What Color Pillows Go With a Gray Living Room? Try These Designer-Recommended Hues

Is your gray living room looking a bit bland? You might be missing these vibrant finishing touches

Living room with pale blue walls, grey sofas, red marble coffee table and zebra print chairs
(Image credit: Douglas Friedman. Design by Ashby Collective)

In tow with the itch to execute a spring home revamp, comes the brain fog of where to begin. But if you start with your pillows, this may be where the task comes to an end - not for lack of trying but simply because your throw pillow can infuse a space with more personality than you may think.

Gray happens to be an extremely common shade for contemporary living rooms but that doesn't mean you can't give it a look of your own. The easiest way to do so? The addition of vibrant pillows in complementary shades.

The good news is that there are plenty of colors that go with gray. Every living room needs a set of colorful throw pillows to brighten up the space, and since gray is a rather neutral tone, it's easy to get creative with your color palette. However, if you're feeling stumped, we've spoken to the experts and have curated a list of gorgeous hues that go perfectly against a gray sofa or walls. These beautiful pillow shades are sure to be the ultimate finishing touch to your living room.

1. Classic Neutrals

white living room with grey sofa by U+A

(Image credit: Eran Turgenman. Design: U+A)

You can't go wrong with classic hues for a chic living room atmosphere. David Harris, design director at Andrew Martin tells us that updating smaller accessories, such as pillows, is a simple way to refresh your gray living room and inject personality without overhauling your interior scheme. He suggests opting for elegant neutral-toned pillows for a clean minimalist living room. White and ivory-colored pillows can make your living room look cozy but you can also opt for an alternate hue of gray for a cohesive finish.

John Stivale, co-founder of Stivale Graffam Home tells us that white pillows create a soothing yet sophisticated environment but also recommends experimenting with camel-colored pillows for a contemporary vibe. 'Adding camel-colored pillows to a gray sofa provides a bit of contrast, while still maintaining a neutral color palette,' he says. 'We love using woven leather or thick shearling pillows in a rich camel tone to provide additional texture and depth.'

2. Vibrant Hues

living room with cream walls, windows, grey sofa, leather accent chairs, black rectangle coffee table

(Image credit: Stacy Zarin Goldberg. Design: Anne Pulliam Interiors)

A splash of color can revive a living room and give it a freshly furnished look and David agrees. He informs us that adding vibrant throw pillows is a simple and inexpensive way to inject a bold hit of color into a neutral design such as gray. 'Try starting with soft base linen colors for your sofa and then mix in a combination of hot pink pillows for added zing,' he says. Infusing your living room with color gives you the perfect chance to test out the playful dopamine decor trend and beginning with minor accents like pillows is an easy way to dip your toes into this viral aesthetic.

Interior design expert Elana Mendelson shares that her favorite pillow colors for a gray couch include rich shades like fuchsia, mustard, and teal. 'The color gray is versatile like black and white giving it the flexibility to pair with a range of bright colors,' she says.

3. Jewel Tones

Light grey living room with multicolor rug and blue sofa

(Image credit: Ruth Maria Murphy. Design by Design Led)

The best throw pillows turn your sofa into a luxurious chill-out zone, and jewel tones are an ideal way to introduce an air of opulence into your living space. Similar to its name, this class of colors screams luxury and these gorgeous shades happen to pair perfectly with gray sofas.

Steven Graffam, second half of the dynamic duo behind Stivale Graffam Home, tells us that they love to mix and match several bright colors with a gray room to create an eclectic and dramatic feeling. 'Colorful jewel-toned pillows punctuate the neutrality of the gray sofa and add a punch to any space,' he notes. These rich gemstone colors are a great way to embrace maximalism, but even if you're one for neutrals, you can always introduce a single jewel tone for a zesty pop of color.

If you're like us and you're feeling a little bored with your current living room setup but you're also in the mood to take a more affordable home spruce route, we recommend spicing up your living room with a range of colorful pillows. You can even experiment with varied textures, shapes, and sizes until you're happy with your couch collection. Just make sure they're as comfy as they are pretty to give you total satisfaction with your purchase.

Our top pillow buys for a gray couch

Amiya Baratan
News Writer

Amiya is a News Writer at Livingetc. She recently graduated with a Masters Degree in Magazine Journalism from City, University of London, and has lent her words to beauty, fashion, and health sections of lifestyle publications including Harper’s Bazaar and Women’s Health. Her experience as a research analyst has equipped her with an eye for emerging trends. When she’s off the clock, she can be found reading, listening to music, or overanalyzing her latest Co-Star update.