I’m on a mission to lighten up the look and feel of our living room and have been on the hunt for the perfect greige for repainting this space. Luckily for me, I have this huge group of home decor lovers (you guys!) who were willing to share your go-to greige paint colors! I asked for your favorites on Instagram and Instagram Stories and compiled the 500+ responses to come up with the ten best greige paint colors – these are the go-to’s that so many of you have used, love, and would recommend to others.
Before delving into these ten great greiges, I wanted to give a few words of caution – the same paint color in your home won’t necessarily look exactly like it does in someone else’s home. I absolutely recommend getting samples of a few favorites and trying them (do two coats!) up on the wall or on poster board so you can see how they look in the room that you’ll be painting. The amount of light, the direction your room faces, and the furnishings in the room can all have a big impact on how a paint color looks and it’s best to find that out by sampling your paint color instead of realizing it once you’ve painting an entire room. Usually I narrow it down to 2-3 favorites but in this case I put nine of the ten favorites up (all but the lightest greige) so I could share them with you – it’s pretty crazy how ten colors that are all greiges are actually so very different from each other (FYI I realize this image looks a little shadowy but I kept it this way because I think it represents the true colors much better than if I brightened it):
I’ll go through each color one by one but so you can reference back to my samples above, here’re the details on which color is which:
Top Middle: Worldly Gray
Left Column (from top to bottom): Anew Gray, Alpaca, Repose Gray, Agreeable Gray
Right Column (from top to bottom): Wheat Bread, Silver Drop, Revere Pewter, Balboa Mist
I’m sharing them in order from darkest to lightest, using each paint color’s LRV (Light Reflectance Value) as my guide. The lower the LRV, the darker the paint color will look and feel once up on the wall. My current living room paint color, a tweaked version of Sherwin Williams Keystone Gray, has an LRV of 29 so even the darkest of these ten will really lighten things up!
1. Sherwin Williams Anew Gray (7030) LRV:47
I’m a huge fan of Anew Gray and it’s one of my final contenders for our living room. It’s a very warm, midtone greige that has the most depth of the greiges on this list. If you’re looking for a greige that’s rich in color without being too dark, this might be the one for you. And in my finicky space where weird undertones tend to come out with a lot of greiges, the Anew Gray sample that I put on the wall threw no surprises. A gorgeous example of Anew Gray is {this beautiful farmhouse chic bathroom} by Mandy of Country Dog Homes:
You can see more of Mandy’s Nashville fixer upper by following her on Instagram at @country_dog_homes {here}.
2. Behr Wheat Bread (720C-3) LRV: 55
Behr Wheat Bread was one of the new-to-me greige paint colors that many of you have used and rave about! It doesn’t surprise me that it has the same LRV as Revere Pewter because these two colors are almost identical in color intensity but Behr Wheat Bread definitely leans a lot more toward the beige side than Revere Pewter. I love it in this beautiful shabby chic home office makeover by Sarah Melito:
You can check out the rest of Sarah Melito’s home and follow her on Instagram {here}
3. Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter (HC-172) LRV: 55.5
Revere Pewter was voted the #1 best greige paint color among readers and is a favorite of mine too. There’s no one paint color that’s a “no fail” color but Revere Pewter is as close as it gets, looking great in almost any space. A few years back when my sister called me in a panic that her painter was there and she didn’t like how things were looking with the paint color she chose for her living room, Revere Pewter is the color I recommended she try since she had to chose something else on the spot. Sure enough, it worked beautifully. A real-life example of Revere Pewter can be seen in Fridley Homes’ beautifully light and airy foyer:
What a pretty space to walk into! You can see more of this home and follow Fridley Homes on Instagram {here}
4. Sherwin Williams Alpaca (7022) LRV: 56.5
Alpaca goes a little more gray than beige and in some spaces can throw purple undertones (which it actually does when sampled in my living room). But it’s worked beautifully for several of my readers and looks like the perfect soothing neutral in Emily from Table and Hearth’s fabulous gender neutral nursery:
Emily used it in conjunction with Sherwin Williams Peppercorn in this space and I just love the result – see for yourself {here}.
5. Sherwin Williams Worldly Gray (7043) LRV: 57
Worldly Gray is a not too warm, not too cold, not too dark, not too light greige paint color that’s high on my list of favorites! I love it so much in this fabulous farmhouse bathroom from Shannon of Fox Hollow Cottage:
See more details of Shannon’s beautifully bathroom makeover {here}.
6. Sherwin Williams Repose Gray (7015) LRV: 58
Repose Gray is a color I’ve seen in person and love and it’s also one of your favorites. It can at times have some pinkish undertones depending upon the type of light it’s getting. I love this image of Repose Gray in Marnie Hansen’s fabulous foyer because it shows how the color can change quite a bit much depending upon how much light is hitting it:
You can follow Marnie Hansen on Instagram and see more images of her beautiful home {here}.
7. Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray (7029) LRV: 60
Agreeable Gray is a color that has come up time and time again as being well-loved and working in a variety of spaces. It’s fairly light but still has enough depth to make it interesting and is a go-to color for several of my decorating friends. It’s just like the name of it says… agreeable in almost all spaces. Linda of The Home I Create used Agreeable Gray in her office guest bedroom and it looks like the perfect choice:
You can check all the details of Linda’s beautiful office guest bedroom reveal {here}.
8. Benjamin Moore Balboa Mist (OC-27) LRV: 67.37
Of the nine paint samples I put up on the wall in our living room, Balboa Mist had the second most purpley undertones of the greige paint colors (the most was Alpaca) but again, my space tends to bring out those undertones more than most. It was listed as a favorite of yours time and time again so obviously in most spaces, it works beautifully. I absolutely love it in Annie of DIY Decor Mom’s living room:
You can hop over to DIY Decor Mom {here} to see more pics of Balboa Mist in this beautiful space!
9. Behr Silver Drop (790C-2) LRV: 69.7
Behr’s Silver Drop is a light gray with just the smallest touch of beige to warm it up. It looks like a true gray in some spaces and more of a greige in others. It’s definitely a stunner in this gorgeous living room by Studio McGee that you can see more of {here}:
10. Benjamin Moore Classic Gray (1548) LRV: 74.8
Classic Gray is the lightest of the bunch and is a beautiful, simple light gray without being cold – its name is actually an excellent description of it! This is the one greige paint color on the list that I didn’t sample on my living room wall, only because I knew that it was going to be too light for what I was looking for. But it was definitely a beautiful choice for the wall color in this great room by Studio McGee that you can see more of {here}:
Runners Up
There were several runners up worth mentioning since they all got quite a few votes including Sherwin Williams Amazing Gray (7044), Sherwin Williams Knitting Needles (7672), Sherwin Williams Perfect Greige (6073), Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray (HC-173) (I’ve used this color with mixed success – one room I painted with it looked amazing and the other had purple undertones that I didn’t care for), Benjamin Moore Gray Owl (OC-52), and Benjamin Moore Pale Oak (OC-20).
So which greige am I going to go with for our living room? I threw my four final contenders up on the wall above my fireplace (from left to right: Worldly Gray, Anew Gray, Revere Pewter, Agreeable Gray) to help me decide:
I’m leaning toward Anew Gray (second from left) but am going to take a few days looking at it in different lights before making a final choice. What do you think? Thank you all for all of your great paint color input! If you’re also interested in knowing about some tried and true white paint colors, be sure to also check out my post on the best white paint colors – you’ll find it {here}!
Enjoy the rest of your weekend,
Agreeable Gray is my hands down favorite!
It’s a great color! I think it might be just a little lighter than I want for this space but it’s definitely still in the running. Thanks for your input!
Worldly gray seems to compliment your tile surround the best IMHO. We put SW Agreeable Gray in the guest bath of our previous home and it worked well with the western light. Greige is beautiful with lots of bright white trim and it will look great with your rattan.
Thanks so much for your input!
While not a particular fan of SW (prefer BM), Anew Grey has my vote. Lighter color yet with a rich depth. Can’t wait to see your final choice.
Thanks Denise!
Worldly gray. I can’t believe accessible beige didn’t make the cut!
I should probably put Accessible Beige in the runners up group – it did get several votes but just not enough to make the top ten cut!
Kris,
I’ll be excited to see how the living room looks in its new color. I love the more taupe colored greys but seriously they are all pretty.
Karen
Thanks Karen! Hope you’re having a great weekend!
My house is almost completely Agreeable Grey and I love it, but it is relatively light especially in a very sunny home like mine. (Definitely not complaining!) From the pictures of your room, I think I like Anew Grey. It just seems richer and looks great with your fireplace surround.
Thanks so much Mary!
Anew gray is definitely my favorite -contrasts well with white fireplace and pairs well with tiles. Great article!
Thanks so much for your input!
Always hard to tell from a photo but I instinctively went to the Anew Grey before I even read your preference, it’s not too light and not too beige. Being a colour designer based in Sydney we don’t have the Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore over here, so I have no preconceived ideas about any of them. I love seeing how they come out in IG and other posts. Good luck!
I had no idea that those brands weren’t worldwide! Thanks for your input!
Oh gosh Kris…I’ve been in your exact predicament. I’ve had samples of most of the top ten and have used Edgecomb Gray and Revere Pewter. I don’t think you can go wrong with any of these, it comes down to how light or dark you want it to be. Good luck, I can’t wait to see which one you choose. It will be fabulous!
Thanks Gail! I think you’re right that these are all such pretty colors any of them would look nice! 🙂
I love Revere Pewter, Its gorgeous!
Thanks Theresa! That’s a long-time favorite of mine!
My vote is Anew gray. I tend to go more towards the greige colors that look more gray than beige though. We repainted our living room repose gray last spring and I still love it! Looks fresher and more up to date.
Thanks for your input Mary! Love Repose Gray!
I too favor the anew gray sample for your space. I have anew gray painted in our bedroom and love it. Soothing, calm and never in the way. I also have agreeable gray in our sunroom and am a fan of that as well. Lots of great colors listed. I always paint up a posterboard and leave a 1″ unpainted border around it. This way you have the white contrast for comparison instead of your wall color (which can fool the eye and cause confusion). Works for me. Good luck! Always fun to bring in a new paint color.
