When it comes to home styles, Not Everyone Loves the “It” Color

Home style preferences are ever-changing. From flooring to appliances, lighting to landscaping, trends come and go. And in time, come around again.

For example, yesteryear’s must-have avocado kitchen appliances are now typically considered an eyesore. Wall to wall carpeting once signified high comfort and even luxury. Today, not so much. Today it’s hardwood, laminate and tile, with maybe carpet in a particular room, such as a nursery.

Then there are the walls — broad expanses of color that dramatically impact the feel of a home. Deep dark colors create a feeling of warmth, but depending on available daylight, can also make a space feel small. Lighter colors create a brighter, more expansive feel.

Which brings us to gray. Or grey. The au currant color of interior walls for the past five to ten years.

Do you love it? Hate it?

Following are thoughts on grey from 50+ folks chatting online.

• Gray is the current “darling of the neutrals”. To me it usually looks like white in need of cleaning
• Not a fan. It will soon be the avocado green or harvest gold of the ‘70s
• I can’t stand beige, so my house has been shades of gray and white for years. Absolutely neutral. I love color and art provides a perfect backdrop. There’s virtually no color that doesn’t look great with it. Yellows, reds, blues, greens… all work. The trick is knowing if your gray is more warm or cool and have other colors go the same way.
• Your surroundings and how they make you feel are important. The gray trend didn’t last long in my house. It brought me down. You can spice it up with reds/oranges/yellows/pinks. (Opposites of gray on a
  color wheel).
• Gray is on its way out. Earth colors on the way back
• If you might be selling soon, your realtor will likely urge you to paint in greys, whites or beiges if walls are not already neutral.

On the flipside, if you’re looking to buy, you’ll find neutrals rule. The great thing about that: applying color over a neutral base is quick work!
Last word: a great way to sate the desire for color while preserving the brightness of neutrals: consider a bold accent wall.