Art for grey walls: 12 paintings that lift a grey room

Mucha’s Zodiac, Sharaku’s actor on a yellow ground, Carl Larsson’s Old Anna and Blake’s dancing fairies: twelve paintings with yellow, blush and teal that wake up grey.

Grey is the most popular wall colour of the last decade, and the most likely to feel flat. The cure is a picture with a clear accent: yellow and gold warm it up, blush and rose soften it, and teal makes it feel fresh and grown up.

Here are twelve paintings in three groups, one for each accent. Every one of them already has grey somewhere in its palette, so it sits naturally on a grey wall.

Yellow and gold

Warm accents for mid grey and charcoal rooms.

1. Zodiac

A woman in profile wears a jewelled headdress, framed by a golden ring of the twelve zodiac signs.

Alphonse Mucha, Zodiac, 1896. Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Alphonse Mucha designed Zodiac in 1896 as a calendar, and it became one of the defining images of Art Nouveau.

Gold, cream, olive and garnet.

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2. The Actor Ichikawa Yaozo III

The actor Ichikawa Yaozō III in a dramatic pose against a pale yellow ground.

Tōshūsai Sharaku, The Actor Ichikawa Yaozo III, 1794. Color woodblock print; hosoban. Art Institute of Chicago.

Tōshūsai Sharaku made this print in 1794, during the few months in which he created all his celebrated actor portraits.

Mustard, ink black and coral.

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3. Musashibo Benkei Kneeling by a Plum Tree

The warrior monk Benkei kneels beside a blossoming plum tree.

Utagawa Kunisada, Musashibo Benkei Kneeling by a Plum Tree, c. mid or late 1810s. Color woodblock print. Cleveland Museum of Art.

Utagawa Kunisada made this print in the 1810s, early in a career that produced thousands of designs.

Butter yellow, charcoal and red.

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4. Delaying the announcement of dawn

A young couple in a quiet room; one hand covers the clock to hold back the morning.

Suzuki Harunobu, Delaying the announcement of dawn, c. 1767/68. Color woodblock print; chuban. Art Institute of Chicago.

Suzuki Harunobu made this tender print around 1767–68.

Soft gold, dove grey and sage.

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Blush and rose

Soft accents for pale grey bedrooms and living rooms.

5. Spring Blossom Viewing

Groups of people picnic beneath flowering cherry trees.

Hishikawa Moronobu, Spring Blossom Viewing, c. 1684–88. Handscroll; ink, colour and gold. Harvard Art Museums.

Hishikawa Moronobu, often called the father of ukiyo-e, painted these spring scenes in the 1680s.

Blossom pink, gold and moss green.

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6. Two Young Women Reading Books

Two young women lean together over their books.

Suzuki Harunobu, Two Young Women Reading Books, c. 1767/68. Color woodblock print; chuban. Art Institute of Chicago.

Suzuki Harunobu made this print around 1767–68, soon after he pioneered full colour printing.

Blush, honey and grey green.

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7. Old Anna. From A Home

Through a red door, Old Anna works in a sunny room while a fire burns in the tiled stove.

Carl Larsson, Old Anna. From A Home, 1899. Watercolour. Nationalmuseum, Stockholm.

Carl Larsson painted this watercolour of his home in Sundborn for A Home, published in 1899.

Rose, teal and warm white.

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8. The sculptor Joseph von Kopf

The sculptor Joseph von Kopf in profile, absorbed in thought, against a cool green ground.

Arnold Böcklin, The sculptor Joseph von Kopf, 1863.

Arnold Böcklin painted his friend in Rome in 1863.

Peach, sea green and stone.

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Teal and sea green

Fresh accents for cool and mid grey rooms.

9. Oberon, Titania and Puck with Fairies Dancing

Fairies dance in a ring beneath the stars while Oberon, Titania and Puck look on.

William Blake, Oberon, Titania and Puck with Fairies Dancing, c. 1786.

William Blake painted this scene from A Midsummer Night’s Dream around 1786.

Teal, moonlight white and grey green.

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10. Fujisawa

Travellers pass beneath a great pine at Fujisawa, with the bay beyond.

Katsushika Hokusai, Fujisawa, c. 1806. Colour woodblock print. Art Institute of Chicago.

Katsushika Hokusai made this print around 1806 for one of his series on the Tōkaidō road.

Sea green, slate and apricot.

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11. The Lair of the Sea Serpent

A vast grey sea serpent lies coiled on a sunlit dune beside the sea.

Elihu Vedder, The Lair of the Sea Serpent, 1864.

Elihu Vedder painted this strange and calm vision in 1864; it was among the pictures that first made his name.

Pale aqua, sand and ochre.

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12. Odysseus and Polyphemus

Odysseus and his crew row hard through green surf as the giant lifts a boulder above them.

Arnold Böcklin, Odysseus and Polyphemus, 1896.

Arnold Böcklin painted this scene from the Odyssey in 1896.

Sea green, teal and white.

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Pale dove grey loves blush and soft gold; mid greys love mustard and teal; charcoal walls make gold and pale pictures glow. Repeat the accent once in a throw or a lampshade. For a grey bedroom, the blush prints are the calmest choice. For more, see yellow wall art, pink wall art and teal wall art.

Questions

What colour art goes with grey walls?

Yellow, mustard and gold for warmth; blush and rose for softness; teal and sea green for a fresh, modern look.

How do I make a grey bedroom feel warm?

Hang a picture with gold or blush in it, add wood and linen, and use warm white bulbs.

What frame suits art on a grey wall?

Gilt and brass bring warmth; natural oak feels relaxed; black gives a crisp gallery look.

Does black and white art work on grey walls?

Yes, but one warm accent nearby keeps a grey room from feeling cold.