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Gray is a popular color for good reason. Gray is a versatile color that can serve as the foundation for any room in the house and allow for plenty of design opportunities. Even though some people think of gray as a cold color, it doesn't have to be--in fact, there are many ways to use gray in your house to actually make it feel warm and inviting. One of the most inviting spaces of the home is the dining room--an area where you gather together with friends and family and invite everyone to talk about their lives and what's important to them. Here are just a few tips on how to design and decorate your dining room with gray as the main color or secondary color.
Though they may seem opposite at first, you can blend traditional and mid-century designs into one cohesive space and have gray as one of your primary colors all at the same time. The key to establishing the mid-century aspect of the dining room is choosing a table, chairs, and other furniture that fit into that design style. This is another case where going with warm woods and natural textures works well, because that combination offsets any coolness that the gray tones may bring into the space. Whether you use gray in your rug, curtains, wall color, or elsewhere, it can pair well with the warm tones and unique furniture stylings of mid-century design.
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To keep your dining room from feeling too matchy, choose several grays to work throughout the space. You can see here that this dining room has a gray pendant light, table, chairs, and the rug has gray tones as well. In each area, you can see a transition from the darkest to the most diluted gray, from the light fixture to the table/chairs, and then to the rug that's a mixture of gray and beige. You don't have to have your gray tones transition like this, but if you do, it can be an effective technique for drawing your eye throughout your space.
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Oftentimes we see gray paired with white, blacks, and natural elements. However, it can also go well with tans and browns as well. To blend the two cohesively, use tones that have the same warmth and finish. Matte tones in particular create a more elegant space. So, choose matte grays and tans for the furniture, and then when you have naturally glossy or metallic features like plates, accessories, and chandeliers, those accents will have their moment in the sun (or in the focus of your guests).
This dining room is elevated by its striking contemporary design featuring sleek, upholstered grey chairs and a dark wooden table, harmonizing with the light wood flooring. The breathtaking seaside view through the expansive windows not only enhances the dining experience but also infuses the space with a sense of calm and openness.
Have a small dining area but still like gray? Try creating a color palette of gray and white. The lighter the colors, the bigger the space seems, which is why it's effective to work with white and lighter shades of gray. However, outside of the primary dining area, try framing the space with darker accents like a dark buffet and artwork; these small touches add in an element of drama but don't overwhelm the space since they're not the focal point.
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Gray can fit into any design scheme. In this case, you can see how it effectively works into a modern dining room. You can successfully create a modern gray dining room by incorporating other colors, such as black, whites, and light woods. Allow your furniture to be simple to fit into the modern style, and then choose your rug and artwork intentionally to fit into the color scheme. If you choose rugs and artwork that have more details to them, those will have a chance to shine against the simple furniture and help establish your color palette.
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The natural texture and organic shapes of the wicker chairs and the large pendant light bring warmth and quality to the grey dining room, while the grey rectangular rug ties the room together.
The grey dining room is accentuated by an elegant, oversized abstract painting that adds a splash of color and artistic flair to the space. Additionally, the classic combination of the dark wood table, refined grey upholstered chairs, and the soft grey area rug creates a sophisticated and timeless atmosphere.
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There are many ways to create an elegant dining room, but one way is to go with large gray dining chairs and glass table. Obviously the glass adds in an air of elegance, but it also will reflect the colors that are nearby and make it the main color of the room. Add in some silvers with the furniture, light fixtures, silverware, and other smaller items in the room, and those metallic features will accent the grays in the room, as well as add dimension to all the different textures and sheens of the design.
The dining room is enhanced by a collection of colorful woven baskets adorning the wall, adding a touch of cultural artistry and texture to the grey-themed space. The natural light spilling in from the windows, paired with the fresh tulips on the table and the earthy tones of the wooden chairs, creates a cozy and inviting atmosphere.
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Gray can be the undertone for other shades of color as well. In particular, you can see it with this dining room set; the distressed white wood of the table, chairs, and side buffet table all have gray and tan as undertones that add to the worn and well-loved look of the table. Notice, however, that gray in particular is brought out of the wood; this is because of the upholstery on the dining chairs. Once again, whatever upholstery you choose in this case, whether it be gray or beige, it will bring out the undertones of your wood furniture. Use this technique to define which color you want to stand out in your dining room.
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Choosing a dark gray is a bold move that can have amazing results. If you like dark, charcoal grays and blacks but don't want the room to feel suffocating, add in these darker elements as accents. For example, this room uses it in the rug, chairs, tableware, and even the light fixture. You can utilize these same techniques, and then add in pops of other colors to brighten up the room. Bright end chairs, plants, and artwork are a few places you can add in vibrance, but they're not the only places; consider what other furniture you have in your dining room, what tableware you have, and experiment until you feel the room is sufficiently vibrant.
