Grey bedroom ideas – from the super glam to the ultra modern
Whether you favour a contemporary or traditional look, you can't go wrong with grey in a bedroom
If you’re looking for grey bedroom ideas, you’re in good company. On-trend grey is fast becoming the ‘new magnolia’ and seems to be everyone’s colour of choice when it comes to decorating. High-street and designer outlets have cottoned on to this and are bursting with grey in all its multiple gradations and across every conceivable product – the only difficulty will be deciding what’s right for you.
Take your style into consideration when planning a grey colour scheme. If you prefer a modern bedroom, you may want deeper, more dramatic shades of grey. Team them with metal and glass for an industrial edge. In a country, vintage or traditional bedroom scheme, bring in gentle powdery tones of blue or pink to temper the grey. One of the joys of decorating with grey is its sheer versatility – it looks great in absolutely any style of room as you will see with our grey bedroom ideas below.
Choose the right shade of grey
Image credit: Colin Poole
Picking a grey for your walls is rather like choosing a white paint – there are far more to sift through than you might ever imagine. To get the best look for your space, try out plenty of samples on your walls and see how they work in different lights before committing. This soft grey sits beautifully with luxe cream furnishings and comforting textiles, creating a harmonious scheme.
Get the look
Buy now: Mimosa headboard, £375, and Mimosa ottoman, £495, both Loaf
Buy now: similar side table, Sweetpea & Willow
Wow without colour
Image credit: Oliver Gordon
Grey is ideal for the colour shy, and easily creates beautiful schemes full of wow factor. This sumptuous room has no brights in sight, but is none the less for it. In fact, with the leafy print wallpaper, Gustavian headboard and amazing sunburst mirror, it’s a masterclass in decorating with grey.
Get the look
Buy now: similar mirror, Wayfair
Add zing with lime
Image credit: Jonathan Gooch
Don’t feel that you have to ban bright colours from a grey room, though. With its neutral look, grey is super versatile and works well with many a block colour, as you can see in this stylish room with lime-green accents. Choose tactile fabrics and opulent furniture designs to make your scheme feel special – this chaise longue is definitely on our wish lists.
Get the look
Buy now: chaise longue, Designer Sofas 4U
Buy now: Nigel Cooke paintings, Wyecliffe Galleries
Give grey a rustic feel
Image credit: Brent Darby
Grey schemes can be totally sleek, but they can also be charmingly rustic. Immaculately painted walls don’t need to be paired with glossy furniture – distressed finishes look amazing, too. This room has a beautifully Scandi-country feel, and the ‘marshmallow’-like bedding and soft-coloured accessories keep the decor natural and relaxed.
Get the look
Buy now: similar bed, The French Bedroom Company
Buy now: eiderdown, Sarah Hardaker
Be inspired by hotel chic
Image credit: Davide Lovatti
If you love a hotel getaway, why not create some of the magic back at home. Signature pieces such as textural wallpaper, framed black and white prints and an upholstered headboard will make you feel like you’re on a city break every day of the week. In this stylish room, a mixture of subtle patterns and block greys act as a neutral base for the standout monochrome bed, which keeps the scheme classic and totally contemporary.
Get the look
Buy now: headboard upholstered in Check Stripe in Navy, George Spencer
Buy now: Les Mineraux Opale wallpaper, Arte
Search for the blue tones
Image credit: Lizzie Orme
Accessories such as cushions have a massive role to play despite their compact size. In this room, their impact is two-fold: first of all, the block-coloured blues pick out the blue tones in the grey wall paint; and secondly the hello cushion adds instant modern appeal. Not bad for such small objects.
Get the look
Buy now: similar hello cushion, Etsy
Buy now: Bumble side tables, £70 each, Habitat
Paint a subtle feature wall
Image credit: Rachael Smith
In an eaves or attic bedroom, make decorative use of sloping walls and ceilings. In this room, a gentle grey has been used on the feature wall to offset the white paint used elsewhere. The contrast emphasises the lovely lines of the architecture, opening up what is quite a small space. Darker grey has been limited to lighting, bed and throw here, with exquisite touches of pattern on cushions and a primrose armchair that warms up the greys.
