The overall perception of the interior is largely influenced by the shade of the floor. The gray floor covering looks noble and calm, while not taking attention to itself. The range of colors and materials of the ash floor is so wide and varied that it will fit into any style direction.
Pros and cons
The main advantage of the gray floor is its variability and plasticity, thanks to which it can, without exaggeration, fit into any interior. At any level of light, the gray floor looks noble and has a calming effect. An unobtrusive monochrome shade relieves tension and gives a sense of balance. This makes it a suitable option for the living room and bedroom, but for a work area, a gray floor can be too calm, lulling intellectual activity.
Thanks to the neutrality of the shade, the room can be made more classic, monochrome or "diluted" with bright accents.
Gray matches most colors. At the same time, if you choose a cool gray for your flooring and combine it with the same colors, the atmosphere can turn out lifeless and cold.
The gray floor can be either light (in this case, it will be possible to visually expand the room), or darker (then it becomes an accent). In rooms with ash floors, the feeling of air movement is created, it is fresh and cool. It turns out that one of the advantages of such a floor can be called the possibility of external adjustments to the size and configuration of rooms.
Floor gray is an atypical shade for most types of flooring. Some manufacturers produce such materials as a separate collection, so their cost may be slightly higher compared to analogs of the usual colors.
Variety of shades
Gray is one of the most mysterious and multifaceted colors. It can vary from ashy pearl, almost bleached, to charcoal black. If we talk about the color of the floor, then the most common options for gray are:
- pure gray;
- French gray;
- light gray;
- mother-of-pearl (ash);
- steel;
- carbonic;
- quartz;
- marengo;
- wet asphalt;
- feldgrau.
What styles can you use?
Without exaggeration, the gray floor will perfectly fit into any room style.
The main thing is to choose the right material and shade features.
Cool glare gray will be appropriate in high-tech rooms. The optimal floor material is tiles, but linoleum and laminate are also suitable. In such an interior, the ashy shade will not "draw" attention to itself, but will emphasize the idea of minimalism, it will be well combined with surfaces made of metal and glass (characteristic features of high-tech style).
For country style, especially Provence, a gray parquet board is recommended. It will bring freedom and chic to European village houses, will be successfully combined with the shades adopted in these styles - blue, beige, pastel and wood furniture, natural textiles.
Dark gray wood flooring will fit into loft and Scandinavian interiors . In the first case, it can be combined with dark furniture and turquoise accessories, which will only emphasize the depth of the palette and the nobility of the floor texture.
Natural materials and light, bleached shades are appropriate for Scandinavian interiors.
Materials
The gray floor can be made of various materials. Let's consider the most popular options.
Laminate
Resin coated chipboard with a paper top layer. The latter is coated with a special varnish, thanks to which the laminate acquires wear resistance, practicality and an attractive appearance. Laminate in gray looks especially stylish and respectable.
However, the disadvantages of the material are its instability to moisture, high cost and difficulty in care.
Linoleum
One of the leaders due to the optimal combination of price and quality. However, linoleum is a material characterized by low environmental friendliness. Its use will not allow achieving the same sophistication and respectability as the use of laminate. However, linoleum costs several times cheaper. The material is not afraid of frequent wet cleaning, it is quite wear-resistant and durable.
Parquet
Sometimes it also includes a floorboard - one of the most expensive floor coverings. However, such material is environmentally friendly, attractive in appearance, and will last for more than a dozen years. Unfortunately, the high cost is not the only drawback. Parquet laying and maintenance requires certain skills and financial costs.
Tile
Tiled floor tiles in gray are an option not only for the bathroom and toilet, but also for the floor in the kitchen, in the hallway. At the same time, a gray floor will look neat longer than tiles in lighter shades.
And if this is an imitation of porcelain stoneware, then the interior will turn out to be truly luxurious.
The disadvantages include the high cost of the material, the need to hire professionals to install it. Another point is that the tiled floor itself is cold. The situation can be partially corrected by using warm substrates, but the best option is to combine floor tiles with a warm floor system.
Carpet
Soft flooring. Option for bedrooms, children. Among the advantages are warm floors, pleasant sensations. The disadvantages include the need for frequent cleaning and professional installation.
Combination with other colors
Gray is dearly loved by designers for its ability to combine with most shades. It will add softness and texture to pastel palettes, dilute the dark and soften, making complex colors more natural.
Indispensable is a soft ash shade in rooms with contrasting color schemes.
It removes aggression, makes a smooth transition in the contrasts of black and white, white and red, black and red.
Stylish and elegant interiors are obtained in which various variations of gray are combined. In this case, it is better to make the floor in the lightest shade available or in the darkest one . Vivid details allow you to add bright accents to a monochrome room. The latter can be yellow, orange, crimson, turquoise. It is better if there are textiles, accessories, decoration elements in a bright design. A great option is to paint one of the walls (or part of it) in the indicated colors.