That’s so good to hear! I usually use the poster board trick – it’s really nice because you can move the boards around the room. I just got lazy this time 🙂
I agree with you that Anew Gray looks to be the best choice. It looks so nice with the tile in your fireplace. I have many of the rooms in my home painted with either Edgecomb Gray or Revere Pewter and love greige paint colors.
Thanks so much for your input Heidi!
Kris, We have Edgecomb gray in our home and I love it so much! We put rectangles of colors as you have here. A decorator friend suggested painting a swath of paint from floorboard to ceiling which was such a helpful tip for us. We had narrowed down to Revere Pewter, Pale oak along with Edgecomb gray. When we got those larger swaths up we could see clearly that Revere in our home looked like olive green paint that picked up the reflection of the surrounding wooded areas through our large glass windows along the back of our house. It was easy to see the better color for us when we went through this exercise and watched all throughout the day for light changes. It was helpful as well to see the paint samples near the white floorboards and the wood beams of the ceiling in one eye glance.. Your spaces are gorgeous and I am certain you will see which is the best one for your home!
I can see how that would be helpful because even when you look at the current color around our fireplace, you can see how the light from the top to the bottom changes the look of the color so much!
I have anew gray in my dining room and love it! With or without natural light it doesn’t change color…beautiful!
That’s great to know! Thanks Kimberly!
I’m a huge fan of Anew Gray & Agreeable Gray. I have Anew Gray in my kitchen that has lots of sunlight and both in my living/dining room space. The dining room had wainscoting, so I used Agreeable Gray on the walls (and living room), but used Anew Gray on the wainscoting including all the molding. Since they’re on the same color strip, they blend beautifully from room-to-room. I think Anew Gray would look great in your living room.
So good to hear!! Thanks Sue!
I actually like the taupe coffee colored paint you already have on the wall since it helps the whiteness of the fireplace stand out makes it look crisp and clean and the tile looks great with it. The other grieve colors look like they’re dirty against the white and it will tone down the white so it looks washed out. Sorry….I really like the dark taupe. Not sure why you would change it. 🙂 a lot of us are soooo tired of gray now unless it’s charcoal gray.
I totally understand that – I actually love how the current color looks around the fireplace too! The issue is that the fireplace is directly across from the only window in the room so this area gets good light so looks fine with that dark of a color but the two ends of the room are really dark so the current color looks pretty dreary in the rest of the room. Definitely want to lighten things up! 🙂
Hey girl – this post’s going in Evernote for my next painting project! thanks.
My eye went straight for Worldly and Anew as my votes for the best fits for the fireplace surround & your furnishings. Then I noticed how warm toned your flooring is (or just looks on my Mac). Have you painted any sample areas near the baseboards to see what your finalists look like closer to your hardwoods?
One tip to pass on that a decorator shared with me: Instead of painting swatches on the wall, I now paint manilla file folders with my samples. If you paint the whole folder you end up with a nice big, sturdy, portable “paint chip” that you can move all over the room or house. Painters tape is great for fixing them to the wall without damage. They are also great to take furniture/accessory shopping as a big sample is so much more helpful than a tiny paint chip. I am notorious for trying HUGE numbers of paint samples, so this has saved me from my home looking a sight while I waffle around choosing. We will not speak of the 30 options I tried in my kitchen before I knew this trick…
My whole first level is anew grey and I love it, so that’s my pick for sure. It looks great with your fireplace colors too!
I love worldly gray! I put it in our family room/kitchen and master bath. It’s a lighter option, but still makes everything else pop.
I vote for Anew Gray. Makes your fireplace POP!
I had my whole house painted worldly gray 5 years ago when I moved in and I still love it. That’s pretty amazing for me. I can see why you lean toward Anew Gray and I think it’ll look great if you choose it.
SW Anew Gray has my vote. My master bath is windowless, so I reduced the color saturation of Anew Gray by 50%. It looks great with the large white subway tiled shower and the SW Shoji White walls in the adjoining room. The Light Reflectance Value (LRV) # is important when choosing a room’s paint.
Gorgeous!! Thanks for posting. Anew Grey would look gorgeous! Could you tell me the color of your trim and fireplace mantle?
Anew Gray gets my vote. I think it looks great with the tile surround on your fireplace. Can’t wait to see what you do!
I have Anew Gray in a few different rooms and I LOVE it. I actually have Agreeable Gray, Anew Gray and Revere Pewter in my house and Anew Gray is my favorite. I don’t think you’ll go wrong with any of your choices though. Can’t wait to see!
Without looking at your choice I thought Anew Gray would work best in your room. Thanks for the in depth research on greige!
Based on what you said you were looking for I tried to guess which one would work best and also landed on Anew Gray. I can’t stop thinking about how good it would look in our family room but as you point out – best to test more than I think I should and see what they look like over the course of a few days. Thank you for this very timely comparison.
Yes, Anew Gray looks the best, it was my #1 choice when I started to read this post.