WHAT IS THE PERFECT GREY?….

1. Image details at end of post

WHAT IS THE PERFECT GREY?

I love this question and don’t believe there is one definitive answer.

As carpet tile designers and manufacturers, we work on a variety of schemes for a diverse group of clients. It isn’t unusual at all for the flooring to be many shades of grey – or sometimes just one – with punches of colour and contrast provided by other finishes such as walls or furnishings

Architecture, interiors, fashion, photography, automotive industries, to name a few, would all answer this question differently and it is a subjective subject!

The ability of ‘the right grey’, to enhance any environment, is timeless and yet a marker of time. Warm or cool, saturated or de-saturated, bright or dull; so many options…

Notice the huge percentage of grey and silver cars on the road, the grey hair and nails of current fashionistas, aged and ageing wood cladding on exterior finishes, polished concrete (inside and out), carpeting for both domestic and contract interiors….the list is endless yet in a few years, we may be placing these things in recent trend history.

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Some ‘grey’ surfaces (I am thinking of some glass, metals and other reflective surfaces), echo the surrounding environment to take on colour without being inherently colourful. This helps create a look which changes with the environment.

What about a partner in crime for this most-used colour?  Contrasts of texture, proportion, colour all contribute to the finished effect. Take the Riverside Museum in Glasgow (Zaha Hadid) – industrial grey exterior which springs to life in a sunrise and sunset. The inside contrasts beautifully – see first selection of images - bottom left.

 30 St Mary Axe in London – better known as The Gherkin (Foster + Partners) - a construction of many grey materials combined in iconic effect. Love it or hate it, it can’t be described as dull.

The undulating wall of spruce, used in the Interims Audimax lecture hall at the Technical University of Munich, creates an unexpected effect when the whole building is viewed, as opposed to a smaller section.

Do comment with your own preferences – I have enjoyed thinking about, and writing, this piece and would love to find out if there actually could be a definitive answer!

3. A variety of grey carpet tile swatches!

Image 1, clockwise from top left;

El Ninot market, Barcelona - Chicago Architecture - Gran Canaria Arena - Technical University, Munich - Paintbrish study, Pinterest - Wrigley Building, Chicago - Riverside Museum, Glasgow

Image 2, clockwise from left (excluding bottom strip);

30, St Mary Axe, London - IPN Warsaw - Technical University, Munich - private garage, Cambridge - Riverside Museum, Glasgow