It has always been believed that gray floors and gray walls in the interior evoke melancholy and monotony, however, the work of modern designers and technologists has turned this idea around. Today the market offers a huge variety of artificial surfaces with almost unlimited color options, so interior designers have the opportunity to expand their palette.
Gray laminate and gray floor tiles quickly became popular and it turns out that they can fit perfectly into any design project.
Possibilities and features of gray floor
- A dark gray floor in the interior can visually reduce the space of the room or make it narrower, while a light gray floor can cause the opposite effect.
- Not too dark shades of gray do a good job of uncluttering an interior cluttered with furniture, bringing a little freshness and lightness into it.
- A room with a gray floor creates a calm and cozy atmosphere, conducive to proper rest and recuperation.
- If you can find a laminate on sale that has an unusual color (a mixture of gray with beige or brown), then using such material you can create such an unusual gray floor in the interior that its appearance will change your entire understanding of the interior decor.
But the feeling of relaxation and harmony of space that people experience when they spend a long time in such interiors often prevents them from concentrating, their performance decreases and it becomes difficult to do any painstaking work. It is for this reason that the same designers do not recommend laying gray parquet or laminate flooring in study corners and work rooms.
But rooms in gray tones allow you to harmoniously collect your thoughts and tune in to a philosophical mood.
A gray floor color will look great in the interior of a bedroom or living room. Gray may seem no less attractive in the kitchen or dining area, provided that the owners are not afraid of the certain coldness of the atmosphere it creates. However, the last drawback can be easily corrected by adding bright colors or beige shades to the interior palette.
Layout features
Does gray color play a role in choosing a layout?
Designer tips
Irina
Irina Polyakova is the founder of an interior studio, architect and interior designer. The main area of work is kitchen design
Shade can really be important when the size of the kitchen is very modest. For example, if the design concept involves dark gray facades, which are undesirable for a small space, then eliminating the top row of cabinets may be a compromise. Thus, dark shades only in the design of the lower tier of the set will not affect the visual perception of the size of the room.
Another solution is a combination of a gray bottom and a light top for a corner, straight and U-shaped kitchen.
The idea of a two-row kitchen is difficult to implement, as it will require taking into account not only the size of the room, but also its proportions. To prevent the space between two dark rows of cabinets from turning into a narrow portal, decorate the apron in light colors.
Watch a review of a beautiful U-shaped kitchen in the video :
What interior styles does gray flooring suit?
When designing an interior, you should consider what wall color suits the gray floor and that it is not equally suitable for all styles.
It is best to fit a gray floor into the following interior styles:
- strict classic;
- high tech;
- modern
In addition, gray laminate will look good in some ethnic styles, for example, Scandinavian.
Photo of a gray floor in different interior styles (high-tech, modern, Scandinavian):
In order not to get a too cold, deathly gray interior, it is better to dilute it by experimenting with a warm palette of wall coverings, or add furniture from correctly selected types of wood. The color scheme of furniture can be quite rich; a light gray floor in the interior looks great with furniture of the following colors:
- vanilla;
- zebrano;
- wenge.
If the owner seems that the room lacks special softness and comfort, then this impression can be softened with the help of objects painted in warm colors, with a texture close to wood.
Advantages of coverage
When considering gray laminate in comparison with linoleum of the same color, preference should be given to the latter option. Although the panel floor has good technical characteristics, it is still inferior in several respects. Linoleum combines durability and low maintenance.
A rich assortment allows you to choose the material suitable for finishing a particular room. The gray color of linoleum in the interior has varieties with different textures, quality and appearance.
You can choose a plain linoleum, or with a pattern, or choose an imitation of stone, wood or slabs. The product is distinguished by high wear resistance, low slip and moisture resistance.
It is important that, unlike laminate sizes, of which there are a great variety, linoleum has only a few standard sizes, which makes it easier to select and install the coating.
And the last argument is the price. Only linoleum is distinguished by long service life, versatility and a rich palette. And all this can be obtained for a budget price.
How to combine a gray floor with other colors?
- The extreme options for gray are white and black. By connecting them, gray shades greatly soften their contrast, making the interior less flashy and provocative. But to create compositions with this color you need to have practical experience and professional knowledge. After all, it is not so easy to understand which walls are best combined with a gray floor, so that later there will be fewer problems with the selection of furniture.
- The combination of gray and blue colors looks very harmonious; this composition will fit perfectly into the interiors of a bedroom, living room or office.
- Gray pairs well with cool color palettes, including blues and purples.
- The combination of gray and yellow is quite rare, and an abundance of yellow inclusions should not be allowed, but light yellow-gray stripes would be appropriate.
- The best wallpaper for a gray floor is beige or light green; it will keep the interior cozy and make it elegant at the same time.
We imitate a tree
When choosing a gray floor for your design, the first thing you should pay attention to is the laminate. This material is quite cheap and durable, and by ordering this coating individually you can get any desired shade of the desired color. Also, when choosing a laminate, the customer can decide not only on the color, but also on the texture, which can imitate any natural material. In addition, this coating spreads easily, which will greatly facilitate the work of builders and save time for the customer and designer. Despite its artificial origin, laminate is completely harmless to the human body if it is made in accordance with all standards.
