Decorating: Mixing browns and grays?

[1GoldenSun]

All you interior decorators out there, please help.

I'm moving stuff around in my house and creating a guest room/office out of a room that previously had a different use. I already have some of the furnishings I intend to use in there, but they don't exactly match, and I'm not sure how to "pull the look together."

The walls are beige, and the paint job is still in great shape so I don't want to go to the expense and take the time to re-paint. The carpet is a dark sage green that I don't love but looks ok when paired with either browns or grays. Replacing that is not an option, but I have a good sized area rug that is a gray and white Chevron print that is in great shape and I'd like to be able to use. I also have a gray wood corner cupboard that I'd like to use by the bed in place of a nightstand and to provide some height to give the room architectural interest (plus it's not being used anywhere else in the house right now and I don't want to buy something new). I also have a dark brown wooden desk that is relatively new and in great shape, and I really like this desk so I want to use it. Additionally, I have some beautiful dark burgundy velvet curtains that I got a great deal on a couple years ago that I'm dying to hang somewhere.

So far that's all I have: beige walls, brown desk, gray rug, gray corner cupboard, burgundy curtains. They don't go particularly well together and I would never have chosen them for the same room, but they're what I'm stuck with and I'm trying to keep this room refresh low budget so I can spend my money on another room I'm also re-decorating that is higher priority. I will be buying a bed (I have the mattress already) and I was leaning toward a brown leather headboard but am very open to other options. I'll also probably buy some shelving (maybe floating shelves) and maybe a few decorative items where I see the need. I'll also buy a desk chair as the current one is in poor shape.

Any ideas on how to tie these colors together? The burgundy goes with either brown or gray but I'm not sure I've ever seen brown and gray used in the same decorating scheme.

 

[stsomewhere]

i would get a grey and brown comforter to pull it all together. maybe a decocative pillow or throw with burgandy, dark green, brown. etc.

 

[Miffy]

The colors aside, putting an area rug over a wall-to-wall carpet is not a great idea. The rug probably won't lie flat and you'll forever be adjusting it. How about taking the carpet up and just using the area rug?

 

[cvjw]

Browns and greys can work together beautifully, but they have to be the right shades of each. I most certainly would not add burgundy curtains - you have enough colors already. I would go to home goods (or the equivalent) and get some neutral curtains - white works well with grey and tan.

 

[Christine]

Browns and greys can work together beautifully, but they have to be the right shades of each. I most certainly would not add burgundy curtains - you have enough colors already. I would go to home goods (or the equivalent) and get some neutral curtains - white works well with grey and tan.

Agree with this. Also, if you are getting a comforter, get something neutral. Either white or a very light cream. I would not add another color to this mix.

 

[NeedMoreMickey]

Sounds like the walls and the carpet are earthy colors. Skip the area rug since you already have carpet. Can you paint the corner cabinet from gray to a greenish or brown color or even a burgundy? How big is the room? Heavy burgundy velvet drapes may make the room seem smaller and block natural light.

 

[unrequited23]

The burgundy curtains seem like they would clash with the dark sage carpet or give off the old 80's burgundy and hunter green vibe. I would not use the curtains unless the gray chevron rug takes up nearly the whole room. I have an upholstered headboard in a tweed that looks either dark tan or warm gray depending on which colors are next to it. It was around $100 for a king size on Wayfair. If you choose similar colored accessories for the desk, corner cabinet, artwork and bed throw pillows it will make it looked tied together. Shop your own house first.

 

[lorimay]

I have a small blue area rug in front of my bed on top of the carpet it lays fine. It adds a pop of color to a beige floor.

 

[Hikergirl]

 

[Hikergirl]

Sorry for such a big pic, but I think that color palette is so pretty and can work together well in your room
because of the grey/green.
With all the colors going on I wouldn't put down a chevron rug- way too busy. Keep it simple and go for neutral bedding and use the colors above for pillows, a throw blanket and other accent pieces.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

It sounds like a mish-mash of things you already have rather than a well planned out, cute room. It’s fine to do that, but you get what you get. I probably would not use a corner cabinet in place of a nightstand in a bedroom. Instead I’d go to IKEA, Target, or a nice furniture consignment shop and buy one specific to the space. The desk should be fine. I agree with what’s already been said about the colors. I would stick with the beige and green theme and pick up some light beige or cream solid curtains - WalMart has adorable ones that are inexpensive. Similar for the bed. I mean you probably have to put a little money into it to get it to look really nice and a room where someone would enjoy staying. Otherwise, you get what you get. Less is more sometimes.

 

[Hikergirl]

Just want to say, through the years there have been a lot of decorating questions but nobody ever posts pictures of the finished look.
OP, when you are done, post a pic I think we'd love to see what you come with!

 

[Minnie1222]

A designer worked on my den in a former house. He put a brown wall bookcase with a gray couch. The rug was cream with specs of gray and brown. The curtains were cream. All the hardware and the rest of the furniture were black. The wall was off-white. He also put a bunch of framed black and white photographs on the wall. The colors in the room came from the books on the shelves and several plants.

 

[belleatdisney]

It sounds like you have a lot going on in the room. I would ditch the rug and/ or cabinet and use white or cream comforter and curtains to simplify the look and distract from the carpet. Light and clean is what I would be going for.

I agree less is more.

