that began taking place.  And the ever-notorious shiplap became the buzz word of the day.  

Feel free to send me a message if you want to know how I feel about THAT trend.  

But gray is gray.  It is often used in cool shades and therefore still holds true to the overall unapproachable look it can have a tendency to give off.  The trick was to add really fun neutrals to brighten it up at first.  People added pops of yellow and even salmon to make it more exciting.  Walls were gray, even carpet was gray but the accent colors are what made the design into an artistic masterpiece.

SO WHERE TO NOW

But as with every pendulum, and color is not exempt, it must swing back in the opposite direction at some point.  However this time it seems to be swinging a lot slower.  What I'm seeing now is the trend to warm up the gray tones.  

Don't get me wrong.  

People are definitely starting to ask for less gray and more brown.  I see this in many of my design kickoff meetings.  However, they still aren't quite committed to the full change just yet.  Owners are beginning to request browner grays that can be more versatile.

My favorite is "Greyhound" by Porter Paints by the way.  You CANNOT go wrong with this color!

Clients are still looking for inviting spaces but they aren't ready to warm it up entirely just yet.  I see the warmer gray tones all the time but with warmer accents too.  We might use Greyhound but with muted green accent walls and terra cotta colored furniture.  It works and it's a steady choice.

So if you're one of the many people that are growing tired of the gray trend but aren't ready to go full on brown either, try that concept out and see what you think.  I can even suggest some great combinations for you if you're interested.  Just tag me on my DIY Library Design Academy Facebook group and I'll be glad to help.

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE INTERIM

So here's the deal.  Gray is going away.  Slowly but surely.  People are warming it up and I do predict that it will stick around for a while longer.  However I absolutely see the warmer browns phasing in as the grays phase out.

But what's happening in the meantime?

In my little piece of design real estate, I'm beginning to get an awful lot of requests for blue believe it or not.  And even straight up black and white.  I've had more requests for these color combinations than anything else lately.  And honestly, it's quite refreshing.  I like the cooler tones.  They're soothing and clean.  

And the black and white is always classic so no complaints here.  I'm curious to see where the trends will go next as we begin wading our way back into the warm neutral pool.  People are still not quite there yet.  So for now, I think we're creating some unique transitional options that will leave their mark for sure.  

FINAL THOUGHTS

So use this as your time to tap into some of that creativity.  Be bold.  Be brave.  After all, tomorrow's colors will be completely different anyway.  Might as well enjoy the shift in perspective in the meantime!