Problems with laminate flooring are rare, but they can still be inconvenient. The main issue that needs to be resolved before laying is waterproofing the future floor. Laminate, unfortunately, suffers from insufficient moisture resistance, and its seams are not sealed, which allows water and dirt to accumulate in them, destroying the coating.
Common mistakes with gray floors
The main disadvantage of a gray floor is its coldness. If the interior is not given warm accents, it will turn into a completely unattractive, lifeless desert. In addition, monotony cannot be allowed here, therefore, if gray doors with an incorrectly selected texture complement the gray floor, then such an interior may be doomed to failure in advance.
If the project has a light gray floor, what walls can harmonize with it? For example, not too bright, dark wallpaper is quite suitable, as well as introducing rather popular metallic-colored furniture into the interior. However, under no circumstances should you polish everything in a gray room until it shines, turning it into a chrome box.
To enliven even a hopelessly “gray” interior, you need to boldly use unusual patterns and ornaments, work with shades, glossy and matte surfaces, combine fur, silk and other textures.
Use in different rooms
Flooring in any shade - from natural linen to graphite - is suitable for all rooms in the house. Only the materials can differ - there are certain recommendations for each room.
Living room
Those who like to walk around the house barefoot will certainly choose a wooden floor, and lay rugs near the sofa and in some other places - lint-free or, conversely, with high pile.
For a walk-through living room that is used very actively, tiles are also suitable. For the floor, choose a matte, non-slip one.
Furniture does not have to be white at all - some items can be wenge or any other color. It’s good when the interior not only complies with the rules, but reflects the inner world of the owners. This makes it truly original.
Gray floor in the kitchen
The color of the floor in a gray kitchen or dining area may seem no less attractive, provided that the owners are not afraid of a certain coldness of the atmosphere it creates. The gray floor in the kitchen not only looks presentable, but is also extremely practical, since traces of dirt, grease and stains are much less visible on a gray background.
For small kitchens
A gray-white floor in a small kitchen will be no less acceptable than a combination of gray shades of different saturation, as well as gray-beige and gray-blue. In general, for small rooms, tiles need modest sizes.
If the goal is to visually increase the space, then it is better to lay either tiles with a simple, inconspicuous pattern, or without it at all, in a single color, since the more complex and noticeable the pattern, the more it conceals the space. On the contrary, a kitchen with a floor that has a smooth surface texture will appear more spacious and brighter.
For spacious kitchens
In spacious kitchens, ceramic tiles of any size can be installed, although larger elements look better here. Tile of non-standard shape, for example, hexagonal or with rounded edges, looks great. Here you can try a bunch of shapes and sizes, as well as different installation methods (diagonal, herringbone and others) to achieve an unusual look for the interior.
You can, abandoning stereotypical solutions, grout the tile joints with grout of a contrasting color. Then the grid of tile rows will appear more clearly, which will draw attention to the floor covering. If you use a darker grout, the tiles will appear cleaner and lighter.
Photo of a gray floor in the kitchen:
The combination of a gray floor in the kitchen with walls and furniture
It is very important to find a harmonious combination of the design of the floor, ceiling and walls. Also, you should not lose sight of kitchen furniture and accessories. However, you should always remember the functional features of this room, therefore, even if you have a gray floor in the kitchen, it is hardly worth installing white walls in it, since they will get dirty very quickly.
But if you add a white ceiling and light (but not white) walls to a gray floor, then visually the kitchen will be more spacious and brighter.
You should not try another option, where the ceiling is left in a light tone, but the walls are made darker than the floor covering. With this combination, the overall background becomes too dark, the room fades, becomes gloomy, and visually shrinks in volume.
When choosing wallpaper or tiles for walls, combining the color of the floor in a gray kitchen, you must take into account the degree of natural light in the kitchen room:
- On the sunny side, it is wiser to use cool or neutral tones (green, blue, turquoise) so that even a hot stove does not seem so hot.
- If the kitchen faces north, then it is better to warm up its atmosphere with a warm wall color (orange, yellow, peach). The warming color palette of the walls will make the gray floor more pleasant to perceive.
A gray plinth framing the floor of the same color will visually make its area larger, creating the illusion of its continuation.
White kitchen facades will look bright against the background of a dark gray floor, creating an elegant interior. Fans of playful combinations may wonder: if you make a gray floor in the kitchen, what color of the set should you choose? They can combine gray with acid lemon or yellow, bringing, for example, yellow chairs into the dining room interior, and hanging thin lemon organza on the windows. An excellent combination with a gray floor will be formed by cutlery, dishes and appliances made of stainless steel; fortunately, all this does not require a long search on sale.
Photo of a gray floor in the kitchen interior:
And it’s even better, instead of ordinary tiles, to use gray porcelain tiles for the floor, which is its relative, but has a better design and physical and mechanical characteristics. Gray porcelain tiles for the floor in the kitchen interior can be perfectly combined with furniture of a wide variety of colors. A neutral gray floor will be perfectly enlivened by colored spots of furniture, no matter what they are: metallic, wenge, pine or even white.
