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A luxurious living room features grey curtains in the Pinch Pleat style made of Silk Dupioni in Pewter for lush, elegant look
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October 31, 2023

Grey Curtains: A Timeless, Neutral Choice

Grey is a top neutral choice for many interior styles from modern to traditional to coastal and farmhouse. With so many shades of grey, ranging from dark, stormy charcoal to bright dove grey, all with varying warm and cool undertones, there’s a shade that’s perfect for your space. When looking for grey living room curtains or grey curtains for another room, you’ll want to choose a versatile shade that you’ll love for years — and one that can grow with your evolving sense of style.

To choose the right shade and style of grey curtains, first learn about the benefits of this versatile drapery color. Then, discover how to choose the right shade, material and style for the perfect look and functionality. Finally, gather ideas from inspiring examples of grey living room curtains and grey drapery in other types of rooms to spark your creativity.

A rustic bedroom has grey curtains in the Ripple Fold Drapery style made of material from Nate Berkus' collection

Why Choose Grey Curtains?

Grey curtains, as a beautiful neutral, offer several benefits:

  • Grey is a highly versatile color that suits a wide range of existing interiors, so you don’t have to worry about your new curtains sticking out in your design.
  • Grey is timeless and won’t ever fully go out of style. Plus, its versatility allows you to readily update the rest of your room with current trends, likely without having to replace your drapery.
  • Grey gives you a lot of choice in terms of shade and undertones so you can find just the right look, whether you want a deep warm greige or a bright cool grey.

Are Grey Curtains in Fashion?

Grey has been a top choice in interior design for years. However, color trends are now moving toward warmer neutrals like creams and beiges. This trend doesn’t leave grey out, though. Warm greys that feature yellow, red and brown undertones fit right into the current trends and lend a cozy feel to your space. When it comes to grey curtains, you have lots of warm grey choices, as well as greige and warm grey alternatives like creams and tans.

How to Choose Grey Curtains

A dining room with a rustic wood table has grey curtains in the Pinch Pleat style made of Wool Flannel in Walnut

Drapery plays a strong aesthetic role in whatever room it’s in, whether grey living room curtains, bedroom curtains, or another room, especially when mounted high and wide above the windows. So, it’s important to choose drapery you truly love that will work well with your existing décor and give you the functionality you need.

Get tips for how to choose the right grey curtains for your space so you can enjoy them for years to come.

Choosing the Right Shade of Grey

Grey comes in many shades from light to dark and cool to warm. Choosing the right shade will depend primarily on your existing color scheme and whether it features warm tones or cool tones as you’ll want your shade of grey to match these undertones. In terms of light and dark, the choice is mostly preferential: Do you prefer a light grey that brightens the space or a dark bold grey that anchors the space?

Learn more about warm versus cool greys to get a sense of which is better suited to your space.

Warm Greys

In terms of color, “warm” refers to yellows, reds and browns. A warm grey is one that has a certain level of undertones of one or more of these warm hues. Warm greys bring a cozy, inviting feel to your space.

A drapery swatch made of Wool Blend in Flax shows a light, warm grey color to be used for grey curtains
wool blend
Flax

Choose for: A light greige color with a soft, warming feel.

A drapery swatch made of Heathered Linen in Smoke features a warm, medium grey tone with texture to be used for grey curtains
heathered linen
Smoke

Choose for: A bright grey with brown undertones and rich, soft texture.

A drapery swatch made of Upton in Pebble features a textured medium grey tone to be used for grey curtains
upton
pebble

Choose for: An iron grey with a dense, rustic texture for a raw, natural feel.

A drapery swatch made of Holland & Sherry Wool Challis in Carbone has a dark, warm grey tone ideal for inviting grey curtains
holland & Sherry
Wool Challis, Carbone

Choose for: A summer-storm grey with elegant texture and a soft touch.

Cool Greys

“Cool,” in color terms, refers to blues, greens and purples. A cool grey is one that features one or more of these cool undertones. Cool greys bring a calm, relaxed feel to your space.

A drapery swatch made of Basket Sheer in Window has a light color with a slight blue undertone, ideal for cool grey curtains
Basket Sheer
Silver

Choose for: A bright, cool aesthetic, ideal for modern spaces.

A drapery swatch made of Sunbrella Alma in Cloud has lots of texture and a light grey ideal for cool grey curtains
Sunbrella
Alma, Cloud

Choose for: Character-rich woven texture with a cool, contemporary look.

A drapery swatch made of Holland and Sherry Wool Flannel in Sterling is a medium grey with cool undertones ideal for cool grey curtains
Holland & Sherry
Wool Flannel, Sterling

Choose for: A medium cool grey with a soft and lush look and feel.

A drapery swatch made of Heathered Linen in Slate feature texture in a dark grey color ideal for cool grey curtains
Heathered Linen
Slate

Choose for: Lots of visual and tactile texture in a dark stone grey.

Patterns & Textures

Patterns and textures add visual interest and complexity to your space. If your existing interior is subtle with no or minimal patterns, adding a patterned or textured drapery will add depth and dimension. If you already have lots of patterns and textures in your space, take care when introducing another visually complex element with your grey curtains. Choose a solid color with subtle texture, or if you’re drawn toward a certain pattern, make sure it’s one that’s already present in your space so your drapery will accentuate it rather than clash.

