Grey is a neutral colour that can be fresh, contemporary and highly versatile, and which I personally love, when it is used appropriately.

Since about 2007 (and with a peak in 2017) there has been a boom of grey interiors appearing on the trendy property market. Property investors whose favourite colour had been (alas) magnolia for a very long while, started to catch up on the grey-boom in the past few years, probably since 2017.

Bearing in mind that withing any property investment the idea is to “create a fit space that creates wealth”, while it is great that property investors keep up with trends, it is also important to be able to create a cohesive scheme that ends up attracting the target market.

After being sent a few photos of spaces that had been just refurbished or styled for rental by some of my contacts (who initially thought they were achieving great results) I thought there is a lot of people out there who might need some advice. While I am not in a position of using the photos I am referring to, I can use other examples to convey the message.

Tapping on the target market’s subconscious in a way that makes them want to not only rent/buy your space but also pay the extra bit more for it, is an art. Often, badly put together schemes end up looking unattractive and they have the result of being a put off or an excuse to negotiate the price down, rather than the contrary.

I would like to bring you some example to demonstrate that just adding some grey elements is not going to be enough to create the end result you might be wishing for…

The style rules: use of greys, a feature wall, contemporary furniture (a modern furniture ‘package’ sounds great), and the addition of some luxury items (such as luxury bed-sheets) would make for a great space. Yes, on paper.

The space below has followed these interior scheme ideas.

However, the result is underwhelming and quite off putting. The room is cold, the colours (even though they are all neutrals) seem to be fighting one against the other, the space is not homely, and does not convey the warm feeling that brings someone wanting to live in this space.

The example below is another great example: the room has a contemporary colour scheme, the bed is dressed with all the cushions, and there is a throw in the bed too. However the end result is not what the creator probably had in mind (or I so hope): it is rather underwhelming, and even if we overlooked the state of the bed base, there is lot of clashing coulours, even though they are again all neutral colours.

So, what is it that makes a great space look great?

When creating a cohesive scheme there is a lot to take into account and colour is only one element, along with space, form, line, light, texture, and pattern. And colour is not just what you see when you first look at it.

To help you out on your choice of the one element that is colour, I want to give you a little insight of what to consider when working with any colours, including ‘neutral’ colours, such as white, cream, and of course, grey.

First thing you need to know about colour is that colour is the result of bounced light and therefore the colour of an object is determined by the wavelength of light that it reflects. The colour of the light itself is going to impact on the perception of the colour. A room facing west does not have the same natural light colour as a room facing east and therefore the exact same wall colour will end up looking different on the walls of these two different rooms. As a consequence the two rooms will end up feeling different: one will feel warmer and more welcoming, the other a little colder and less welcoming (with the same wall colours!).

The second hugely important thing to consider is that each colour has mass tone and an undertone. While the mass tone is the colour you immediately see, the undertone is the characteristic of the colour (hue) that is often concealed when a colour is viewed in isolation. You only notice the undertone when you put two colours next to one another (for example walls and carpets, walls and skirting boards etc).

Since we are talking about grey, it is worth to point out that greys have undertones, same as any other colour.

Almost everyone is familiar with a colour wheel and how it can help us putting together an interior colour scheme. However, if understanding how to select the correct colour is important, even more important is to be able to select the correct colour that also has the right undertone. Looking at a space that has good overall colour scheme but wrong undertones, makes our brain detect an ‘error’ even though we might not know where the ‘error’ is. Nothing undermines a good design more than clashing undertones. The result is that the scheme we observe ends up feeling wrong and therefore ends up being a put off rather than attractive (which is what happens in the two rooms I brought as an example at the beginning). The selected colours may have undertones that are fighting each other instead of working together. The mass tone and the undertone of the colours you select should work together to create a harmonious colour scheme.

I can easily demonstrate this with some more examples. So keep reading and consider this photo.

This is a typical colour scheme that sadly I often see: beige carpet and grey door, carpet and door are both neutral colours… In theory nothing could go wrong. However, the door has a certain undertone while the carpet has another undertone which does not complement the first one, and the result seems rather wrong.

In the photo below the same neutral colours scheme has been chosen: beige carpet and grey walls. Here however the scheme works amazing well, and even if we ignore other elements such as textures and lines, we can safely say that the colour scheme in itself works really well. This is because the undertones of carpet and walls are not clashing.

To demonstrate undertone further, have a look at the following image:

Yes, you guessed, it is grey. And below is a room that has been flooded with different shades of grey, which work very well together as a scheme because their undertone are cohesive.

Now I would like you to look at this other colour. Ok yes, this is grey again…

And below is another interior where grey has been used successfully. Again the undertone of the door paint and the undertone of the wall are cohesive.

Now. Have you noticed anything about the three grey colour swatches you have seen throughout this post? There were grey, correct? You have seen them in isolation and you have recognised the colour (grey). But, have you noticed the undertone (hue)?

Most certainly not!

Now look at the image below:

The above image is of the three swatches again, this time presented side by side. Now you notice the undertone, right? So, although these three greys are each one a medium/dark grey, they also are three very different medium/dark greys. With three very different undertones.

The undertone has been exaggerated at the top of the swatch.

In the image above I have exaggerated the undertone to allow you to identify it more easily.

The space below woks really well because the undertone of the grey used is well chosen for the pink colour it needs to complement. Can you tell what this undertone is?

Badly chosen undertones are even more detrimental to a scheme than badly chosen colours. As they are not immediately recognisable, they tend to work at unconscious level rather than at a conscious level… Go back and look at the first two photos in this article, with your new knowledge yiu should now see where the problem is.

While it is great that property investors keep up with trends, the grey-boom has gone to the extent where with all properties now being decorated in shades of grey (some better than others) we are witnessing a repetition of what happened with magnolia some years ago: only a very few properties stand out, and the rest are just a sea of grey and flat pack ‘furniture packs’... And they all look just the same or at least very similar (and therefore forgettable) and there is very little to no incentive for the end market to choose one property over another.

The effect that this has on the price that your end market is wiling to pay is obvious: if two properties are comparable then there is no incentive or justification to pay a higher price for a space that is totally comparable to the space next door, has not captured the target market’s attention, and has not engaged them emotionally.

If you want to make a difference and if you wish to increase your returns it is obvious that you have to step up and out of the grey area. Literally. After all, you have control over how much more above the average price your target market is willing to pay you for your investment. And it is proven that people’s emotions are what moves marketing of any product… ask any advertising agency ;).

If you would like help to ‘create a fit space that creates wealth’, do get in touch, I offer free consultation and it is easy to get hold of me.

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