July, 1922 
45 
USING GRAY IN DECORATION 
While the Least Emphatic of Colors , Gray Can Be Used Successfully When the 
Textures of the Paint , Paper and Fabrics Are Suitable 
The walls of this living room are covered with a water paint of gray. 
Against this background there show to advantage curtains and carpet 
of green and cretonne covers gaily patterned on a black background 
G RAY, of all the colors, may 
best be described as neutral; 
of all, it is the most color¬ 
less—the least emphatic. Com¬ 
pared with the variety in other 
colors, the tones and the shades 
of gray are inconsiderable; it is 
weak in contrasts—in short, it is 
the neutral tint par excellence. 
Yet, in spite of these negative 
qualities, gray is by no means a 
submissive, pliable factor in the 
decorative scheme; the browns 
can be blent with practically all 
arrangements; not so the grays. 
Strange though it sounds, it is 
nevertheless a fact that even with 
the delicate shades, you get quite 
surprisingly positive effects; a 
room needs very careful handling 
where gray is the keynote. 
It is, in the first place, a cold 
color, taking it as a whole. This 
quality is valuable in sunny lati¬ 
tudes to temper the strong light and to give the 
effect of shade and coolness. It has also a 
sombre—not to say a sad—propensity; “sad- 
colored” was, in fact, the old word used to 
describe the color. The decorative use of gray, 
then, is beset by certain difficulties, but these 
should not act as deterrents; rather the con¬ 
trary, for the gray room has never been over¬ 
done, and, when it is well done, distinction and 
originality are added to its real beauty. 
In gray, as in all other colors, there are two 
scales: the cold shades and the warm. Cold 
grays are made simply from black and white; 
to white, black is added for the pale tints; to 
black, white is added for the dark shades. 
Some slight variation is produced by the dif¬ 
ferent blacks which are used; pure ivory black 
has a well-marked blue tinge, while lamp 
black and gas black are brownish. In iron 
gray the black and white appear to be fairly 
evenly balanced; in pearl gray the white pre¬ 
dominates; in charcoal gray, the black. The 
lead shades—dark and light—are made by 
adding lamp black to white lead, and slate 
gray is similarly produced. These shades and 
the like are not sympathetic; tact in dealing 
with them is necessary in order to exorcise a 
certain bleakness that they are apt to bring into 
the home. The lighter tints are easiest to 
manage. It is a wise precaution to keep the 
slate, steel, and iron grays on the light side; 
time so very soon adds grayness to gray. 
The warm shades are produced by the addi¬ 
tion of primary colors to the black and white; 
yellows, reds, and blues, according to the hue 
required. French gray, though not strictly a 
warm shade, is blended in this way. Crimson 
lake and ultramarine may be added in small 
quantities to white that has been grayed with a 
little drop of black. Or the black may be omit¬ 
ted, and the blue, with Venetian red, used to 
tint the white. These and other combinations 
will give quite accurately the well-known shade 
with its faint lilac tinge. Other shades and 
tints of gray are less definite; color nomencla¬ 
ture is always a little confused and misleading. 
People do not see color alike; one trade name 
differs from another when the same thing is 
intended. There really is no fixed standard. 
Elephant gray does certainly convey a clear 
image, and this may be quoted as a very good 
color to work with; but it may be confused 
with smoke gray—another valuable shade— 
and both are made much alike, on a basis of 
white lead, tinted with lamp black and yellow 
ochre; a little ultramarine is added to the in¬ 
gredients for the “elephant” shade. Silver 
gray is an extraordinary elusive tint; every 
painter would seem to have his own formula on 
the matter. It should show a very faint lav¬ 
ender tinge, and white lead should form the 
chief part, tinted with lamp black and a trace 
of indigo; yellow is sometimes added. The 
exact proportions cannot be given, but it should 
always be borne in mind that a little black 
for tinting purposes goes a long way; it should 
be added by degrees, in small quantities, and 
well mixed. A nice greenish gray can be made 
with zinc white tinted with black, and the 
green which is called middle chrome. Mouse 
color just verges on brown; this useful tint is 
also based on zinc white, and toned with black 
and brown (burnt sienna and raw umber 
mixed). Another version is made with white 
lead, ten parts, burnt umber, five parts, with 
one part of prussian blue added—or less, ac¬ 
cording to the blueness or grayness that is 
desired. 
In the successful using of gray much de¬ 
pends on textures; by this means we get con¬ 
trast, and subtle gradations of tone and tint 
are stressed. In tow'ns especially the action of 
smoke and atmosphere has a dulling, flatten¬ 
ing effect upon color, which gray least of all 
can withstand. Partly on this ac¬ 
count, it is rarely a good choice 
for painting the woodwork. Cer¬ 
tain colors are actually improved 
and mellowed in use, but never 
gray; even the more delicate warm 
tints soon turn leaden-hued and 
dark enough to mar a carefully 
considered scheme. When this has 
occurred, or when gray-painted 
doors, windows, and woodwork 
have been painted an unbearable 
shade, quality can be restored or 
added by means of glazing. This 
is a thin coat of transparent col¬ 
or laid on to tone and modify the 
groundwork. Gray makes a very 
satisfactory basis, and is often 
chosen for this purpose. 
Brush-graining and stippling 
are also quick and excellent de¬ 
vices, which even the amateur may 
carry out with success. Yellow 
brushed over the gray has a won¬ 
derfully good effect; the yellow enamel should 
be laid on with one brush, and lightly 
“grained” with another kept clean and dry for 
the purpose. Stippling needs a special brush, 
wide and flat, with a leather strap to go over 
the hand. A thin coat of color is laid, on with 
the usual paint brush, and then patted all over 
with the stippler; this gives the mottled even 
effect with the ground showing through. The 
stippler must be kept as free as possible from 
accumulation of paint, and sometimes pads 
made of pile carpet are substituted; this is an 
excellent plan—it saves trouble, answers the 
purpose well, and each pad can be thrown 
away directly it begins to thicken. A violet 
stipple, or one of emerald green, according to 
the room, would answer the purpose. 
Water paint is a particularly satisfactory 
medium for gray; the soft dull texture robs 
gray of its hardness and gives a charming 
effect. Before applying the water paint the 
walls should be treated with a thin wash of 
weak size combined with a little whiting. Wall 
papers that have faded or become discolored 
may be successfully renewed by a coat of water- 
paint, provided that the pattern is not strong 
enough to show through. A preliminary sizing 
is necessary. There are many well-known 
makes of water-paint which are sold ready for 
use, and can be obtained in most of the gray 
shades. 
For the gray room, wall paper gives more 
scope to the decorator than paint, and is a 
more satisfactory way of introducing the dom¬ 
inant shade. A soft smoke color with the 
velvety surface of flock, or a plain ash-gray 
paper, would make a good beginning. White 
woodwork would do here, or better still, black. 
Black, contrary though it sounds, is not dingy 
or darksome in this connection; it gives bril¬ 
liancy and point, always providing that the 
(Continued on page 74) 
