We’re back with our weekly mood board and this time we tackled a serene and gender neutral bedroom full of moody grays, blues, yellows and whites. From clothing storage to display space for jewelry, books, and more, we really tried to squeeze in a ton of function without breaking the bank (affordable Ikea furnishings definitely kept the make-this-room-yours cost down). And we love how the happy doses of yellow add a bit of energy – so it might be a smidge easier to slide out of bed – while the muddy grays and blues paired with sleek white furnishings really keep the room feeling breezy and restful.
1. When it comes to the color scheme, we’d love to see dark charcoal grays, pops of lemon yellow, and a few dark wood pieces mixed with some crisp white furnishings. Painting the walls in the subtle blue-gray color (Benjamin Moore’s Silver Lake 1598) that we added as a thick stripe across the top of the mood board would add instant depth and moodiness- plus it would look amazing with crisp white trim and doors. And you might notice that the numbers in the board are a rich navy tone, which can definitely be added to the scheme if yellow, grays, and whites aren’t enough hue for your liking.
2.These geese ($25 a pop) would add energy and movement along with a sweet serene feeling to the space, especially when hung in a cluster above the white dresser(s).
3. This plate (under $8) would be a nice splash of our accent color when placed atop the dresser to display jewelry and watches in a charming and casual way.
4. This print ($21) and this print ($29) would look gorgeous hanging on the wall… or even leaning on the wall atop the bookcases that we’re about to mention.
5. Two of these bookcases ($129 each) placed directly behind the bed’s headboard will create a stylish and functional feature wall (and painting the wall behind them two shades darker than the rest of the room, Benjamin Moore’s Timber Wolf 1600, will really add posh dimension and interest). Then just load them up with books, baskets, and accessories like planters, vases, candlesticks, and other beloved collectibles in tones of gray, white, blue and yellow. A good friend of mine has two bookcases behind her bed’s headboard (kind of like this) and it really does make such an amazing impact and create a ton of storage and display space. And thanks to the bed having a built-in headboard there’s no worry that you’ll lean back into something on the shelves.
6. This bedding ($79 for a king sized duvet) works perfectly with our scheme- and the price for such a large duvet is pretty darn good.
7. Two of these striking and sophisticated yellow clip lamps can be attached to the bookcases behind the bed so they shine down for easy in-bed reading just like wall-mounted sconces (without the complicated wiring).
8. This sleek and affordable dresser (just $79.99) provides tons of budget-friendly storage – and can even be placed next to a second dresser of its kind for the look of a spacious 6-drawer piece.
9. This chic patterned rug that doesn’t break the bank (just $179 for a 6 x 8′) complements everything from the comforter to the wall color while adding some nice texture and geometric interest when it’s placed under the foot of the bed. Then hanging crisp white curtains (Ikea sells a number of affordable options) would finish things off nicely. Of course soft yellow or even gray and yellow banded curtains would work too. Or for anyone looking to add extra drama, rich velvet navy curtains along with a navy throw at the foot of the bed would add yet another hue to the room for that super luxe look.
So there you have a sophisticated and wallet friendly bedroom in a box- er, board. In fact, adding up every item in this board along with an additional $20 for paint and $20 for Ikea curtain panels brings the whole-board total to just $909. Not bad considering you can spend that much on two bookcases and a dresser alone – and we also squeezed in a rug, two lamps, tons of wall art, paint, curtains, and even a jewelry tray along with those three major furnishings. Does anyone out there have anything else they’d love to link to that would work well with this bedroom setup? Is anyone planning to snag anything in the board for their own sleeping space (send us pics please!). Is anyone already enjoying a gray, yellow, navy, and white palette in one of their rooms? Do tell.
Daphne says
Hi Sherry and John!
I love you guys. You helped me so much with my home!
And now I’m in love with your wedding as well.
Can you please send me more pictures of your wedding?
The ones online are a bit too small for me to print out.
