Grey voted most popular interior colour for the home
Grey has been revealed as the most popular interior colour, being the go-to hue people are choosing to paint their home.
Research by retailer Topps Tiles has discovered that grey is favoured by almost one in five people for interior decorating – more than any other shade.
The poll, of 2,000 people, found 18% thought grey the best colour for living rooms and hallways, followed by white (17%), beige (16%), cream (15%) and blue (9%).
Despite grey previously being seen as gloomy or dull, the neutral nature of the cool shade means it is now the most popular colour choice for living rooms in the UK.
Bedrooms are also most likely to be painted in hues of grey according to the poll.
In fact, the only room likely to see a splash of colour in UK homes was the bathroom, with one in five of us going for a nautical, blue theme.
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Even the hub of the home – the kitchen, is most likely to be tiled, painted or wallpapered in understated grey, white or that old favourite, magnolia, tones.
Colours like red, purple and pink have fallen out of favour with Brits, with less than one in ten choosing to style their main living space in a vibrant colour scheme.
Commenting on the findings Sian O’Neill, Head of Marketing at Topps Tiles, explained that grey tones have been becoming more popular with interior fans in recent years.
“This research reveals that grey is a colour that has seeped into our homes over the years, with more and more people choosing to surround themselves with grey hues,” she says.
While Instagram is currently awash with grey-hued interiors, not everyone is such a fan of the new neutral.
Kirstie Allsopp, the presenter of property TV shows including ‘Location, Location, Location’ last year urged fans to exhibit caution before painting their entire homes grey.
Think twice before painting a house grey, even the palest grey. It seems to be very fashionable at the moment and I’ve yet to see it done really successfully.
— 🅺🅸🆁🆂🆃🅸🅴 (@KirstieMAllsopp) May 22, 2019
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While she recognises the colour is growing in popularity, she had some words of warning about splashing it all over.
Though the TV presenter admitted that she likes the hue on furniture, kitchen cabinets and carpets, she also warned that large expanses of grey can risk losing light.
“If you want to paint your walls grey, handle it with huge care,” she advised via Twitter, according to Daily Mail.
“Always go for the palest shade. You don't want a shade that will darken your walls. And remember that colours deepen when on four walls. Often people put samples on a patch of white wall but are surprised later when the finished rooms seems so much darker.”
But fans of grey interiors disputed the advice with many sharing images of their favourite rooms decorated in varying shades of grey.
It isn’t the first time the popular presenter has sparked a home-related debate on Twitter. Back in 2017, she lit up Twitter about whether or not it’s hygienic to have a washing machine in the kitchen.