Psychologists say that the presence of warm colors in the kitchen stimulates appetite, and cold ones, on the contrary, reduces it. This property is especially important to consider for those who want to lose weight.
At the same time, there is no real reason to say that gray tiles make the kitchen interior dull and nondescript. It is important to find the right combination of materials and shades, and the gray kitchen will become beautiful and sophisticated.
Tile alternative
Recently, tile flooring has become no less popular than laminate. Various tiles (tile or any other), with the right arrangement and the right choice of color, can turn a room into a work of art, thanks to its versatility and the ability to experiment with shape and size. The tile covering looks very aesthetically pleasing and is easy to clean. If you choose matte tiles rather than glossy ones, the floor will be protected from scratches, but the threat of splitting the tiles will still remain relevant. In addition, correctly selected adhesive and properly laid tiles will ensure proper waterproofing, which will allow you to forget about dampness and not flinch because of every spilled drop of water.
When choosing a tiled floor, it is worth remembering that it will be quite cold, and it will be impossible to walk on it barefoot unless you first take care of heating. Also, sweeping up tiles when damaged is a rather troublesome task that is not always feasible.
Gray floor in the living room
You can choose a combination of gray with warm shades of wood so that it enhances this impression.
Shades of gray can perfectly emphasize the elegance of high-tech style. Here you also need to be guided by the rule of five colors: in addition to the main one, the interior can combine one additional color and no more than five different shades of gray.
If a gray living room lacks lighting, then to make it visually more spacious, you need to illuminate its walls with soffits, and to make it look sunnier, you can use yellow elements in the decoration of the floor and walls, for example, a large yellow panel or a floor carpet of the same color .
Photo of a gray floor in the living room interior:
Furniture and appliances
The main elements of the furnishings of most kitchens are a kitchen set and a dining group. In a spacious room or kitchen-living room, a sofa and sideboard can be added. It is undesirable to choose furniture that matches the walls so that the interior does not merge into a solid monochromatic spot.
To highlight a set, sofa or chairs against the general background in a monochrome kitchen, choose their design a tone darker or lighter.
If you want bright colors, then you can focus on a bright sofa or multi-colored dining chairs.
The dining table is usually chosen in light colors or wood. A black base with a light or wooden tabletop will also be a good solution for a gray kitchen.
The gray set harmoniously combines appliances of any color in the same style - both built-in and free-standing:
- gray facades and metallic appliances form a single monolithic ensemble;
- Black appliances can play in contrast with light gray facades. For example, a glossy refrigerator will stand out very effectively against a light gray background;
- white appliances will look good with light gray facades in a small kitchen, as it visually looks easier in the interior;
- Colored appliances will dilute the decor of a monochrome kitchen.
Gray floor in the bedroom
A bedroom design with a gray floor can easily be decorated in a neoclassical style if you use an antique-style chandelier with candles, a café-au-lait-colored carpet, and a shiny velvet bedspread in the interior. Gray laminate will perfectly emphasize the charm of such an interior.
Photo of a gray floor in a bedroom design:
Gray floor in the bathroom
An attempt to use gray ceramic tiles on the walls and floor of the bathroom will once again emphasize the restraint of forms and the refined simplicity of this room.
It can be safely combined with yellow, red, emerald green, beige and a host of other colors. You can use pearl gray as the main color, which will highlight bright color accents: gilded showers and taps, heated towel rail racks and other interior elements.
Would you like to have a gray floor in your home or have you already decided on it? Share your thoughts in the comments - we are interested in knowing your opinion.
Ideas for a modern interior
You can come up with an interesting solution using gray wallpaper or photo wallpaper. Photo wallpaper, in particular, can give the interior a unique character. Depending on preference, they can depict a nature or urban theme. They will help make the room visually larger and more interesting.
The same is the case with smaller formats of images or graphics placed on the wall. A bright and spacious living room with a view, for example, of Big Ben will be remembered by your guests for a long time. Large format black and white photo wallpaper will emphasize the lightness of the composition and create a feeling of spaciousness in the room.
If you dream of gray walls, immediately think about a palette: one-, two-color or multi-color. Such a room will perfectly display colorful, patterned wallpaper, photo wallpaper, as well as accessories in rich colors with strong energy.
Gray is the most fashionable color this year. It reigns on the catwalks, dazzles in showrooms and is associated with minimalist, cool contemporary arrangements. However, it is one of the most neutral colors in the palette, so it fits perfectly into any design. It looks great in both modern and traditional arrangements and offers virtually unlimited possibilities for fun styling and additions.
Thus, a fashionable apartment this season should have something gray. Regardless of whether it is wallpaper, furniture or just individual items. This color harmonizes perfectly with both natural materials - stone and wood, and artificial ones, with which it will interestingly emphasize the glamor style. It also goes well with white and black, as well as with the currently fashionable brick-like tiles, both in a natural reddish shade and in a white version.
A fashionable and modern option would be to decorate the walls with a concrete look using special slabs or tiles that imitate real concrete with a porous or glossy surface.