I want to do it just like yours :)
[email protected]
Best Wishes!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Daphne,
Just scroll through this photo set on Flickr for bigger printable pics. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
JenWoodhouse.com says
I love love LOVE yellow and grey together! So much so, that it’s our little Eggroll’s color scheme in her nursery!
priscilla tharpe says
Love the mood boards-so useful for everyone! I must say the flossing issue is pretty gross! Might as well dump the contents of your sink basket with bits of food etc onto your sofa and living room. I know you and others said you didn’t have chunks of food flying out, since you already brushed your teeth, but that’s exactly why people floss. Because brushing DOES NOT remove food particles. Sorry but that’s gross! The best way is to floss in the shower/tub when you take a daily bath or shower. It’s a wet room, meant for rinsing stuff away, easy to wipe out the tub or shower wall. I don’t think I will ever sit on anyone’s sofa again without cringing and thinking they might be flossing there. STill love your blog and all your incredible tips!
Mona says
I think it’s so funny that a few people are grossed out by flossing on the sofa. It’s far more germy for someone to sneeze in their house than floss on their sofa- but we all do that and we somehow survive. And for those who say that you floss to get food out of your teeth, I look at it more as buffing the sides of my teeth just like a toothbrush buffs the front and back. I never have pieces of food come out on my floss or into the air. Besides, the idea of flossing in the shower for fear of germs is a bit over the top for me. But to each their own I guess.
Molly says
We currently have this duvet in our guest room. What color would you suggest painting the ceiling? Thanks and love the blog!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Molly,
Hmm, what color are the walls? Maybe just slide a shade or two lighter on the swatch and do that for the ceiling? Hope it helps!
xo,
s
JenWoodhouse.com says
PS… And to the reader asking about yellow lamps, I highly recommend thrifting for one and spray painting it like I did with this project:
http://blog.jenwoodhouse.com/home/2010/6/14/vintage-lamps-revamped.html
Can’t beat that $10 price tag!
Julie says
I love the “generic” mood boards also. I find it much MORE helpful than something that’s specific to one persons home. This makes it much easier to pick and choose what you like from it. We JUST got done with our bedroom and grey/yellow was a combo I was seriously considering but I went a different direction – this makes me kind of wish I hadn’t. I DID paint my dining room walls grey though and it’s a blank slate now so I’ll try to borrow some of these ideas. THANK YOU!
Stef says
Thanks for answering my yellow lamp question. Do you have a post on how to spray paint a lamp base or another resource with a tutorial? I’m not so crafty and have basically no experience with paint, so I can’t figure out how the paint would stick to a smooth surface like ceramic or glass, for example (unless spray paint just does that – see “no experience”).
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Stef,
Just purchase spray primer like Kilz and follow that with high quality spray paint (like Rustoleum for around $7). It should do the trick!
xo,
s
Jen says
My heart jumped when I saw this moodboard – it’s very similar to what I’ve been envisioning for my bedroom, and it’s so helpful to see it as a moodboard rather than just random pieces floating around my head.
I was initially a little disappointed when you said you wouldn’t be doing custom moodboards anymore because sometimes the limitations clients gave are issues that I also have – awkward room shapes, limited budgets, etc. But I’ve now also realized that without those limitations, it will be really great to see what you two can come up with when given free rein! I think you’ll manage to have a more varied set of moodboards now that you’re not bound to what your clients want. Clearly there are pros and cons to each method but I’m excited to see what you come up with next! Thanks for all your hard work.
Jenny Gardner says
I love your site!!! I’d love to see a mood board with a soft turquoise color. I want to redo my house with this color and don’t know if I should go with white/turquoise and another color or put beige with it. (my walls are currently a kahki color) I know turquoise is a trendy decorating color right now so I thought it would make a good mood board for you.
Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Jenny,
We’ll definitely add that to the list! We actually already have a ton of mood boards with turquoise in them already located right here, so feel free to peruse that collection in the meantime!
xo,
s
Erin B. Inspired says
I’m sooooo(ooo) glad y’all featured a bedroom in this color scheme. I’ve been trying to come up with some good decor around that duvet for a while. (I love it!)
Question: If my floors are a dark wood, would it be better to add a lighter rug or no?
