- Gray is a neutral that can look right with just about any color of clothes or paint.tanj_gray_j image by Sergey Tokarev from Fotolia.com
What colors match gray? The short answer is, just about everything. The longer answer is, it depends on the type of gray. Whether you're making a color drawing, painting walls of a room, or trying to match your clothes, you can probably find a color to match just about any shade of gray. - A cool gray--that is, a gray with cool colors mixed in--will match cool colors. A gray can have blue overtones, green overtones or violet overtones and still be "gray." If you're not sure what type of gray you're working with, compare your gray against a swatch of "pure gray"--that is, a neutral without any shades of a color. Swatches of colors are available at stores that sell paint. Note that a blue will match gray-blues, a green will match gray-greens, and so on.
- As with cool grays, warm grays match warm colors. Again, compare the gray you are trying to match to a neutral gray swatch to help you decide whether your gray is "warm" and which overtones of color it has in it. Note that warm grays may match shades of brown as well, but that can be a tricky color combination to pull off effectively. Look for a gray that is closer to taupe, a gray-brown color not usually classified as "straight" gray. Also note that yellows, although they are warm colors, don't usually look right with a yellow-gray.
- A perfectly neutral gray, which doesn't really swing in the direction of warm or cool, can make a nice accent for some colors. This should be addressed on a case-by-case basis. A bold red, with a light gray and white or black, can send a bold message in a living room. Yellow, light gray and white can be very chic for bedroom decorating or a wedding color scheme. Gray and violet or lavender are a common color combination for a look that is feminine and mature. Combinations of black and neutral gray add a level of sophistication and seriousness in clothing styles.
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