A harmonious tandem creates a gray floor with lavender, pale pink shades, as well as wine, pastel blue and green colors.
If we are talking about a room in a classic style, then it is recommended to use dark gold as a decor.
It is recommended to combine a gray floor with doorways of the same shade. Another win-win option is a combination of a light gray floor with doorways and canvases in wenge or oak color. Thanks to the ash tone of the floor, wenge looks even softer and more elegant, and the shade of oak - even deeper, stately. By the way, wenge looks good with both warm and cold gray.
If the floor is very light, gray-beige, then milky, light brown and pastel doorways and doors will also work.
Gray color is capricious in combination with cold shades. The only exceptions are the blue and blue palette.
Use in different rooms
Most often, the gray floor is found in the living room, where it looks stately and solemn. The coating will be combined with furniture in pastel and light shades, as well as rich colors. In the first case, light colors will be even cleaner and softer. As for bright shades, the gray floor will accentuate their depth, but muffle the "loudness", remove their dominance in the interior.
If necessary, you can lay a carpet.
The gray floor is combined with both unusual bright (or in an oriental style) nylon rugs, as well as with classic light-colored carpets with a long pile.
In the kitchen, a gray floor can be a real salvation, because marks and streaks are not too visible on it. If we continue the theme of ease of care and practicality, then the choice should be made in favor of a tiled floor in gray.
A good "companion" to the gray floor in the kitchen will be a set and a dining table in classic wood shades. However, bright headsets in red, orange, turquoise shades are also combined with a gray finish.
Tiles, by the way, can be combined by choosing different shades of gray or by combining a single color material and patterned tiles. The floor pattern can be continued in the design of the kitchen apron.
Serenity emanates from gray floors, it is not surprising that they are often chosen for the bedroom. The ash color in the bedroom promotes relaxation. In this room, the floor is best combined with various shades of gray, pearl, light blue. One of the walls (for example, behind the head of the bed) can be made in a more saturated gray-blue color.
The ash floor fits well into the bedroom in beige and woody browns. Chocolate, warm yellow-orange and golden hues will be a sophisticated addition and can be embodied in details and accessories.
To achieve the perfection and majesty of the bathroom, the use of gray tiles allows. It must be combined with a border, which can be in the tone of the floor, a tone darker or lighter.
Such solutions are especially attractive when using tiles that imitate marble.
Often, turquoise, blue, blue and green shades are used to decorate the walls in the bathroom. It is the ash floor in this case that allows you to "dilute" them, making the room calmer in color and visually larger in size.
Another area in the apartment, where gray is not only beautiful, but also practical, is the corridor.
The ash floor looks neutral when entering the apartment, small stains and dirt are not so noticeable on it.
Since the corridors are not always as brightly lit as the living room or kitchen, it is best to opt for a light gray palette. When additional lighting appears, such a surface will acquire a pleasant pearl shine. In addition, a lighter gray palette will visually expand the passageways of the dwelling. The combination of an ash floor with light wallpaper, on which there is glitter, also allows you to visually expand the room.
If the corridor is wide enough, then the color of the floor may be darker. However, in the design of walls and doorways, doors, it is better to use lighter colors. Gray, woody, beige, wenge - these shades will be optimal in this case.
Successful examples
In this version, it was the gray floor that made it possible to knit pieces of furniture and accessories different in style and color into a single whole. Otherwise, the room would seem to be overloaded with furniture, but the gray floor brought a touch of airiness and sophistication.
The classic tandem of gray and white in this interior would look boring. But bright details saved the situation. The latter, by the way, despite their richness, do not look vulgar and flashy thanks to the same gray floor.
For this classic country house interior with a solid fireplace, expensive furniture on carved legs and stylish wicker accessories made of vine, it is difficult to find a more suitable floor shade. Saturated gray emphasizes the value and practicality of each thing, fills the atmosphere of the house with warmth and respectability.
The whitewashed wooden floor in the living room in the Scandinavian style adds color, brings freshness and coolness to the room. In this case, the floor has something in common with light furniture and a darker, also gray, wall. Wooden armchairs, which bring the warmth of natural wood, allow to avoid monochrome and excessive coldness of the interior.
Light, almost pearly, the floor in the hallway makes it light and visually expands. It can be seen that the passage room is very narrow and does not have sufficient lighting, however, thanks to the shade of the flooring, light walls and minimalism, the corridor turned out to be more spacious and airy.
The psychological ability of gray to relax is used in this design of the spa area. Despite the monochrome interior, it does not require bright accents. And panoramic windows allow avoiding excessive coldness and boredom.
For a vintage-style interior, an ash wood floor with a partially whitewash effect turned out to be the best option. A graphite floor with a worn-out effect would also be appropriate here.
For tips on choosing a floor color, see the following video.