For a pop of color, pair a cooler-toned gray with a bold cobalt blue like this example from Delish‘s new test kitchen. Using it in small doses can help the hue not feel as overwhelming or too visually busy.

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In this Jeremiah Brent designed home, a cool, sage-like gray is warmed up thanks to terra-cotta velvet and natural wood accents. It adds just enough color to this office space without distracting from the tasks at hand.

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Monochrome can be a great way to streamline a space and make it feel luxurious and restful. Vary the gray tones to add dimension and visual interest to the room.

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In House Beautiful‘s 2023 Whole Home, this kitchen is grounded with a deep green-gray hue on the cabinetry. To lighten the space, the molding and surrounding walls were painted a bright, warm white.

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Channel your inner English countryside by pairing your light gray walls with hunter green cabinetry and upholstery. Warmer woods and patterned tile tie the entire room together. “We didn’t want anything that felt modern here,” designer Amanda Jacobs says.

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Gray can feel quite modern and futuristic, so in order to ground it in the present, pair the hue in deep mahogany wood antiques. This pantry, designed by Whittney Parkinson in House Beautiful‘s 2022 Whole Home, uses a textured gray wallpaper to further add depth.

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Philip Smith was in search of a table when “a friend of mine’s mother passed,” he says, adding, “I adored her, and when my friend went through her things she said, ‘there’s a table here with your name on it! I was nearly in tears.” The gray-blue patina looks beautiful next to the chrome chairs and green-gray wall paint.

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Light griege, black accents, and brass fixtures create a beautiful, polished mood in this living room designed by Ray Attanasio.

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We’re loving the pops of jewel tones in this living room designed by Courtney McLeod. Bold shades of marigold and magenta are softened by the warm gray walls.

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The gray, swirling clouds in Anne Hepfer’s dining room—papered in a Cole & Son Fornasetti print—feel anything but bleak with the addition of punchy blues.

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Gold and coral tones warm up the charcoal sofa and light gray painted walls in this living room designed by Alison Victoria.

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With its vibrant purple rug and charcoal gray cabinets, this Nicole Fuller-designed office makes work feel like play.

Verdant, leafy green and trelliswork makes this pale gray office designed by Joe Lucas feel like an enchanted garden.

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In House Beautiful’s 2019 Whole Home, design whiz Vern Yip showed how deep shades of golden yellow and brass can add glamour to layers of gray.

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David Frazier divided the main living room into two distinct zones, one for lounging and visiting, and one for dining and working. The large pendant light and antique pieces personalize the more generic bones of the building, and Benjamin Moore’s Simply White makes for a more interesting impression than plain white.

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