Everything you need to know about grey carpets: best products, colour schemes and ideas

Grey is one of the most popular colours of carpet. In this guide you will learn about:

• the different types of grey carpets available
• colour schemes—what colours go with different types of grey
• grey carpet ideas

Expert help provided by:

Different types of grey carpets:

• Colours
• Pile types/material

Colours:

Grey comes in many different shades and tones—it is uncommon to find a pure grey. Lots of greys have hints of colours underneath them to make it easier to contrast and pair with other colours for your walls and furniture.

“Grey is a neutral colour and goes with everything, but there are better combinations depending on the depth of grey,” says Gilly Craft. “There aren’t really any colours that can’t be used with grey. I would just avoid a heavy blue such as navy or a deep red or burgundy.”

Quick jump to the carpet of your choice:

• Light grey carpets
• Dark grey carpets
• Silver carpets
• Charcoal carpets
• Glitter carpets
• Blue grey carpets
• Striped carpets

Light grey carpets

Light grey carpets offer a timeless style and a huge choice of colour schemes. Grey is neutral and therefore combines well with a lot of other colours.

Light grey carpets are more likely to show stains than darker greys such as charcoal. You can get stain-resistant light grey carpets such as the Stainfree Eternal Deep Pile Saxony Carpet but it’s a colour best avoided if you have kids and/or pets.

Best light-grey carpets

Recommended colour scheme

Best used in:

• Bedroom
• Living room

Suited to lifestyle:

• Modern
• Hipster
• Young professional

Dark grey carpets

Dark grey carpets are equally as adaptable as light grey. They can work with light and dark colours and can suit families because of their ability to hide stains. They are excellent at grounding rooms—this means giving the room some depth.

A combination between dark grey and muted colours is incredibly popular at the moment and worth taking a look at.

Best dark grey carpets

Recommended colour scheme

Best used in:

• Hallway
• Living room
• Dining room

Suited to lifestyle:

• Artistic
• Modern

Silver grey carpets

Silver carpets offer a luxury look to any room and combine well with almost any other colour. Combining silver with a muted colour can create a relaxing, calm environment, while brighter colours provide dramatic personality.

You should only have a single part of the room—such as flooring, furniture or wallpaper/paint—with a silver design. Too much silver in a room can look tacky, lifeless and cold.

Best silver carpets

Recommended colour scheme:

Best used in:

• Bedroom
• Living room
• Hallway

Suited to lifestyle:

• Modern
• Stylish

Charcoal carpets

Charcoal carpets are excellent as a dark base for your interior colour scheme. Using a strong base colour can keep your room looking uniform without sacrificing your chance to experiment. A dark charcoal carpet can complement vibrant furniture and wallpaper while stopping the room from becoming too garish.

Best charcoal carpets

Recommended colour scheme

Best used in:

• Bedroom
• Living room
• Dining room
• Kids’ bedroom

Blue-grey

Blue-grey carpets offer a softer and slightly lighter colour tone as a base for the rest of your room. They are versatile and work with a variety of colour schemes including other blues, light and dark colours.

A blue-grey carpet is a subtle way of bringing some colour into your darker colour choice. If you’re looking for something a bit more interesting than a straight grey carpet, blue grey could be the right option.

Best blue-grey carpets

Recommended colour scheme

Best used in:

• Kids’ bedroom
• Living room
• Office/study

Suited to lifestyle:

• Families
• Big personalities
• Artistic

Striped

Striped carpets give rooms a subtle sense of style. The mixture of colours means that you have a wider colour range to choose from when decorating the rest of your room.

Best striped grey carpets

Best used in:

• Hallway
• Bedroom
• Stairs

Suited to lifestyle:

• Families
• Elderly living
• Luxury

Pile type and material

Berber

Berber carpets are a very popular style of hard-wearing and stain-resistant loop-carpeting. Traditionally, Berber carpets were beige but are now made in a range of neutral colours, including grey.

Their resistance to heavy footfall and stains and their reasonable price makes Berber carpets incredibly popular with families.

Best used in:

• Stairs
• Hallway
• Bedroom

Suited to lifestyle:

• Families
• Pet owners
• Busy households

Wool

One of the most common natural materials for carpets, wool has style and durability and naturally repels spillages, making it easier to clean.

Although wool carpets can be more expensive than your standard man-made materials, their longevity more than makes up for the extra cost. You can expect your wool carpet to last up to 25 years.

The only main downside to wool is its vulnerability to wear. Make sure you invest in a thicker wool carpet to lengthen its lifespan.

Best used in:

• Office/study
• Living room
• Dining room

Suited to lifestyle:

• No kids
• Affluent
• Stylish

Colour schemes—understanding what colours go with grey carpets

Grey is one of the most versatile and subtle carpet colours. It can work with almost every colour—even other greys.

A true colourless grey doesn’t appear on a standard colour wheel—this colour can be combined with almost any other colour and work well. However, most greys are mixed with a varying amount of colour.

On the right you will see a grey colour wheel with the various degrees of grey. These coloured greys will have complementary and opposing colours. For example, grey-blue can having an opposing effect when paired with an orange/yellow.

