Grey is not usually equated with exciting. Evocative of boredom, it is nevertheless finds expression in many contemporary designs – and there is a reason why. Grey is versatile. The colour between black and white, it finds depth of shadow to enhance traditional and modern living spaces. Compatible with a range of themes, it adds finesse without boldness. These three living spaces use grey to achieve greatness, in three very different interiors. The first is art-deco, inspired by the raw nature of the rainforest. The second is industrial, perfect for the polished couple. The third is more brutal, more masculine, stark.
Our first apartment, at 80sqm, was designed for a couple passionate about travelling. Inspired by rainforests and the exotic, the outdoors is brought indoors, with ‘60’s detailing and south-east Asian gold thrown in. In the living room, unpainted corrugated iron sits stark upon a grey wall, a surprising backdrop for a chic wooden bookcase. Beige block sofas and one-piece wooden chairs open enough space for gold statuettes and a leaf-shape chair. Low-hanging idea lights light up black-potted cacti, while a golden kitchen panel acts as a hat for green-marble. Multi-panelled black windows and a soft green rug circle off the area.
The bedroom feels more dragon’s den, less apartment with lengthy potted cacti climbing up high-ceilinged windows. Taupe wallpaper adheres to an elongated oval mirror. A grey headboard printed with sea lions stretches to a mat and stone chaise longue below. Thin, low-hanging lights balance out the elements.
The TV area looks ornate with a gold-feature wall, accentuated by a marble-clad palm. Mid-wooden floors hold black shelving underneath and to the side.
Looking through the bedroom, the bathroom appears a jewellery box. Top-to-toe glass and gold panelling gives off luxury whilst increasing space.
Inside, the bathroom wows in speckled marble. Mimicking the bedroom’s mirror, an oval turns sideways to reflect white-tiled walls. Rounded porcelain fixtures trimmed with gold give a taste of the ornate.
Our second space uses shades of grey, along with wood and iron, to create an air of the industrial. In the living room, a grey-speckled rug matches with grey curtains and a grated wall, playing off bolder colours. Starting with a brown leather chair, the room winds around in thin stencil lighting. A stone L-shaped couch and wall provide a frame for a stencil-and-wood table, straight off the manufacturer’s block. A diagonally-tiled wooden wall holds a TV, bookcase and bust, adding a hint of the informed. Factory lights peep from the stark black ceiling.
An iron deer’s head lurks above the entrance, kept company by a wooden sheet wall. Metal grating holds a chair lit by factory lighting. Grey walls hold wire coat racks; grey flooring the rest.
An iron and wood staircase acts the central element of the space, adding structure. The dining room mimics its zag-zagging, thin lines in high wooden stools. Featuring a communal stove and dining table, a low-lying fanned light mirrors over the table. Around the corner, metal grating meets the stairs on a grey concrete finish. Towards the elevator, the stairs show diagonal wood tiling, as grey doors assimilate to its black frame. The stairs are matched at every angle.
From the kitchen, the stairs present another view. Led by a grey wooden dining table and kitchen bench, their shape zig-zags over the top, providing colour inspiration. Lit by factory lights in the kitchen, the chairs shine wood and gold at different times. Grey matte walls soften the glow.
The bathroom presents grey again, but in a new capacity. Grey beehive tiling clothes the floor and central wall, with taupe covering another. Feature green-grey marble hangs porcelain blocks on its sides, creating a staircase effect. Metal stencil shower framing and chrome polish off an industrial space.
Designed for a bachelor in his 20’s, this 124sqm apartment was designed as a bachelor pad – in a brutal, masculine style. Here, grey alternate-slanting tiles shine beside a grey concrete ceiling and linen curtains. A white canvas hangs down for movies and laptop work, a young man’s dream. Natural wooden flooring holds taupe and quilted brown block couches. Black metal stencilling in the standing lamp, hanging lights and tables add structure, as reflected in the grey Venetians behind.
Further behind, a stark kitchen takes effect in top-to-toe wooden panelling. Holding an LED-lit black matte inlet and another stencilled-frame above, a cylindrical fan completes the bachelor’s kitchen. A steel pod chair watches on.
Through the kitchen, another catching-up space opens up. Lit by an LED-stencilled ‘Stronger than yesterday’, grey beanbag couches slouch on a wooden floor, met by an oblong and grey wooden table. Light grey industrial fabric strains the room, pairing with slatted wooden entrance panels demarcating the space. A view from the outside shows white squared windows filling the room with light.
A dining room space is small enough to look functional, and big enough for four. Grey tiling covers a feature wall, as four drop lights grounded by thick fixtures centre the table. Nestled next to grey floor-to-ceiling curtains, multi-shaded wooden floors and a table are greeted by velvet teal chairs. A stencil table to the side harks back to the industrial.
The kitchen ties in the central space, as it leads visitors away. A stencilled ceiling feature, black-framed kitchen panelling and block benching closes off the space.
