Grey homes, grey rooms: warm grey or cool grey for a home that feels calm but not gloomy

Why grey homes never go out of style

Grey is your walls' go-to suit. Wear it to a wedding or to a meeting. It goes with wood, with concrete and with black steel. That's why modern, loft and minimal homes always reach for grey as the background before any other colour.

Another thing people who actually live in their homes like: a mid grey hides dust, handprints and small marks better than white. In a home with children, cats, or someone who likes to lean on the wall while on their phone, that's a big relief.

Warm grey or cool grey: which grey room suits your home

There isn't just one grey, the way khao tom (Thai rice soup) comes either plain or loaded with toppings. Some shades lean beige or brown and look warm, like sandstone. Some lean blue or green and look cool, like the sky before rain. The same shade can look very different in two homes, because the light isn't the same.

A simple rule: for a north-facing room or a room with little light, start with a warm grey, so the room doesn't look as gloomy as a rainy day all year. For a room with strong afternoon sun, choose a cool grey to make it feel cooler on the eyes. If you're not sure which way a shade leans, put the sample pot next to a sheet of white paper and you'll see the undertone straight away.

A grey bedroom you'll sleep well in, not one that feels like a server room

A good grey bedroom should feel like a stone-coloured cotton blanket in a hotel, not a freezing room full of blinking lights. The trick is to choose a light to mid grey like Soft Gray or Marble for most of the walls, then add warmth with linen bedding, wood and warm lights.

If you want a room with more depth, try painting just the headboard wall in a dark grey like Volcanic Rock or Shadow Stone. The room will look deeper and wrap around you like a hug, without any worry that the whole room will be too dark.

• Main walls: Soft Gray, Marble
• Headboard wall: Volcanic Rock, Shadow Stone
• Decor: pale wood, linen, warm lights

Grey house exteriors: sharp-looking, sun-tough, no guesswork

Voqe Wall Paint is 100% acrylic and works both inside and out, in Eggshell or Semi gloss. Grey exteriors usually pair two tones, such as a mid grey like Tornado Gray or Lambo for the body of the house, with white or dark grey for the window surrounds and frames.

A mid grey also stops the house reflecting as much harsh sun as all-white, and sits more easily with the trees in the garden. If you love the bare-concrete look, Wet Cement gives the mood of a freshly plastered wall without the risks of real bare plaster.

Textured grey with Mineral Finish

If a flat grey wall isn't enough, Voqe Mineral Finish is a limewash-style mineral paint with a matt, hand-applied finish. Each set has two tones of the same shade, a Light Shade and a Shadow Shade, applied in alternating directions to create pattern and depth, so no two walls are alike.

Stone tones like Quiet Luxury, a plain but rich grey, Pebble and Charoenkrung Plaster give the feel of an old building's wall that makes you stop and take a photo as you walk past. It's sold as a two-tin set: Set 2QT at ฿1,180 and Set 2GL at ฿2,998. Before you decide, order a sample pot to try first, or drop in to see real walls at Voqe Studio (Bang Phli).