I’ve been a Professional Decorator for the best part of 21 years now. In that time, I’ve seen a lot of colours come in and out of style. At one point, aubergine was considered ‘trendy’ in one’s kitchen, or a bright red feature wall. The colour used most often when I started my career was magnolia, be it in rental properties, or million-pound homes. Now, the most popular colour is grey. That begs the question; is grey then new magnolia?
I thought I’d start by explaining why magnolia was so popular. It is a light and airy cream colour which will compliment any other coloured furnishings in a home. This suited new builds, or a home that was being renovated to sell, because prospective buyers found it easy to imagine their furniture in an empty room or pick out curtains in their minds.
We also used it regularly in occupied homes. It was the lazy choice for a homeowner. They knew it will look good before you started painting, and they didn’t need to worry about what colour the carpets or furniture was going to be.
What’s more, because magnolia was so popular, it was cheap. Manufacturers would make hundreds of thousands of gallons of magnolia paint, then send it off by the pallet to DIY shops and trade paint outlets everywhere.
I used to like magnolia, but after applying it for a decade or more, you soon get sick of it. I started to liken the colour to cheap new builds, or rental properties (a bit like I do with grey now). I think it was hideous looking back. Luckily enough, we don’t get asked to use magnolia anymore. It’s all about grey.
I thought grey was going to be another fad at first, but unlike aubergine and bright red feature walls, it not only stuck around, but it took over. This is a colour that started off in contemporary, domestic properties and expanded from there. I started noticing more and more grey wallpaper, and then it just exploded.
In the first couple of years when grey was becoming popular, you’d notice, and even mention it when it was in a friend’s house. People thought it was a brave choice because until then, grey was considered drab and dull (I still think it’s drab and dull now).
It was the ‘in colour’, that everyone seemed to want. Grey colour palettes were developed and categorised into warm and cool colours to help people decide. Farrow and Ball’s Ammonite and Elephant’s Breath became the colours everyone longed for and recommended.
Grey started becoming the new magnolia a few years after its introduction. Landlords and builders started using it in cheaper properties because they knew the colour would be noticed. Homeowners would choose grey because it was safe and neutral. Decorators would get Ammonite mixed into trade paint as standard practice (which you can do online here). People even choose grey carpets because it ‘doesn’t show dirt’.
Now grey is everywhere! I walk into a house to see grey and just roll my eyes. It has been cheapened by its popularity. Homeowners don’t choose grey because it is stylish and they want to be modern, they choose grey because it has become standard and run-of-the-mill. Grey is the accepted backdrop colour in your home. Grey is the new magnolia!
I’ve never liked grey and don’t understand the hype it once had. Now it’s ‘bog standard’, I really don’t understand why people still choose it. You’d be better off choosing magnolia.
Click here to see colour inspiration.
Is Grey the New Magnolia – by Mike Cupit
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I’ve been a Professional Decorator for the best part of 21 years now. In that time, I’ve seen a lot of colours come in and
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