Find which colours work best for you. The colour wheel is just the largest, basic blocks of colour—the range of colours goes much, much deeper.

Best colour walls to go with grey carpet

Below is a list of tried and tested colour palettes to use with grey carpet. You can incorporate these colours into your walls or furniture.

Obviously, your own personality comes into play here, so make sure you’re happy with the colour combinations.

White

Whites like egg white or marshmallow mixed with soft greys will give your space a cosy but trendy look. This combination is particularly effective in rooms used for rest and relaxation, such as bedrooms and living rooms.

Combining whites with dark grey will create a distinctive look that will impress any guests. Just make sure it’s definitely what you want—it’s bold and you’ll need to be confident you can pull it off!

Recommended room: Bedroom

Because white is a neutral colour, it can suit almost every room. We feel it works best when used to give a bedroom a bright, airy atmosphere.

Your bedroom is the first thing you see when you wake up, so why not make it bright and warm to start your day? Try combining the white with a light grey carpet and beige furniture to create a soft look that is easy on the eye.

Green

Green combined with grey and white can be relaxing. The injection of colour will really stand out and impress any visitors—especially if you choose an understated style of grey.

• Light greys compliment sea foam or pistachio-type colours
• Dark grey will work very well with a Kelly green-style wall

If having an entire wall green is too much for you, inject a bit of green into your furniture, pillows or throws.

Recommended room: Dining room

Want a bold dining experience that will wow your guests? Use a dark charcoal grey carpet with a lime green showcase wall. Then choose another darker colour tone for the rest of your walls/furniture and combine the lot with dimmed mood lights.

If you want to create a softer mood for your dining room, try a light grey carpet with pistachio. This will be soft on the eyes and understated, placing your furniture at the forefront of the visual experience. Try using wooden furniture for an interesting textured look.

Yellow

Light grey carpets and yellow walls create a funky, vibrant look. It’s also incredibly versatile because it can be used in almost any room of the house.

If you want a more sophisticated combination, try pairing a bolder, deeper yellow with a dark grey carpet.

Recommended room: Hallway

It’s unlikely that you will have anything you want to show off in the hallway so why not make it a soft and neutral experience? Try combining a dark grey and a softer off-yellow mixed with some whites. The dark grey will ground the room and the lighter yellow gives a gently welcoming feel while remaining soft on the eye. Plus, dark grey carpets are great for hiding stains and mud.

Purple

A deep shade of purple can give walls a bold and unique look. Combined with a dark/charcoal grey, purple can make a strong, fashion-forward statement. It can add a touch of class to any living room. You can also repeat the colour theme with your furniture/pillows, which we discuss below.

Recommended room: Living room

A deep purple and a dark grey/charcoal carpet combination can create a dark but bold look for your living room. This is perfect for those that like their living rooms for showing off their latest film on the big screen. Combine this colour scheme with another bold or light colour to create a dramatic contrast. Alternatively, choose a darker brown to keep the colour palette matching and at a similar shade.

What furniture goes with grey carpet?

Your furniture needs to compliment both your carpet and your wall. It’s best to look at your furniture as a tool to the tie the wall and carpet colours together.

Below, Gilly Craft offers a quick list of complimentary furniture colours for different types of grey carpets:

Carpet type	Light grey	Dark grey	Silver grey	Charcoal grey	Blue grey
Recommended colours	Another shade of grey Pale blue Yellow	Another shade of grey Mustard yellow Ochre	Black Mid-blue Purple	White Yellow Orange	White Other shades of grey

Carpet type	Recommended colours
Light grey	Another shade of grey Pale blue Yellow
Dark grey	Another shade of grey Mustard yellow Ochre
Silver grey	Black Mid-blue Purple
Charcoal grey	White Yellow Orange
Blue grey	White Other shades of grey

Colour scheme FAQs

Does grey carpet go with brown furniture?

Yes. You will need to match the contrast of the brown. Darker browns will suit darker greys and vice versa, creating excellent co-ordination.

This sort of style is popular in trendy coffee shops as the dark combination allows for a neutral, relaxed atmosphere. It also creates a timeless feel, with shabby-chic furniture fitting in very well with this style.

Does green go with grey bedroom carpet?

Yes. Bright green will work well with a light grey carpet, giving your bedroom a bright and airy feeling. However, if you’re looking for more of a dark and sophisticated look, try charcoal and a pine combination. This is both a stylish and relaxing colour palette.

Do lime walls go with grey carpet?

Yes. Because of the wide range of grey shades, you’ll be able to find the right shade to suit your room and tastes. We recommend a darker shade of grey to offset the brightness of the lime green. However, lighter greys work as well.

Does magnolia go with grey carpet?

Yes. Combine magnolia and grey to create a neutral-looking room. Some people find this colour scheme slightly bland as neither colour is visually interesting. However, if you include bold furniture—especially darker and stronger colours—you can create a room that both stands out and showcases your furniture.

Which colours should I avoid with grey carpets?

Navy blue or any other heavy colours, such as deep reds, greens and blues.

Grey carpet idea gallery

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