Color Friday is: Dove Gray!

Dove Gray. This is a TOUGH one.

Lovely, rich shades of gray, with the red and pink accessories highlighting warmth. (image via Elle Decor)

So tough in fact, that I actually looked it up. Sometimes, we designers are so intimately acquainted with colors that we can “think” them backwards and forwards, but to put them into words is a challenge. Both Wikipedia and Google’s image search say that Dove Gray is gray with a hint of pink or blue in it. So…umm…there goes my easy explanation about whether it’s warm or cool (pink is warm, blue is cool). Color temperature is tricky, and this color pretty much embodies why that’s the case. Though red/orange/yellow are typically the warmer shades and green/blue/purple are typically cool, that’s not a hard and fast rule. Blues can feel warm to me, and there are certainly cool reds (ever try on lipstick?).

What Dove Gray is to me, and you’re going to think I’m crazy here, is almost iridescent or luminescent. It kind of switches back an forth from warm to cool like an evening sky does, and to me, that reads much like a moon rock or a mood ring does. Iridescent. Luminescent. So there; are you with me now?

Gorgeous tile installation from one of my favorites: New Ravenna Mosaics (image source unknown, but it is likely NRM)

It’s such a sophisticated color that plays nicely with many other hues. It’s masculine and feminine, playful and serious, and richly infused with pigment. You can incorporate it into a monochrome room with other neutrals, or, you can pair it with vibrant shades like lime, magenta, or tangerine. Try it: it works with all of them (though maybe not together…).

Martha Stewart likes it with orange...these grays are her "Mourning Dove Gray." (images via L - Remodelista, and R - Martha Stewart)

Here are some Dove Gray items that I think would be a great start to any room you want to feel cozy and calm. What’s your favorite? And what undertones do you see in them?

Clockwise from lamp at top: Calligaris Andromeda Collection Table Lamp, price on request (image via Calligaris); West Elm Ellery Chair in Dove Gray performance Velvet, $499 (image via West Elm); Dervish from New Ravenna Mosaics, price on request (image via New Ravenna Mosaics); Pintuck Dove Sheet Set by Dwell Studio, $230 (image via Dwell Studio); Misty Morning Giclee by Norman Wyatt, Jr. for Ballard Designs, $299 (image via Ballard Designs); Batavia Dove Sham by Dwell Studio, $90 (image via Dwell Studio); Faux Bois Mirror by Oly Studio, price on request (image via Oly Studio); Fairfax Gray Oak Side Table by Bungalow 5, $871 (image via Zinc Door); Hush fabric in Dove by Darryl Carter for Lee Jofa (image via House Beautiful)

Enjoy the Dove Gray, and have a great weekend!

Design consultations for all styles and budgets: JGB Interiors.