Grey patterns to consider include:

A drapery swatch made of Windsor Stripe in Light Grey features a pinstripe pattern for grey curtains with visual interest

windsor Stripe
Light Grey

Color Temperature: Cool

Choose for: A sophisticated pinstripe-inspired pattern for subtle visual interest.

A drapery swatch made of Aberdeen in Rain has a plaid pattern with cool grey tones for grey curtains with visual interest

Aberdeen
Fog

Color Temperature: Warm

Choose for: A subtle plaid pattern with a warm, inviting look and feel.

A drapery swatch made of Victoria Hagan's Vanda features a complex but subtle pattern for grey curtains with visual interest

victoria Hagan
Vanda, Mica

Color Temperature: Cool

Choose for: A touch of visual interest with a calm, relaxed feel.

A drapery swatch made of Alexa Hampton's Cloud Chain in Grey features a beautiful embroidered pattern

Alexa Hampton
Cloud Chain, Grey

Color Temperature: Warm

Choose for: A dynamic design with an inviting, whimsical feel.

Material Composition

In addition to the aesthetic of your drapery material, you also need to think about what it’s made of, or the material composition. When it comes to drapery fabrics, there are two main categories of materials: natural fibers and synthetic fibers.

Drapery swatches from the Holland and Sherry Designer Collection have warm grey and beige tones and lay next to a teacup

Naturals

Natural fabrics like silklinen and wool, deliver their own unique character-rich looks, but are prone to stretching and wrinkling. However, these imperfections are to be expected and are often desirable as they add to the charm of your grey curtains and showcase the natural material.

Drapery swatches from the Sunbrella Design Collection all feature cool grey tones and are piled decoratively in a silver bowl

synthetics

Synthetic fabrics like Sunbrella or polyester blends are more durable and deliver a pristine, polished look. These materials are resistant to staining, stretching and wrinkling, making them ideal for more active spaces like kitchens and kids’ rooms.

Light & Privacy Control

Your grey curtains need to not only deliver the look you want but also give you the light and privacy control you need. Different drapery fabrics will give you different levels of light and privacy control by themselves, from sheers to thicker wool drapery that blocks a good amount of light. However, if the fabric alone doesn’t give you the light and privacy control you need, you can add lining. Lining also helps protect fabric from harsh UV rays which can be especially damaging over time to natural fibers like silk and wool.

Drapery lining is available in three options:

  • Privacy Lining: Allows some light to pass through for a soft glow, but still offers good privacy for your peace of mind.
  • Blackout Lining: Blocks up to 99% of light for a tranquil room darkening effect and excellent privacy ideal for bedrooms.
  • Interlining: Interlining is a cotton flannel insert that can be paired with privacy or blackout lining. It provides great privacy and light control while also helping to block drafty windows for better insulation.

Choosing no lining for your grey living room curtains or curtains for another room is also an option. Without lining, your chosen drapery fabric will filter light naturally, which may be desired for fabrics like sheers that are designed to filter and soften light.

Pleat Style, Hardware & Functionality

Once you decide on a drapery fabric and possible lining, it’s time to think about the pleat style and hardware, both of which will affect the functionality of your curtains. Not all pleat styles are compatible with all hardware systems, so it’s important to determine your needed functionality before making your pleat style and hardware selections.

Tailored Pleat Drapery made of Victoria Hagan's Petal in Pearl hang luxuriously from a rod and rings hardware system

pleat styles

Pleat style refers to the design of your curtains at the very top of the panel, and subsequently, how the fabric falls toward the floor. Pleat styles range from modern like Ripple Fold and Tailored Pleat to traditional like Pinch Pleat and Goblet Drapery. These styles also vary in their functionality, as some pleats are easy to open and close while others are best used as stationary, decorative panels.

hardware

Drapery hardware can be divided into three main categories: traditional rod and rings hardware, modern track systems and motorized track systems. For the easiest manual functionality, track systems provide an easy way to pull your grey curtains back and forth along the track. Motorized track systems give you effortless control by allowing you to adjust your drapery with a remote, an app, or even a smart home system.

A display of the Madison Hardware collection shows three colors of Gold, Bronze and Black each with a different finial

Inspiration: Grey Curtains by Room

Now that you know the tips for choosing the right grey curtains for your space, explore inspiring examples of grey drapes in curated rooms to get ideas for your own space.

Discover the Perfect Shade of Grey

To find the perfect shade for your grey curtains, compare your favorite options at home by ordering free swatches. Be sure to choose a mix of cool and warm greys in light and dark tones to get a sense of which will look best with your existing décor. Always be sure to hold your swatches up to the light to see just how much privacy and light control you’ll have with the material alone, so you know whether or not to consider lining as well.

ORDER YOUR FAVORITE SWATCHES FOR FREE

Compare as many of your favorites from our collection of 1,200+ premium materials at home when you order free swatches online.

A close-up image of white swatches featuing different textures and materials shows the declicate details of these designs