Gray may not be the primary color of this dining room, but it does serve as an excellent example of how gray is an effective undertone. The wood of the table, chairs, and side table all have gray as an undertone, which pairs well with the lighter creams of the chair upholstery and the rug. If you like the idea of blending creams and grays, but you're not sure how to do it, choose wood tones that have gray as an undertone, and then add in tans next to them and around them to further highlight the beiges. Or, if you would rather have gray stand out against the beige, apply the opposite; choose gray fabrics and accessories next to the wood and that color will be the primary color of the room.
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Going with gray and silver metals is yet another way to incorporate gray into your dining room. This room uses it in the chairs, but if you really love your grays and silvers, use them in the table legs, light fixtures, hardware, and any other furniture in the room. Of course, to add even more gray into the room without it being metallic, you can go for gray ceramics, wall decor, and rugs like the one shown here. No matter the case, gray and silver pair well together and are a great choice for your dining room.
If you truly love minimalism with your furniture, but love unexpected fun, choosing a unique rug is the perfect way to bring some personality to your space. You can be minimal with your table, chairs, lighting fixtures and accents, and then add in your pop of fun (and gray) with a stylish rug. Choosing one with various patterns like this is obviously youthful in spirit, but it also serves the important task of adding different shades of color into a plain space. That, and its placement clearly separates your dining room from the rest of the room, and thus it becomes a unique area all in its own to draw your guests' eyes and feet over to it.
Gray can serve well to meld two different styles together. In this dining room, you can see how this rug has a more traditional pattern to it, while the gray portrait is more abstract and modern. What ties it all together is how both use various shades of gray and shapes. Even though they are different styles, they don't compete for attention of the room because they're not side by side. When you mix two styles like this, allow each one to have its moment to shine, and have one style more prominent than the other. This dining room leans more towards traditional design with its rug, table set, and china cabinet, and so adding in modern artwork is an unexpected but welcome twist to add character to the room.
The modern aesthetic of this grey dining room is accentuated by the minimalist design, featuring clean lines in the furniture and a striking abstract wall art piece that commands attention. The warmth of the wood flooring and the unique overhead lighting fixture add depth and character to the space, creating an inviting atmosphere.
So far, we've seen how to use grays with light woods, but don't forget that it can be stunning with richer, darker woods as well. Use refined warm woods like cherry and mahogany add an air of elegance and tradition. Even though dark grays pair well with these wood tones on their own, you can choose a fabric that has different gray tones and patterns to elevate the style even further. If you go with a simply striped fabric like these chairs do, incorporate that texture into a table runner to subtly connect the two features.
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Finally, you can see how a more matte wood with gray undertones can create a traditional dining room space. Since it is darker than the fabric and subtly incorporates gray, it stands out against the light fabric and serves as an excellent frame to a comfortable seat. Though it is once again not the primary color of the room, the use of gray as an undertone is effective in adding yet another tone to the room without breaking too far out of the tan/beige color scheme that primarily defines the space. Use simple techniques like this, and you'll have a subtle incorporation of another tone that doesn't break the continuity of the room.
Enhance you dining room with contrast. The warm wooden tones of the furniture provide a rich contrast to the grey textured rug and soft grey walls, enhancing the room's contemporary charm. Ample natural light filters through large windows, adding to the inviting ambiance and highlighting the vibrant artwork on the wall.
Gray is often thought of as a cold color, but it doesn't have to be. To incorporate gray and keep the space feeling warm, incorporate gray in your fabrics. You can include it in your chairs, your rugs, a table runner, etc. Then to add to the warm tones, incorporate light woods and white/tan accents in the wall tones, ceramics, and artwork. Of course you can incorporate darker woods if you want to, even if it's just a smaller area like the chair legs. It can serve as a nice distinction from the rest of the room and the table legs, but you can also switch up the chair legs to be lighter like the rest for uniformity if you prefer that look.
Aside from the upholstery on the chairs bringing out a particular undertone or shade, you can also use the room's other accents to define which shade you're leaning towards. Or, you can use accents to establish both gray and beige as the primary colors of the room. The rug under this table leans into gray, but the upholstery on the chairs leans into beige, as does the pottery on the table. There's nothing wrong with letting both colors be present in the room, just as long as they are the same level of vibrance as each other and are not hugely different in tone.
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In this dining room, the classic elegance of the dark wood table contrasts beautifully with the soft grey tones of the upholstered chairs and the patterned rug, while the fresh flowers in a silver vase and the patterned drapery add a splash of color and pattern to the sophisticated space.
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Gray has become popular in the past few years, and I don't see that trend ending any time soon. It is a timeless color that works with a neutral color palette or serves as the base for you to add in your personal flair and pops of vibrance. Whatever your design style, consider going with a gray color scheme in your dining room to create a stunning space that invites everyone to sit down and enjoy the space and the company.
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