Interior Design

Interior designer Sophie Paterson shows us how to use grey in our interiors

Comfort, sophistication and practicality is at the heart of Sophie Paterson's design studio

Sophie Paterson on using grey in interiors
(Image credit: Future / Emma Lee)

Interior designer Sophie Paterson runs Sophie Paterson Interiors in London, specializing in luxury residential interiors throughout the UK and overseas for both private clients and developers. 

Here, she uses her expertise to reveal how to master the grey look in your home – from grey living room ideas to sophisticated grey bathrooms.

1. Decorate with a tonal color palette

Sophie Paterson on using grey in interiors

(Image credit: Paul Raeside)

'Greys, purples, taupes and creams all work very well when creating a cozy, traditional scheme. Sophie recommends avoiding the use of stronger colors, like yellow, red and green, which tend to overpower – this look should be very natural and muted.'

2. Play with grey in a nursery

Sophie Paterson on using grey in interiors

(Image credit: Carpetright)

'Going gender-neutral is a practical decorating choice for a nursery, or for when a boy and girl are sharing a room.If you’re preparing a room for an imminent new arrival and have avoided the temptation to find out the sex of the baby, go for a monochrome scheme that will work equally well for either sex. Grey is the perfect hue to create a scheme that is simple, yet stylish. You can always add colour with accessories.'

3. Go for a darker shade of grey

Sophie Paterson on using grey in interiors

(Image credit: Future / Richard Powers)

'A media room is the perfect place to decorate with darker shades. The beauty about darker tones is that they often bring intimacy to larger rooms, and this cosy space is no exception. Warm your space up further with accents of burnt terracotta and lashings of greenery.'

4. Mix classic with contemporary

Sophie Paterson on using grey in interiors

(Image credit: Future / Lisa Cohen)

Sophie is a firm believer that the look can be translated into both classic and contemporary homes. Each shade of grey is capable of creating a completely different look, and should not be considered as being for purely modern or industrial interiors. If in doubt, opt for a mutual balance between taupe and a mid-tone grey.

5. Go for gorgeous grey materials

Sophie Paterson on using grey in interiors

(Image credit: Aston Matthews)

'Grey is a divine shade for the bathroom as it evokes a simple, clean aesthetic. This effect of book matching is achieved when a block of veined marble is cut into slabs. The effect is simply stunning.'

6. Take it to bed

On-trend grey is fast becoming the ‘new magnolia’ and seems to be everyone’s colour of choice when it comes to decorating the bedroom.If you prefer a modern bedroom, you may want deeper, more dramatic shades of grey, as show here.Warmer greys can be used anywhere you want to create a cosy, enveloping feel – perfect for a north-facing room that needs the cold taking out of it.

See ourgrey living room ideas –for gorgeous neutral schemes

Jennifer Ebert
Deputy Editor (Digital)

Jennifer is the Digital Editor at Homes & Gardens. Having worked in the interiors industry for a number of years, spanning many publications, she now hones her digital prowess on the 'best interiors website' in the world. Multi-skilled, Jennifer has worked in PR and marketing, and the occasional dabble in the social media, commercial and e-commerce space. Over the years, she has written about every area of the home, from compiling design houses from some of the best interior designers in the world to sourcing celebrity homes, reviewing appliances and even the odd news story or two.