6 Grey living room ideas, a shade for every style

Our love of the colour grey shows no sign of waning. The neutral shade has become a real classic. Why? It’s versatile, sophisticated and easy on the eye.

There are many different shades of grey (way more than 50!), which means that there’s a hue to suit any style of room. Large or small living rooms benefit from grey styling. Whether you’re into Scandi, mid-century, luxe or modern styling, there’s a grey design idea for you.

How do you want to feel in your living room? Calm and relaxed, glam and stylish, or cosy and comforted? There’s a grey colour for all of those moods and more.

What makes grey so versatile? The paint colour contains varied undertones. That gives you myriad choices of colours to play with and accentuate when you style your living room with grey paint. Here, we’ll share our insights into how you can transform your lounge with a simple, tasteful grey colour scheme.

Living Room Walls in Hoxton Grey™ No.72 - @violetandgeorge

1. Silver grey - the sophisticated shade

Give your living room a modern makeover with silvery grey paint. Pale in colour, it makes a room feel light and airy. If you add some metallic silver elements or even sparkling chandeliers, they will bounce natural light around the room beautifully.

Silver-grey is grown up and sophisticated. It feels luxe and special. This tone works well with minimalist home decor, used as a monochrome colour scheme along with white.

It’s a cool colour, so warm colours like blush pink or rose gold pair with it perfectly too. Cool grey is an ideal backdrop to brighter, warmer accent colours in your living space.

In this photo, Mylands' FTT-004™ silver paint is featured on the walls. It’s a silver grey colour. It brings lightness and shine, lifting a room with its metallic vibrance.

Wall in FTT-004™

2. Deep grey - the dark and brooding shade

If you want to make an impact in your living room, go for a deep, dark grey colour palette. Darker greys are intense and dramatic, yet smart and elegant.

Deep grey provides a perfect backdrop to striking artwork and metallic accessories as shown in the picture below. Here, partially white walls and woodwork, along with pale flooring prevent it looking drab and dull. The addition of fluffy textures in the furnishings and upholstery provide softness. A soft velvet sofa or super soft grey carpet would work well as part of this room decor.

This modern living room is super stylish and oozes confidence. The deep, brooding grey walls feature Lock Keeper™ No.18. The black bookcase, fireplace and furniture add to the drama and intensity, but the white and pale elements (such as the throw on the footstool) provide the necessary lightness and contrast.

Walls in Lock Keeper™ No.18 - @siobhaise

3. Neutral grey - the soft and calming shade

Grey has become the modern, neutral tone. Move over cream, white and beige tones, soft grey is today’s easy, classic wall colour of choice. It makes a great alternative to a white living room.

Soft grey living room walls create an air of serenity and calm in a room. It’s easy on the eye and inoffensive. It lends itself to layering to add a bit of life and oomph to the look. Start with your neutral tone and then add deeper tones and textures.

Here, the walls are painted in Rose Theatre™ No.249 - the base colour. It’s an interesting grey, mixed with white and pastel pink for warmth and softness. The rugs add layers of grey colour and texture. The stylish grey furniture provides another tone, plus shape and structure. Together with the black fireplace, the room looks balanced and varied.

Lower Wall in Rose Theatre™ No.249, Upper Wall Fitzrovia™ No.26 - @siobhaise

4. Earthy grey - the natural and comforting shade

We’ve mentioned greys with blue and pink hues. Earthy greys have undertones of brown and/or green. They’re the colours found in nature - just look around. This tone has been called ‘greige’ - a neutral combining grey, beige and even green.

Earthy greys are much richer and deeper than the cool, light grey hues. It pairs really well with natural elements like wood and stone, which also provide interesting texture.

This grey (Mylands Flanders Grey™ No.110) contains some olive green tones which lends itself to mid-century styling. Think warm wood living room furniture. Teal and orange provide perfect splashes of colour to bring some vibrancy. Jewel-toned cushions or lamp shades would be a simple way to lift the neutral walls.

Walls in Flanders Grey™ No.110, Woodwork in Maugham White™ No.2, Floorboards treated with Earth Stain Chalk

Alternatively, Mylands Limestone™ No.55 paint is grey with some yellow and brown notes. It also has a natural feel to it, and lends itself to being paired with some bolder tones like the greens and golds in this picture.

Walls in Limestone™ No.55

5. Cool grey - the natural and fresh shade

This pale grey works really well for a contemporary, coastal style instead of the traditional blue and white scheme. It’s fresh, airy and light - like Scandinavian styling.

Coastal chic incorporates pale wooden flooring, rattan or wooden coffee tables, soft linens and natural textures. The pale grey provides a calming, simple backdrop for the scene. It’s reminiscent of stones on the beach or slightly stormy seas.

If you want to go a bit bolder, this cool grey tone pairs extremely well with navy blue. It will still retain the coastal theme, but is a slightly bolder colour combination. Try a navy blue feature wall as a focal point. Against cool grey surroundings, it makes for a stylish, contemporary living room design.

Walls in Sloane Square™ No.92, Woodwork in Pure White™ No.1 - @laurabutlermadden

6. Chalky grey - the classic and simple shade

This warm grey has more depth to it than the cool hues. It’s a classic grey colour with a bit of complexity. It sits well against white woodwork and ceilings for balance and light. You could consider using the warm grey on a lower section of wall, particularly if it has a design feature like wall panelling or a dado rail, with white upper walls for contrast.

Lighting is all important with grey living rooms. Warm lighting creates a perfect balance against grey. Simply selecting the right light bulb or adding a floor lamp will really change the room’s atmosphere and make it feel more welcoming.

Looking for a classic, chalky grey? Mylands' Empire Grey™ No.171 is a confident yet charming choice.

Wall in Empire Grey™ No.171, Floorboards in Pure White™ No.1

Stone Castle™ No.71 is a darker, but equally warm grey paint. The brown undertones prevent it from being crisp and cold. It adds depth and interest when used as a contrast colour to a paler tone as seen in this photo.