Popular greys/blacks

Add versatility to your colour palette with these adaptable and favourite greys and blacks!

Resene Half Concrete
An eelskin silver grey, sinuous and sleek.

Resene Athens Grey
A soft pearl grey with a touch of violet.

Resene Concrete
A frosted silver grey that gives a wet cement look.

Resene Grey Chateau
A grey reminiscent of Gallic greystone houses.

Resene Silver Chalice
A pewter grey, conservative and restrained.

Resene Surrender
A silver grey, often described as simple and distinguished.

Resene Half Stack
A simple mid toned sandy grey, stony and dry.

Resene Stack
An armament grey, serious and earnest.

Resene Double Stack
A serious armour grey, militant and dry.

Resene Tuna
A resolute dignified grey.

Resene Nocturnal
A deepest dark grey black of the night.

Resene Grey Friars
A mountain range grey.

Resene Baltic Sea
A cold dark charcoal, contemporary and intrepid.

Resene Foundry
A shadowy charcoal full of igneous warmth.

Resene Ironsand
A smoky brown grey.

Resene Element
Is warmly dark and mysterious, a substantial shade of earthy stone.

Resene Nero
A deep black with inky blue undertones.

Resene Black
An ebonised lamp black.

Resene All Black
A New Zealand iconic black, sporty and staunch.

Resene Bokara Grey
A charcoal black, warmed with yellow and red.

Naturally beautiful

Several neutral tones used together in a colour scheme can combine to create a restful, elegant atmosphere by making use of the natural harmony that exists even between different textures and tones of fabric and other materials such as wood.

Neutrals added to existing schemes can calm down the brightest of hues or have a unifying effect on a mixture of furnishings and colours. For example, a neutral toned carpet throughout a brightly coloured room softens the impact and makes it seem more spacious by not interrupting the eye's flow across the room.

Inspiration for a natural-based scheme can come from a shell, moss-covered twig or stone. Nature is full of unexpected colour. To build your confidence in using neutral tones so that your scheme is lively and interesting – and not bland or boring – it is worth taking the time to educate your colour 'eye' as the professionals do.

Try an experiment – collect some stones, dried leaves or bark, driftwood and sand from the beach, and hessian, linen, lichen and grasses. Then, using a paint chart match the colours as closely as possible. You may take two or three attempts to marry up the numerous variations of colour contained in just one sample. It's this subtle variety that is the key! When you have matched your objects up to the paint shades, use them to find fabrics, carpets and accessories to create a neutral scheme that features nature's colours.

Decorating with greys/blacks...

Always try out your colours using a Resene testpot in the area you plan to paint before you start your painting project – that’s the best way to confirm the colour looks right before you start painting. You can also can order drawdowns online.

Resene has changed the way it measures and creates electronic colours – read more

Resene Paints (Australia) Limited – www.resene.com