New Home Buiders, CornerStone Homes, Decorates with Shades of Gray

About the blogger: Award-winning quality Jacksonville new home builders, CornerStone Homes blogs about designing stylish new homes with shades of gray. The builder offers affordable new homes with outstanding craftsmanship and is among the highest in customer satisfaction ratings. A leading home builder in Jacksonville, Florida, CornerStone Homes received the Golden Service Award for its excellence in home building and homeowner reviews in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Proudly building and decorating beautiful new homes in the finest Northeast Florida new home communities, CornerStone Homes also builds new homes on your lot, for the ultimate home building experience in custom homes.

It’s the hottest thing on the runway and working its way into our homes. Who knew the color of cloudy skies and flannel suits was so chic! Dove gray, slate, pewter, taupe…after a decade in love with brown, we’re shifting our sights to a color that has a little less color, but (many would argue) a lot more style.

Color experts and trend watchers believe our growing fascination with gray may be a backlash to the long-reigning casual look that includes, but isn’t limited to, our love affair with browns, beiges, layered fashions and jeans. Some suggest we’re up for a little more refinement…from neat, contemporary looks to more formal styling.

Enter gray. The offspring of power black and tidy white, this urban hue boasts qualities of both. It’s also associated with both age (gray hair) and youth (city life).

Ironically, color without much color are perennial favorites of both fashion types (who like their complexity) and business types (who like their lack of emotion). But today’s array of colorless hues offer something for everyone. Light, silver, or metallic grays look dressy and elegant. Dark charcoal grays are sophisticated and masculine. Any color, in fact, can be (and is being) grayed-down to a quiet neutral hue.

If you’d like to add gray to your new home, consider these three tips from the pro’s…

Add Plenty of Texture. Neutral colors and schemes look best when enhanced with texture. Gray works especially well applied to apparel textures inspired by sweaters, heavily washed t-shirts, corduroy or linen.

Balance flat and glossy. Save shiny grays for smaller areas: draperies, pillows or a leather sofa. Flat paint finishes add sophistication, avoid a too-metallic look and even hide fingerprints.

Use a variety of light sources. Gray is the color of shadow; avoid adding more with poorly lit rooms or heavy-looking light fixtures. In your new home, add plenty of table lamps, floor lamps, wall sconces or see-through, lightweight pendants and chandeliers.

Gray’s Anatomy – Is It Warm or Cool?

Gray can be mixed with just about any color, in fact, designers classify gray colors as warm or cool, and usually work with one or the other when planning a room.

Cool grays have blue or purple undertones, resulting in hues such as steel, slate, silver, pearl, gunmetal or charcoal.

Warm grays have red, orange or brown undertones that result in hues such as dove, taupe, pewter, driftwood, dolphin or khaki.

Ironically, grays with green undertones have BOTH cool and warm qualities.

Which Wood Finishes Look Best with Gray?

While some often think gray tends to look good (or best) with contemporary furniture, that’s not to say it can’t work with other styles. Gray is found in aged woods, so it is very versatile.

If you want to fill your new home with coastal furniture, you may include painted or whitewashed woods that pair best with coastal grays. Think dove or pebble stone gray, weathered driftwood and boardwalks.

If modern furniture fills your new home and include straight-cut, solid-colored styles in white, black or charcoal and pair those styles with city grays. Think steel, concrete and industrial metal-inspired hues.

If contemporary furniture styles, including streamlined or Art Deco, abound in your new home, make them sophisticated with chic grays inspired by executive apparel and urban fashions. Think taupe, mushroom, peppercorn, pewter or ebony.

Although country, mission or cabin styled homes designed with rustic furniture aren’t typically used with gray, gray tones occur in the country and nature, too. Look for a hue inspired by a galvanized steel watering can, weathered barn woods, blacksmith’s tools or wrought iron.

If you are traditional and loving classic furniture in your new home, including mahogany, cherry or oak styles, it can be the most challenging to pair with gray. Look for grays with blue, green or purple undertones, such as slate, heather or pewter. Or opt for very light grays, such as pearl, oyster or silver to contrast with the dark tone traditional woods.

Check out a new home builder’s photo gallery for new home style, designs and trends at http://www.mycornerstonehomes.com/design-photo-gallery.php.

Content provided by www.ashleyfurniturehomestore.com

Filed under: Clay County homebuilders, General, Home Builders Customer Service, Home Improvement, Home Remodeling, Home builder customer reviews, Home builders in Jacksonville, Homebuilders, Homebuilders in Jacksonville, Interior Design, Jacksonville Home builders, Jacksonville New Homes, New Home Builders, New Homes, New Homes in Florida, New Homes in Jacksonville, Purchasing a New Home, St. Johns County homebuilders by Candy Harvison Friday, September 9th, 2011