This small apartment in Sweden has such a minimal color palette, with the subtle light gray paint color on the walls that has a beige undertone (greige, or gray-beige), light soap-washed hardwood flooring, and an abundance of natural light that comes through these beautiful historic windows.
The lighter shades of the walls and flooring set the stage for black accent furniture pieces in a high contrast, yet minimal look. The crown molding and the ceiling have been painted white, while the window and door frames and the floorboards have been covered in a greige paint color that is slightly darker than the walls, making them stand out in a subtle and elegant way.
A warm gray living and dining space with black and white furniture pieces
The combined living and dining area is the biggest room in this rather small apartment, which has been designed to look more spacious with the selection of only a few elegant furniture pieces that are not too big so there is enough white space around them.
The white fabric sofa and off-white area rug brighten up the lounge area, with the black coffee table and PK 22 leather lounge chair adding a lot of contrast. Subtle black details come back in the ceramics on the floor and on the window sill as well, which is a nice touch. The wall art has a lighter color scheme as the wall color, which results in an interesting aesthetic.
Opposed to the sofa, in between the doorway of the kitchen and the bedroom, a low black bench is placed against the wall for displaying artwork, and a small HAY Matin table lamp fits the look perfectly. The greige and gray colors in the artwork complement the greige and gray paint colors of the wall and door frame, which looks very balanced.
The dining area next to the historic fireplace follows the clean and minimal lines of the rest of the living room interior and consists of a small black dining table and black Ant chairs which add so much contrast.
A small white kitchen with a black countertop
The kitchen has been fitted on both walls of the hallway, which is quite a challenge, however, I think the result is functional while still being aesthetically pleasing. The kitchen has been covered with ceiling high subway tiles and both upper and lower cabinets allow for enough storage space on a small surface.
Warm greige-gray walls in the bedroom combined with a wardrobe in the same paint color
The bedroom matches the same color palette as the rest of the apartment with a very modest and subtle look. The greige paint colors are used both on the wall and on the custom-built wardrobe, which results in a very integrated look.
The bed has been made with a mixture of gray, and beige textiles, and similar to the rest of the apartment, you can find just a hint of color in the green plant next to the bed.
Best greige paint colors to recreate the look
If you are looking for greige or gray paint color swatches to achieve a similar look inside your own home, you might want to give a swatch of Farrow & Ball’s Cornforth white* a try, which combined with white trim, might give this subtle and elegant play between colors. Combine this with Purbeck Stone* on the window and door frames for a greige paint color that is just slightly darker.
Gray-beige paint colors tend to be a little tricky to get right, so it’s really important to try out paint samples first. The daylight hitting your room can bring out more cool or yellow undertones and many warm colors in the furniture can bring out similar warm tones in the paint color as well. That said though, once you find the perfect neutral color palette for your walls, it’s easy to combine with black and white pieces in the furniture and soft furnishings to finish off the look.
Styled by Lingsell, photographed by Sjöström for Historiska Hem
