Inspire Me!: Gray, My New Go-To Neutral

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Gray, My New Go-To Neutral

I used to consider gray a gloomy color. I associated it with rain, winter, death, and doctors' offices. However, in the past year, gray has come to the forefront of my color palette. I think of it differently than I did years ago. I am drawn to the coolness, sophistication, and elegance of this color. It's my "go to" neutral. I love mixing it with blues, tans, camels, whites and even browns. Here are a few pics to inspire you to think of gray in a whole different light!

House Beautiful, February 2011
I love the mix of soft tans and grays. The block tibetan rug and chevron pillow set a contemporary scene.

House Beautiful, February 2011
Again another interlocking pattern in the rug, the Kravet stripe panels, and soft skin bedspread make for a great mix.

Lofts & Condo's Spring/Summer 2011
Notice the gray wool and silk rug again from Concepts. The brown velvet pillow with camel trim works perfectly.

Lofts & Condo's Spring/Summer 2011
This designer mixed antiques and contemporary very well!

About vanCollier

Established in 1995, vanCollier began as an antique and interior design firm. With backgrounds in art history, fine arts and decorative arts, vanCollier marries old world elegance with contemporary design. The married couple behind this firm-on-the-rise is Beth and Chris Collier, who work together on their wide range of projects domestically and abroad. Their philosophy: Use traditional influences to create sophisticated and approachable environments. Says Beth, "Rooms should be masculine and feminine while conveying both traditional and eccentric details."

To contact Beth, email her at vancollier@suddenlink.net

About Eatman's Carpets and Interiors

Eatman's Carpets and Interiors is my family's business. My grandfather, Bill Eatman, opened its doors in 1957 in Downtown Raleigh as a design studio/upholstery workroom selling high end fabrics, wool carpeting, and wallpaper. My father, Woody Eatman, the current president, followed in his father's footsteps joining the family business after school. Years later, with her Design degree in hand, my mother was hired as a designer by Eatman's. My Dad and my Mom fell in love and married. Over time, Eatman's became a innovator in the world of flooring creating computer systems specifically for the industry as well as adding to the business a supply and installation divisions. Fast-forwarding through my arrival and my sister's, the business is now a hybrid of the past and the present. We continue to be a leading supplier of carpets residentially and commercially, and we continue to expand into the world of interior design with new fabric, furniture and lighting lines. But more than all that, it is where our family hangs its hat. It is, in every sense of the word, a labor of great love.