Gray seems to be everywhere we look—runways, restaurants, shops—but the number of tones to choose from for your own home can be overwhelming. “Never mind 50 shades—the human eye can, it’s been claimed, detect more than 500,” writes Kate Watson-Smyth, an interiors journalist and the author of Shades of Grey: Decorating With the Most Elegant of Neutrals (Ryland Peters & Small, $30). In this new book, Watson-Smyth, named the “goddess of gray” by her Twitter followers, shares her advice—and the opinions of many industry experts, from decorators to stylists—for discovering that one perfect gray paint. The secret to the right color, she explains, lies in the characteristics of your space. “To find the best shade, you need to consider which direction your room faces, what time of day you will be in there, the prevailing weather (even the hemisphere makes a difference), and last of all (in fact, let’s be honest, least of all) the actual shade you like,” writes Watson-Smyth. Charcoal or slate, silver or gunmetal—which one will you pick?
Click through to see the book’s advice.
