A few years ago, I was working on my newly purchased 70's style home. I was having a blast scouring the social media avenues for inspiration and running to home improvement stores to grab every paint chip possible to find the perfect color scheme for my home. I quickly became overwhelmed with the variety of tones, hues and shades of SO may colors! How in the heck was I going to pick a color that I was going to be happy with for the next 10-ish years?
My children had input in this decision too. You know what I love about kids? they have no fear. My girls went for the most vibrant, almost painful colors for their walls, and they were estatic about their color choices! Teal, orchid, baby blue and magenta were the top choices for these girls. And with a giddy excitement they were prepared to live with these colors on a day-to day basis with no regrets.
I, on the other hand, was still lamenting on the perfect neutral color. I wanted a gray tone, a safe, yet updated version of the well used color, taupe. Living in the Pacific Northwest though, I got repercussions from friends because 300 out of 365 days it is gray! I understood their worries, since we here suffer from "SAD" (seasonal affective disorder) and how the heck could I live with gray outside and inside! dilemma........
Somehow I couldn't settle on the perfect tone. I really wanted something like taupe, but really wanted gray. You say there is more than one color taupe? YES!!!
So many tones!!
Let me just explain my mentality on picking colors for just a second. In the 20-plus years of being a makeup artist, I helped many people pick out the perfect lip color. When a client came to me looking for a "pink" lip color, I envisioned bubblegum, you know, the Bubble Licious kind? After many swabs of lip color swatched over the client's back hand, I found pink was actually not bubble gum. It was a brownish, peach-ish, pinkish color. Or it was a pinkish, redish color, or it was a plumish, brownish, color. The point I am making is what one person thinks of as a certain color may not be actually what another is thinking of.
Another fun story is when I describe color to the opposite sex. Now, I am not bashing anyone, but when I say cornflower, ladies you know what color I am thinking of, right?
When I say this to a man, they look at me with a blank face. I'm sure it has something to with our Venus/Mars makeup, but I have come to the conclusion in the world of color, it is extremely personal and easy to interpret differently.
Now back to my house.
I love taupe. I love that it goes with almost everything. I also know it has been over used in wall color. But I love the brownish, grayish, beige-ish look that isn't Navajo White. Remember Navajo White? ugh...... I knew with my new color scheme I wanted something fresh and neutral but I also wanted something personal and fun. Taupe wasn't really falling into my wish list for this new houses' color scheme. But something was coming to the top of my new favorite list.
Functional Gray by Sherwin Williams. Not just gray, it has a great warmth to it that goes with so many color schemes. And it is not taupe! It has an incredible neutrality to it that makes it go with so many other colors.
Functional Gray
I love how this color still looks neutral, but not the typical "safe" taupe. You can add almost any accent color (navy is my favorite right now!) to this color and everything pops. Give it a try in a large room or a small room and with appropriate lighting and accent colors, you have a gem of a color.
Too gray for you? check out Sherwin Williams' website
and find your own favorite greige.