The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
FIFTY+ SHADES
Our love affair with grey is deep and lasting but it requires care and commitment. Thankfully there’s an informative new book to guide us through it, says Jacqueline Wake Young
Who killed Magnolia? Grey was the prime suspect – until author and interiors expert Kate WatsonSmyth proved its innocence. Ikea is the true culprit, she argues in her excellent decorating book Shades Of Grey, because it made halogen bulbs more affordable.
Poor Magnolia, which once revelled in the warmth of tungsten bulbs, doesn’t look her best in the cooler, clearer light of modern, more environmentally-friendly bulbs.
Grey, meanwhile, works beautifully and so it is everywhere, on walls and floors and accessories.
And boy do we love it. But there’s our first mistake – grey isn’t an “it” but a “them”.
Watson-Smyth points out there are hundreds of shades of grey; Dulux alone offers 557 different greys. And this is what makes grey so exciting, so intriguing and oh so tricky.
Get it wrong and you could be left with a living room that resembles a police cell or an entertaining area that’s an absolute snoozefest.
And grey can create more problems than just an unattractive wall to repaint.
Watson-Smyth cites research from colour psychology experts who warn grey can drain energy and lower mood.
The general consensus seems to be that grey is not a good idea for children’s rooms or spaces used for creativity.
And yet, grey is still worth the effort. As Watson-Smyth says: “Grey is the perfect neutral. It looks fresh and modern. It goes with every other colour on the wheel… it is the shade of the moment.”
Shades of Grey by Kate Watson-Smyth is published by Ryland Peters & Small, priced £16.99.
Grey leaf print cushion, £14.99, M&Co.