Color Story: Sometimes...Gray is the Way

source: pottery barn (alessandra floral)

By-and-large, I'm not too interested in gray. It's aesthetic qualities are undeniable. Gray can set off other colors to perfection. It can set a variety of moods, depending on the shade. But I'm never drawn to it personally. Everything in my home fits together. Not matches, but everything just works. My aunt noted that every color in my apartment could be found in my favorite winter hat. 

But sometimes gray just nails it. It's the perfect thing to allow a lively pattern to play forth without overwhelming the eye. I tend to really like palampour floral prints, and there are some grays out there right now using gray + palampour to make pretty, soothing, cozy bedding:

i could fall right in provided the quilt and shams were changed to a pale purple or mauve. and that fern throw pillow was covered up.

i prefer the gray side of this. the striated background gives it a dimensional impression that adds to the textural look. the ruffled flange is luxurious and feminine. source: anthropologie (camille)

And then there's this more eclectic pattern of tribal, chevron with a colorful floral appliqued on top. Big splashes of color on a lively pattern that is all mitigated by the calm base color. 

source: anthropologie (stellata)