We've Got the Grey-Blues– Bradford's Rug Gallery

We've Got the Grey-Blues

Are you like us? Do you have gray fatigue? Not that we don't like gray - we do! - it's just that with current trends, the vast majority of our customers are looking for grays, with gray furniture, walls, cabinets, and/or counter tops they want to match. When we are showing 7 out of 8 customers gray rugs we get really excited when someone comes along looking for a bright coral, a brilliant teal, or a soothing green.

Whether it's an accent wall, a colorful rug, or some cheerful upholstery there are lots of ways to introduce more color into your decor. We've collected some colorful inspiration photos from our favorite design magazines to help give you some ideas to work from. Many years of helping customers find the right rug have taught us that finding photos of spaces that you like can help give you direction and inspiration for your own space. Take a look at our inspiration picks and see if you have the gray-blues too. Let's spice things up with some color!

Photo courtesy Maine Homes by Down East Magazine

 

Pictured above is a warm, welcoming, coral room featured in Maine Homes by Down East Magazine. (The room was designed by one of our favorite designers, Annie Stickney of Annie Stickney Designs!) Though the main rug in the room is a subtle neutral you can see tucked back in the entryway a lovely vintage Persian scatter rug. It beautifully complements the room and provides a colorful and practical rug for the entry. Traditionally patterned and colored rugs are great at hiding dirt and can withstand the heavy wear of a main entry. Check out the 3'5"x4'10" Farahan Sarouk I picked out that I think would look equally nice in a beautiful coral room like this one.

 

Green is such a fresh and lively color! The inspiration photo above from New England Home Magazine uses a great balance of dark and light greens and blues creating a cheerful and interesting space without feeling over the top. You can easily create this look by starting off with a custom cut and bound carpet from Bellbridge. Their L-squared line of flat woven wool plaids offer some nice classics in great colors.

The great thing about a plaid (more properly known as a tartan) is that it is a true classic, and great for bridging disparate design styles. Additionally, plaids are an excellent way of introducing multiple colors into a space. Most plaid designs will incorporate 3 + colors, giving you a great range of options from which to choose an accent color.

A cool crisp room with white walls and neutral furniture may need the introduction of a pop of bright color. Over-dyed rugs can be a super fun way to get that great pop, as in this coastal room featured in New England Home Magazine. Over dyed rugs are literally old traditional rugs that have their original color bleached out and then they are re-dyed with a trendy new super-saturated color. They can get pricy but you can get the same over-dyed look in a much lower price point with Kaleen Rugs', Relic and Restoration Collections.

Products featured above: Relic Heriz in avacado, Restoration in blue, Relic Heriz in purple

Maine Home and Design writes of the this room designed by Campion Platt, pictured above, "Bright decor paired with white furniture and metal accents help to keep the space airy and fun. Accent chairs with a pop of color or texture add dimension to the space without feeling overwhelming." 

Overwhelming a space by adding color is a common concern. Striking the right balance is important, but that does not mean avoiding color entirely. Mixing brights with neutral colors, mixing both deeper tones and lighter tones of a color, or combining some color with natural elements, like wood, stone, or plants, can help keep a space feeling colorfully interesting but not overwhelming.

Products featured above: Samarkand, Kimono Gold, Fleur

Products featured above: Bombay 318D, Canaan Forest, Rochambeau

Color doesn't have to be bright and in your face, it can be just as calm and soothing as white or grey. Individual colors evoke different moods, and combining certain colors can create different moods. This is part of what is known as color theory. For a really simple and straight forward explanation of color theory and how color can help you achieve a desired effect, check out Colormatters.com Basic Color Theory. For example here is what they have to say about color harmony.

"Color Harmony

Harmony can be defined as a pleasing arrangement of parts, whether it be music, poetry, color, or even an ice cream sundae.

In visual experiences, harmony is something that is pleasing to the eye. It engages the viewer and it creates an inner sense of order, a balance in the visual experience. When something is not harmonious, it's either boring or chaotic. At one extreme is a visual experience that is so bland that the viewer is not engaged. The human brain will reject under-stimulating information. At the other extreme is a visual experience that is so overdone, so chaotic that the viewer can't stand to look at it. The human brain rejects what it cannot organize, what it cannot understand. The visual task requires that we present a logical structure. Color harmony delivers visual interest and a sense of order.

In summary, extreme unity leads to under-stimulation, extreme complexity leads to over-stimulation. Harmony is a dynamic equilibrium."

It's all about what is pleasing to your eye, that's the most important thing. Hopefully, if you are like us and are ready to move beyond just grays, you've found this post inspiring and helpful.

As always, if you have questions or would like some guidance come visit us at the gallery, we are always happy to help!