Take a simple – but effective – approach
Image credit: Nikki Crisp
If deep grey is a bit scary in a small bedroom, accessorise with it rather than decorating with it. This grey bedroom is actually a completely white room, but the luxurious velvet bed throw, cushions and smart Roman blind dominate the space. An open shelving unit positioned behind a bed can function as headboard and bedside tables as well as storage.
Get the look
Buy now: Carrington Collection bedding set, from £35, The White Company
Buy now: Hygena Squares Plus cube storage unit, £99.99, Argos
Drape beautiful florals
Image credit: Jan Baldwin
Pick mid grey for walls but keep ceiling and woodwork white for a sophisticated backdrop to a bedroom decorating scheme. Look for a modern take on the four poster bed – this darkwood version has something of the East about it. Soften the frame by draping with a silk or satin floral fabric – this one is in a pretty, toning pink.
Get the look
Buy now: Canton four-poster bed, £1,435, Lombok
Buy now: Coromandel fabric in Smoke, £119 per m, Designers Guild
Embrace a bygone era
Image credit: Jon Day
If you are going all out for glamour, pay attention to your headboard. Choose an ornate scrolling design that will set the benchmark for the rest of the decorating scheme – this one sports a burnished silver finish. Look for a wallpaper print that can emulate its ornate detailing and bring in mirrors and polished chrome lighting. Silver finishes have a natural affinity with lilac so use it as your accent shade on bedding.
Make it metallic
Image credit: Tom Leighton
Metallic materials and silver tones bring elegance and glamour to a grey scheme. This tile-effect wallpaper in distressed shades of pewter adds intensity to this striking bedroom scheme, which is finished with Prussian blue velvets and faux furs.
Get the look
Buy now: Kings Mirror wallpaper, £95 per roll, Cole & Son at Wallpaper Direct
Buy now: Regal headboard, from £410, The Dormy House
Mix your hues
Image credit: James Merrell
Dark floorboards set against white walls could look harsh, but a grey wall makes the scheme easier on the eye. Black and white prints and monochrome bed linen unite the soft furnishings with the decor and give this master bedroom a contemporary look.
Get the look
Buy now: similar bed frame, £450, John Lewis
Buy now: cushions, Amara
Prefer something more colourful? READ: Bedroom colour schemes to brighten your life
Pick the perfect backdrop
Image credit: Jake Curtis
A light grey colour is a more welcoming and relaxed alternative to white, and proves that going grey doesn’t have to mean dark and moody. A brilliant option for bright and airy bedrooms, this shade prevents the space becoming stark and provides a soft backdrop for a mix of original arts, crafts and retro details.
Venture over to the dark side
Image credit: James French
Grey is a cosy choice for a bedroom, especially in its darker tones. It also provides a fantastic contrast to bold, graphic patterns, such as the chevrons on this upholstered headboard. Soften the look with pops of pink in your accessories and add extra glow with exposed squirrel cage lightbulbs on colourful cables – these will also make a neat alternative to bedside table lamps if you’re short on space.
Buy now: Chevron fabric, £5.75 per m, My Fabrics
Buy now: Leitmotiv Z desk lamp, £35.99, Wayfair
Create a restful hideaway
Image credit: Claire Davies
This bedroom uses shades of grey to create a calming haven. The feature wallpapered wall, while covered in a busy pattern, uses the palette of grey and white, which softens it. The colour theme continues throughout the room, with grey walls complementing bedside furniture. Different tones appear in the soft furnishings to ensure the colour theme does not become monotonous.
Buy now: MissPrint Muscat wallpaper, £64 per roll, John Lewis
Buy now: Rossetti bed, £549, Feather & Black
Turn up the heat with pink
Image credit: Adrian Briscoe
To avoid an overly masculine or dark look, flashes of bright colour can be used to break up the scheme and add a modern edge. Cerise pink highlights work brilliantly with the grey scheme in this stylish bedroom and immediately draw the eye to certain parts of the room. The spotty bed is a big attention grabber, too.
Whatever look you want from your bedroom – from minimalist Scandi to dark and dramatic – grey has the potential to create a striking scheme. We hope you have fun with your decorating.