Why You Shouldn't Paint Your Walls Gray, According to Reddit

It’s no secret that the color gray attracts strong opinions. Many feel it’s an evergreen choice that brings warmth and depth into spaces, while others claim it does the complete opposite (and, the argument as old as time, that it’s boring). Whatever your thoughts might be on the matter, one thing is as clear: many Redditors are not about that gray life. 

Recently, Redditor Bingo-Bang-Bong posted a interior photo of their new home. From the looks of it, it seems as though the entire house is painted beige, and the OP mentioned that they were thinking about painting it “ a nice neutral gray” followed by a call for advice—and they sure got some. 

Many Redditors shared their dislike for the color. While there were comments suggesting gray hues that have worked for people, the most up-voted comments were filled with reasons why they were strongly against the idea of the OP painting their walls gray.

Whether you’re pondering the color yourself or just love paint drama, here are Redditors’ main gripes with gray:

Grays change depending on light

There’s nothing wrong with a gray that looks as if it has a blue tint, as long as you’re prepared for it. As many Redditors mentioned, you don’t know what color gray is going to look like at different times of the day, which depends on the lighting. And while some people might want this variety in tone, others might be in for a rude awakening. This is why you should always paint a sample spot, and not just rely on swatches.

Redditor chelsea-vong wrote that they experienced this color change in their home office, with the hue ending up very unpredictable and solely dependent on the lighting.

SarahMakesYouStrong also expressed her frustration, especially because the blue tint clashes with her lightwood floors.

It’s hard to decorate around

Redditor WendolaSadie, who said they are a designer, warned the community that it’s dangerous to start with painting the walls before adding in the furnishings—especially when it comes to using gray that they described as a “trend.”

WendolaSadie explained that you don’t get a feel for how things look in different lighting, so they suggest living without painting the walls for a while and then making a thought-out decision. However, if you must, they ask to consider an off-white over a gray.

The OP actually agreed with this advice, saying that they’ve recognized a lot of their gray decor clashes.

Gray is a trend on the way out

In addition to WendolaSadie, many Redditors agreed that gray is a trend, but they expressed that it’s on its way out or is already gone.

For example, u/Fimbrethil53 wrote that they loved the gray trend 10 years ago, but now reporting that it feels quite dated. And that’s the thing with trends—they don’t last forever. If you don’t want to paint your walls again in the near future, it’s a good idea to go with something that’s truly timeless, like an off-white that many Redditors recommended.

Redditor elinordash also agreed that the gray trend has passed, suggesting to take a step back and choose colors that work with the room lighting. Often, beauty can’t be rushed.

Photo: Getty Images