Grey and yellow living room using Dulux Colour of the Year 2025, True Joy
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Grey living room ideas to inspire you

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In need of grey living room ideas?

Grey has been one of the most popular shades for people decorating their homes for the past few years.

Where brighter colours flit between trends, grey is the one constant.

It doesn’t have to look dull and uninspiring, a grey colour scheme can be the perfect neutral backdrop to let your interior style truly shine.

Whether you pair it with another colour, or stick with a predominantly grey colour scheme and include a feature wall – there are a myriad of options to choose from.

It’s not just decorating with grey either, many of us opt for grey sofas and furniture to ensure they will suit a variety of colour schemes.

This way, should we choose to redecorate, you might not have the extra expense of replacing furniture to fit the new look.

Read on for more ideas on grey living room schemes, furniture and accessory ideas to get some inspiration for your own home.

Grey Colour Schemes

Grey is a popular choice for decorating as it’s versatile, with so many different shades and styles to choose from.

It works with almost any colour to, so if you want to have a dual colour scheme you have a lot of different options, too.

We’ve explored some of the different grey colour scheme ideas so you can get a feel for the one that will suit your living room the best.

Grey living room space

  • Entertainment centre with integrated media units, shelving and TV mount in Fenix Beige Arizona & Terra Grey from Rotpunkt, prices start at £12,500 + VAT – find out more and purchase here

Matt Phillips, Head of UK Operations at Rotpunkt told us: “The latest living room is taking its inspiration from the world around us, with next year’s colour palette for the modern home presenting a series of monochromatic and neutral shades that range from muted tones to bold pops of colour.

“Shades of white, grey and black will remain popular in 2025 as a great foundation colour to either match, complement or contrast in style.

“2025 will also see a new focus on quality raw materials as a way to bring a cosy minimalist style and contemporary warmth to the UK home.

“The markets enduring love of grey continues to stay strong, and I believe this is down to the many shades of grey available in the marketplace.

“From warm, pinkish tones through to greenish-blue shades, grey remains a go-to foundation colour for the contemporary living space.”

Grey living room ideas: mixing it up

Breaking up the grey tones with other contrasting colours is a popular move, whichever shade of grey you choose.

Warming up a lighter grey with a bold shade of mustard, green or blue can really take your grey colour scheme to the next level.

Alternatively, you can mix up grey furnishings and furniture with pastel or brightly coloured walls.

For example, the way the bright green elevates the grey furniture and furnishings in this living room and home office area.

Green and grey living room

It’s not just green that can help grey to pop though, we love this combination of a classic grey living room with bold yellow to contrast.

It’s created using Dulux colour of the year 2025, True Joy and combines the subtle tones of the darker grey with the sunshine bright yellow.

This look is extra impactful by the addition of yellow and grey soft furnishings, further bringing out the brightness in the walls and creating a warm, cosy atmosphere.

Grey and yellow living room using Dulux Colour of the Year 2025, True Joy

    Dark interiors

    A lot of us have a certain image of what a grey living room looks like.

    This could possibly include crushed velvet and diamante décor, however it can be far more contemporary than that.

    Opt for a darker grey to suit a more eclectic space and accessorise with darker accessories that reflect your own personal style.

    This set up using striped wallpaper from Lucie Annabel is a darker scheme (the wallpaper combines a lighter grey with a dark blue) but it really makes the room accessories stand out.

    The brassy lamp, photo frame and telescope all glow against the darker interior, stopping it from becoming moody grey.

    The use of panelling with the stripes creates a more interesting look than the classic grey, too.

    Darker grey living space with leather armchair

    • Regent Stripe wallpaper in Oxford Blue and Warm Grey, £75 per roll at Lucie Annabel – buy here

    Adding a feature wall

    Panelling is a popular way to make a grey interior scheme more dimensional, and the trend really took off post-pandemic with many attempting the trend to help make rooms look bigger.

    That can be an added benefit, but we like the look for adding detail and breaking up the block of paint or wallpaper in a room. Discover our top tips for DIY panelling here.

    Another option for a feature wall to make your living room look more 3D is using wallpaper for one wall rather than four walls of grey paint.

    This is a great opportunity to introduce another colour, or a jazzy pattern, whatever your preference might be.

    This grey forest wallpaper from Wall Sauce is a great example of a wallpaper that transforms the room and makes it appear larger and more 3D.

    We could almost find ourselves trying to walk into the beautiful enchanted forest!

    Grey wallpaper forest

    • Forest Dusk wallpaper, from £35 per metre squared from Wall Sauce – buy here

    Grey living room ideas: furniture

    It’s not only the decorating scheme that can create a grey living area, the furniture, furnishings and added accessories are also crucial for creating a gorgeous grey colour scheme.

    From grey sofas to blinds, rugs and cushions, you can maximalise your neutrals as much as you like.

    Grey sofas

    A grey sofa is a popular choice, as aforementioned, it’s neutral so will fit in with almost any colour scheme or pairing.

    It’s also a safe choice with pets or young children, being discrete with hairs and stains depending on the shade you opt for.

    Crucially, there are also plenty of options to choose from.

    This light grey sofa blends in with the lighter interiors, and wooden table.

    It’s flexible in that it would fit with a brighter scheme just as well, and could be dressed up with different coloured throws, cushions and more.

    Grey sofas in living room

    • Arta 4.5 seater luxury modern sofa, £1,299 from Furniture Outlet – buy here

    If you’re looking for something more contrasting, the green walls contrast beautifully with this lighter grey sofa option.

    The coloured furnishings go beautifully, too, showcasing how grey literally can suit any scheme.

    Grey sofa from Barker and Stonehouse

    • Fabric 2.5 seater corner sofa with left hand cuddler end, £3595 from Barker and Stonehouse – buy here

    Finally, this grey sofa offering from Furniture Village is showcased in a predominantly light grey scheme.

    It showcases how the use of faux flowers, brassy tones and darker furniture can help to contrast against the grey.

    • Blenheim 4 seater classic back sofa, £2595 from Furniture Village – buy here

    Grey curtains and blinds

    We chatted to Leah Aspinall, Head of Design at Blinds 2go about the ongoing trend for grey living rooms.

    “Grey is often misinterpreted as being a cold colour, but can actually bring a warm and comforting neutral palette to your living room.

    “Not only is it versatile, meaning you can change your accents and patterns again and again while retaining key design elements, such as wallpaper and curtains, the same.

    “But, grey on its own is an excellent colour choice, too.

    “Grey can also be as experiential as you’d like.

    ‘You can bring character into your home by choosing grey décor options that encompass patterns, with florals like our William Morris Willow Bough Mink Curtains or even tartan with our Gainsborough Stone Roman Blind.”

    Whether you choose to have grey curtains or blinds in your living room, or decide to select a contrasting colour, there are plenty of options available.

    William Morris grey curtains in grey living room

    If you prefer a blind, this patterned roller blind is a contemporary solution with its white background and grey pattern.

    It instantly leaves the room feeling brighter and will suit any contrasting grey colour scheme.

    Grey roller blind


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