Oh, and thanks for RT my home renovation. I’ve gotten a ton of comments on that post. I can’t wait to share more stories
-E
YoungHouseLove says
You really could go either way. A lighter rug would be more high contrast, but the patterned Ikea rug would totally work with dark floors too!
xo,
s
Sara says
Thanks for posting a grey mood board! Our downstairs family room is grey, black and white and I’ve been looking to add some more color to it (the berber rug is shades of beige) and I’ve always been a fan of yellow – perfect for the upcoming fall season!
Rebecca (Craving Simplicity) says
Love it!
Redlilocks {Swoon Worthy} says
Love this moodboard and the colour combination is definitely a favourite! In fact, I used it in my living room (although paired grey & yellow with olive green & dark wood):
http://gettingitswoonworthy.blogspot.com/2010/08/living-room-before-after-big-reveal.html
And I’ll be using a very deep grey with yellow in my dining room too:
http://gettingitswoonworthy.blogspot.com/2010/09/cheap-easy-before-after-dining-room.html
Love the generic moodboards – and that’s from someone who can’t even purchase many of the items being in the UK. There’s still so much inspiration to take from them, I look forward to these every week! :)
Kay says
It’s great to see you do a hip, contemporary palette. Keep it up!
Ashley says
I appreciate that you guys are actually sacrificing extra income for yourselves (from the shop and custom mood boards) to focus your efforts on more general things that can benefit ALL your readers and to ensure you have enough time to maintain the blog with the high standards you’ve set. Your posts are much more thorough and more consistent than any other blog I’ve seen. Haters gonna hate. :)
Jocelyn Stott says
Love it. I have said it before and I will say it again – I love yellow but it scares me in my own space. I must get to the bottom of this!!!
Julie says
We accidentally used these colors in our bedroom a few months ago! We started off with trying to get a neutral yellow that went horribly wrong and became BRIGHT yellow. It was awful so I thought about painting the bedroom gray. When I went to look at paint I found a dark gray on clearance for $5! It was too dark for the whole room but I decided to paint a wall just to see how it would look. It looks amazing! We kept all the other walls yellow but we have a gray accent wall now which balances the yellow. I found some amazing shams at Target that use the yellow and gray color scheme and it brought the whole room together! (We have a crisp white comforter). This mood board gives me more ideas to keep bringing the room together I am so excited!(If you can’t tell from all the exclamation points=) )
OwningSingle says
Nice! Glad to see the mood boards again. I think I like the idea of the generic ones.
Irene says
I love the color scheme. I also prefer the generic mood boards, because it’s easier to adapt them to people’s home.
You’re doing a great job. Thank you for the inspiration you give us everyday.
sheila says
Like most people, I’m reading comments fast and furious looking for good additions to the original post…
I don’t mind blog references – and links – in the names, but it’s irritating me when a comment is obv. just for self promotion of their own blog. And by the time I’ve wasted time reading 10 of them, I’m changing the channel. Any chance you’d change your policy on that? Or take a vote, at least?
Thanks.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Sheila,
We try to keep things drama free over here, so editing comments or excluding the ones with links back to people’s blogs seems a bit heavy handed. We do hopefully have a solution though- assuming we can figure out the coding. We’re desperately trying to figure out how to create buttons below each comment so people can “like” it- which might help you avoid self promotional blog links since people will probably “like” comments that are the most helpful and interesting. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Jenn @ Living Luxe for Less says
What a great inspiration board! I LOVE the rug from Ikea. I just spotted this grey striped chair from West Elm and I think it is so cool!
http://www.westelm.com/products/scoop-back-chairs-f887/?pkey=cchairs-ottomans-benches
Belle says
Thank you for this wall post – I recently painted my walls in a similar tone hoping for a regency-meets-beachy modern vibe and other than installing white shelving for folding clothes I had no idea how to add more colour or accessories.
So thank you!!
Katy says
you should check out some of the sets from Nick Jr’s “The Fresh Beat Band” – I was watching it with my daughter this afternoon and Twist’s room was decorated with greys, yellows, and blues! As I was watching it, I thought ‘this looks like a YHL inspired room’ and then here today you post this grey, yellow, and (navy) blue mood board!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much for the tip Katy! We’ll definitely check it out- fun!
xo,
s
Shauna says
Wow, I LOVE this mood board! I actually like these ones better because I find that they are more adaptable when they’re not catered to one specific persons needs! Not that I was complaining when they were custom, I like them either way!