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

It sounds like a mish-mash of things you already have rather than a well planned out, cute room. It’s fine to do that, but you get what you get. I probably would not use a corner cabinet in place of a nightstand in a bedroom. Instead I’d go to IKEA, Target, or a nice furniture consignment shop and buy one specific to the space. The desk should be fine. I agree with what’s already been said about the colors. I would stick with the beige and green theme and pick up some light beige or cream solid curtains - WalMart has adorable ones that are inexpensive. Similar for the bed. I mean you probably have to put a little money into it to get it to look really nice and a room where someone would enjoy staying. Otherwise, you get what you get. Less is more sometimes.

I agree with this. I think you have some things that just might not work together so you have to decide if the priority is using up all these items you already have or making the room come together.

Because I think you may have to ditch the curtains and the rug (carpet on carpet seems like a bad idea in general) and purchase a few pieces to tie things in together.

It’s totally fine to want to just use the items you have but then, I agree, it’s kind of an “it is what it is” situation.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Yes, furniture in a room should be functional if it’s there. A nightstand goes right next to the bed so you have things you need nearby, but don’t have to get up. Rings or jewelry, phone with charger, glass of water, medicine, lamp, tissues, etc. A nightstand doesn’t have to be large or expensive, but should be functional, and can be small scale if necessary. A shelf and a drawer as well as the top space would be ideal, especially if there will be people actually using this room - not unlike a hotel room.

 

[cvjw]

My decorator used greys and browns for our main floor. You need neutrals to offset the other colors. I would use white curtains and bed coverings. Tie your colors in thru pillows on the bed.

 

[VandVsmama]

All you interior decorators out there, please help.

I'm moving stuff around in my house and creating a guest room/office out of a room that previously had a different use. I already have some of the furnishings I intend to use in there, but they don't exactly match, and I'm not sure how to "pull the look together."

The walls are beige, and the paint job is still in great shape so I don't want to go to the expense and take the time to re-paint. The carpet is a dark sage green that I don't love but looks ok when paired with either browns or grays. Replacing that is not an option, but I have a good sized area rug that is a gray and white Chevron print that is in great shape and I'd like to be able to use. I also have a gray wood corner cupboard that I'd like to use by the bed in place of a nightstand and to provide some height to give the room architectural interest (plus it's not being used anywhere else in the house right now and I don't want to buy something new). I also have a dark brown wooden desk that is relatively new and in great shape, and I really like this desk so I want to use it. Additionally, I have some beautiful dark burgundy velvet curtains that I got a great deal on a couple years ago that I'm dying to hang somewhere.

So far that's all I have: beige walls, brown desk, gray rug, gray corner cupboard, burgundy curtains. They don't go particularly well together and I would never have chosen them for the same room, but they're what I'm stuck with and I'm trying to keep this room refresh low budget so I can spend my money on another room I'm also re-decorating that is higher priority. I will be buying a bed (I have the mattress already) and I was leaning toward a brown leather headboard but am very open to other options. I'll also probably buy some shelving (maybe floating shelves) and maybe a few decorative items where I see the need. I'll also buy a desk chair as the current one is in poor shape.

Any ideas on how to tie these colors together? The burgundy goes with either brown or gray but I'm not sure I've ever seen brown and gray used in the same decorating scheme.

What sort of look/feel are you looking for in the room? Right now, the design sounds a bit like "random stuff thrown in a room." Some things to consider in your decision-making:

• What color gray is the corner cupboard? Dark or light? Or somewhere in between?
• What color beige are the walls? Dark, medium, or light?
• What shade of brown is the desk?
• A gray & white chevron-patterned area rug on the floor on top of a hunter green rug will draw the eye to the floor. So if you want to highlight and have people pay attention to the green rug, then put the patterned rug over the top of it.
• Gray & white right next to hunter green sounds like a bad idea.
• If you're going for a cozy, enclosed sort of feel for the office/guest bedroom, then keep the burgundy curtains, but lose the area rug. A leather headboard for the bed would go well with that sort of look.
• Use lamps, wall hangings/artwork/pictures, and other accessories that go with the sort of look/feel you want for the room. So if you want a cozy, enclosed, traditional sort of feel with a hint of Pottery Barn thrown in, then don't use ultra-contemporary lamps decked out in chrome, for example.
• If you want a room that feels more light/airy, then ditch the burgundy curtains and go with something lighter that is closer in color to your wall color.
• Do the above if the room has a low ceiling.
• Pick a curtain rod that goes with the look you want for the room.
• Use items like bed linens and throw pillows to put the room together.
• Given all of the other 'heavy' colors you've got going on in the room, stick with something lighter and neutral for the bedding. For example, you could go with ivory or some sort of beige/khaki, but then get multiple throw pillows in a similar color but different textures. Get a pair of Euro-sized pillows and cover them with an ivory embroidered/quilted pillow sham. Then pillow shams for the regular bed pillows...same color but a different texture to the fabric. Then a couple of smaller throw pillows with the same/similar base color, but different fabric pattern or texture than the other 2.

 

[sweetpeama]

From my daughter who is an artist and very good with colors and putting things together.
Is is it a earth brown, mud, leather, or it just rained and I pulled out all my grass and this is the color of the dirt undeneith brown.
The grays are they light almost white, medium, or something that electronics companies are trying to pass of as black but are actually grays.
She says pictures on here and if you can't put them here on disboards in a google doc and post a link to it.