Grey Bedroom Ideas
Grey bedrooms are calm and easy to sleep in, but they need warmth to avoid feeling flat. Choose a grey that suits your light, then add texture, wood and one warm accent such as mustard, blush or oatmeal. Art with a few warm tones gives a grey bedroom its personality.
Below: pale, mid and charcoal greys, grey bedroom colour schemes, bedding and headboards, and how to choose art for grey walls.
Prints for this look
The colour palette
Pale, mid or charcoal grey?
Pale grey keeps a small bedroom light, but a cool pale grey can look dull in a north-facing room. Choose one with a warm, slightly beige base. Mid grey is restful and works with most furniture. Charcoal is cosy and dramatic, and makes white bedding and brass lamps look crisp.
Every grey has an undertone. Warm greys lean beige or pink and suit oak and cream. Cool greys lean blue or green and suit white, chrome and navy. Hold the paint card next to your bedding and floor before you decide.
Grey bedroom colour schemes that work
- Grey and blush: soft and romantic, especially with a cool grey.
- Grey and mustard: lively and a little retro, good with mid greys.
- Grey and navy: tailored and calm, ideal with charcoal walls.
- Grey and white: fresh and simple, but add wood so it doesn't feel clinical.
- Grey and oatmeal: the warmest neutral pairing, for a hotel-style bedroom.
The 60-30-10 rule keeps any of these balanced: about 60% grey, 30% neutral and wood, 10% accent. Read more on our decorating rules page.
Bedding, headboards and soft furnishings
Grey bedrooms come alive with texture. Mix linen bedding with a chunky knit or waffle throw, a velvet cushion and a wool rug. Keep the bedding a different depth from the walls: white or oatmeal on charcoal, darker grey or navy on pale grey.
An upholstered headboard in navy, blush or mustard velvet adds colour without repainting. Oak bedside tables and brass lamps bring the warmth that grey on its own lacks.
Choosing art for grey bedroom walls
Grey sits behind almost any colour, so you can use the art to set the mood. Warm abstracts in sand, mustard or blush soften a cool grey. Navy and white prints suit charcoal walls. Black and white photography looks sharp on pale grey. Repeat one colour from your bedding or headboard in the print.
Above the bed, choose one A1 above a double, or a pair of A2 prints above a king size, hung 15 to 25 cm above the headboard. Browse our grey wall art or the navy blue collection for darker grey rooms.
Sizes at a glance
| Size | Centimetres | Inches | Works for |
|---|---|---|---|
| A4 | 21 x 29.7 | 8.3 x 11.7 | Shelves, desks, small gaps, sets of 3 |
| A3 | 29.7 x 42 | 11.7 x 16.5 | Hallways, side walls, pairs |
| A2 | 42 x 59.4 | 16.5 x 23.4 | Above a sideboard or small sofa, the anchor of a gallery wall |
| A1 | 59.4 x 84.1 | 23.4 x 33.1 | Above a standard sofa or bed |
| A0 | 84.1 x 118.9 | 33.1 x 46.8 | Large walls, open-plan rooms, statement pieces |
All our A sizes fit standard off-the-shelf frames, and every print is made to order on museum-grade matte paper.