Seriously though, in 10 years you’re not going to think back and get upset because you didn’t do custom mood boards on the site, but you definitely would regret not spending as much with Clara! I don’t think the person complaining understands how much work goes into raising a baby. I respect you guys for doing what’s best for your family. The only difference I really noticed in the blog is the adorable Clara pictures and well, that is nothing to complain about :) Thanks for all the inspiration.
Elle says
I absolutely love this color scheme! It’s sophisticated, but whimsical. It’s like one of those cozy rainy days with the sun poking out in parts of the sky. I was already considering using this palette in my living room and now I’m totally going for it!
Belinda says
Yawn…………..Boring. Everything you come up with looks the same. Boring, boring, boring.
Cheryl says
Win some, lose some. Your current mood boards have more potential for me — because they are not geared to meeting a specific customer’s limits and requirements. Re- purposing my own decor based on somebody else’s room doesn’t give me all that many more options. If you can address topics, like ‘room arrangement, a corner fireplace, great rooms, styling shabby chic, rustic modern, mid-century, etc’ as possible topics and foci for mood boards occasionally, we’ll learn from those approaches too. Personally, I don’t think I’d get much out of seeing your readers before and after pictures (I can go to other websites for those); that was discussed as an option for these mood boards. But I do think these open-ended mood boards are refreshing. Combining art focused on horses and dogwoods — who would have thought about that? You did and now I’m thinking, wow, that’s rich. I need to be open to such combinations.
Elizabeth says
I really like this board, but I could never convince my husband to put yellow accents around! We’re in the process of doing a blue/gray with orange pops living room.
My question is this: what program are you guys using to make up your mood boards? I really like Polyvore for a FREE and easy tool, but it doesn’t allow you to pull paint colors from websites (among other things you can’t pull in easily). I would really like to create some digital snapshots of the decor in our house to reference later on (and while working). I’d love to know what you guys use or could recommend for making up mood boards and saving paint colors digitally for personal use later on. Hope that question makes some sense! Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
We use Adobe Photoshop and we create the paint swatches by eye in that program (and it’s not free) – but we hope it helps!
xo,
s
Erin @ Domestic Adventure says
I love this mood board! Just a few weeks ago I worked up my own version of a mood board for our nursery and I used a very similar mix of yellow and gray. I think it’s a perfect combination that will grow with our baby from infant to little boy!
And, for what it’s worth, I am actually liking these mood boards better because I can envision them in any space rather than just the space for which they were designed. Keep ’em coming!
Carolyn says
Good work YHL! I really love this colour combo. I’m really loving yellow at the moment, especially now that it is Spring down here. You’ve inspired me to sew up some cushion covers to compliment our navy blue sofa.
Btw, I think you’re doing an amazing job here on the blog, inspiring and helping your readers, plus raising Clara. That is two full time jobs right there! I honestly don’t know how you do it all! I would love you to do a post on how you schedule your day and stay productive with a little one around.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Carolyn,
We actually have a day in the life post in the hopper for our upcoming blogiversary. Should be fun!
xo,
s
Sima says
I am seriously loving all things gray at the moment. Gray is the color I want for our guest bedroom. We have been buying a lot of things for our home from IKEA since it opened in Charlotte. Its been great for us being on a tight budget. I love the geese though. The pops of yellow really compliment the gray. I will keep this in mind for the bedroom.
Phoebe says
This is gorgeous! And also the teensiest bit strange! I just created a moodboard about a month ago for my spare room soon to be guest room that is actually gray, yellow, black, white and just a hint of blue. (I went with a smoky blue instead of a navy blue.) Great minds think alike, I guess! :)
Jennifer says
Grey has been my favorite color since I was in the 8th grade. So any mood board with grey as a main color is going to be great to me! My husband says I need to add color to my life (I chose grey for our wedding color last fall, when no one was doing grey. Now it’s everywhere!).
Farah says
I could make this work in my bedroom today! Awesome! Love it.
Christine says
I LOVE this colour palette! I’m really excited about your weekly mood boards… and the fact that you have free reign now!
Begoña says
I’m soooo into yellow lately!!! Thank you for this moodboard, it’s great!
Ann M. says
Gorgeous moodtheme, I especially love the colour palette – greys and whites are so elegant and the yellow brightens it up and keeps it from getting boring. Wonderful.
Sabrina Jordan says
I am such a fan of this palate. It’s not only clean, but it’s fun and adds some creative color splash. I have a very similar style in my room. It’s gray, white, and lime green. It is so energizing and inspiring. You really can’t beat it! I still have a few projects to work on but it’s coming together nicely.
One great (and free) decor piece I added to my space was a large branch that had fallen off of our giant tree out front. I hung it over the bed for an artistic wall piece and it looks fantastic. :) Just thought I’d share.
Love the geese by the way! I may have to pick one or two up! :)
Charlie says
That is so crazy! We are using those colors in our baby’s room! I blogged about here:
http://nixonsleeves.blogspot.com/2010/08/weekend-round-up-things-im-excited.html
Great modern and fun colors! Anyway love your site. You give my husband and me hope that we can do little home projects too :)
Katelyn N says
That is the bedding I was looking at purchasing, but it doesn’t come in a queen! I love love love what you have done here and want to make that my room!!! Nicely done again, I LOVE YOUR WORK!!!!
Kate says
Wow – what a beautiful color scheme! You both have such a great eye for decorating and design! Also wanted to say thanks – I am using your horizontal striped bathroom as inspiration for our powder room! Love your ideas and creativity!! :)
Kate says
I like the idea you gave of the white mirror instead of the white ceramic ducks. :-) Thanks for that!
Funny story – I went to Ikea yesterday for some Kassett boxes (LOVE THOSE) and some glass jars and I just stumbled upon the rug you have linked on this post. I was like “That is John and Sherry’s rug!!”
Courtney says
Are you taking requests? I would love to see a mood board with a global worldly but not cheesy theme. I love Asian and Moroccan accents but I’m trying to combine them with fresh and modern touches so it’s not overboard.
Carrie says
I absolutely love this mood board! I’m currently in the seemingly long process of redesigning my bedroom with yellow, warm gray, black and white and I’m almost done…just need a few more accessories. Might have to drop by Crate & Barrel to pick up that yellow leaf plate, love it!
I always find inspiration reading your blog. Keep up the great work!
Rachel @ The Avid Appetite says
I am obsessing over gray and yellow right now! In fact, I’m so wanting to pain my entire loft in BM’s Stonington Gray. Thanks for sharing! Always love your mood boards, regardless of whether they are general or custom!
Carpet Pro Gal says
Well, first off, love the gray-yellow-navy-white pallet! I can’t believe that whole room was under $1,000! Also really liked the idea of the bookcases behind the bed, really adds interest with all the little nick-nacks. I would’ve never thought about adding the zig-zag patterned area rug, but it really compliments the rest of the room. Great combo, thanks for sharing!
Leeann says
@Sabrina, you said “I hung [a branch that had fallen off of our giant tree] over the bed for an artistic wall piece.”
I have a giant dead branch just sitting in my front yard right now. Thanks for the idea on what do with it! Hopefully you’re reading these comments. How did you hang it?
Karen says
Hey, your posting on yellow and grey got me thinking and I decided to do a posting on this great color combination for cards. Its such a fresh color combination. I linked to you for being my inspiration. See it here:
http://www.hohumcards.com/2010/09/fresh-color-combination-for-an-invitation-yellow-and-grey/
Thanks for the inspiration.
Karen
Patti says
Gray is definitely the “it” color of the moment, isn’t it? Very cool board, love it! And I gotta have that horse pic! And for the h8rs out there…sometimes you find yourself having to re-do an entire room and have ZERO inspiration…so these “generic” mood boards are a way to get your imagination going and get some ideas bouncing around. RELAX and be happy that it may be helping someone else out of a decorating jam. and another little p.s. nothing flies around the room while I’m flossing on my couch either! Ok, I’m off my soapbox now, Thank you and good night.