Jill Stuart, Spring 2012.

Amanda Nesbit Interiors.

Versace, Milan Fashion Week Spring 2012.

Ralph Lauren Design.

Gray is a perfect masculine-feminine combination color, serving as a great compliment to pink while still maintaining an element of masculinity.

I absolutely love this dining nook! This is a great example of the versatility of gray. Although the designer chose a bold gray for the walls, it serves as the perfect neutral backdrop to the more rustic chic feel of the space. Notice how the gray walls and the gray settee brings out the ashy gray in the unfinished wood.

The dove gray walls in this master bedroom create the perfect backdrop for the very dramatic headboard and gold leaf mirrors that frame the bed. The gray itself blends with the other neutrals in the room.

I have always loved the idea of cement countertops, and in this kitchen the gray cement is only one of a variety of shades of gray. The cupboards, shelves and faucet all represent a different cool "temperature" of gray.

Gray is particularly dramatic when paired with stark white accents such as the crown moulding, drapery and headboard. This is one of my favorite bedrooms and favorite paint colors. In this room the designer used Pratt & Lambert's "Wolf".

Another great feature of gray is that it can be used in a variety of textures. In this sitting room gray is used as a rich velvet fabric and matte finished wall, but it can also be applied as a linen, silk, cement or metal.

J. Crew's Jenna Lyon framed the entrance to the bathroom in her loft with a cool gray archway. It's almost as if you are looking through a keyhole. I love the black clawfoot tub!

Gray and lilac make a perfect pair, and in this case, the simple addition of a purple throw brings out the cool tones of the wall. Although sometimes difficult to maintain, whitewashed hardwood floors are the perfect canvas for any style or aesthetic.

This still ranks as one of my all-time favorite bedrooms. I love how the drapery frames the window and falls almost haphazardly to the floor. The gold frames and the all-white bedding are very simple, and yet give the space the perfect dose of elegance, sophistication and femininity.

This bathroom is very reminiscent of the Restoration Hardware look. Many people who paint paneled walls or exposed brick choose to use white, but gray can also be a great alternative as it still allows for the texture of the wall to show through but provides a much warmer feel than the stark and rather cold feeling of white.

A daily reminder to love, forgive, have fun and live out loud. Vinyl wall sticker decal via Vogue and Coffee.

This is pure rustic elegance! The weathered headboard and linen flour sack pillow cases add a touch of country charm to this very sophisticated and feminine all-white bedroom. I love the juxtaposition of the crystal chandelier and the distressed wood.

This is a great example of how linen can go beyond the casual "shabby chic" aesthetic and be used to create a very elegant finished look. A tailored linen slipcover is a great, inexpensive option for recovering old couches.

Hanging linen without a black-out lining allows the sunlight to shine through and emphasizes the fabric's texture and near transparency. Many designers will use linen for long drapery because it puddles beautifully on the floor, but I love how this designer chose to use linen for a more structured roman shade.

This is a great example of the various applications of linen in the home. In this space, the designer has used linen for the upholstery, pillows and the drapery. Each application showcases linen's natural durability and unique texture--qualities that make it perfect for window coverings and heavy traffic rooms in the home.

The white linen headboard adds to the casual "beachy" feel of the room. Despite the monochromatic scheme of the room, white exists in many different textures--linen, cotton, fur, antiqued wood and high-sheen hardwood floors.

Veranda Magazine. I absolutely love this living room! The unique combination of textures and patterns (linen, stripes, leopard and leather) creates visual interest, and yet every piece is still in keeping with the neutral palette of the room. The elegance of the rest of the pieces in the room makes you overlook the linen all together.

The natural sunlight, neutral linen and warm color on the walls makes this alcove and settee an ideal retreat for reading and relaxation.

I am absolutely in love with this all-white kitchen, and I particularly like the designer's unique use of linen to create chair covers for the tops of the wicker chairs. It's a great way to add a soft upholstery feel while still maintaining the casual "beachy" look of the wicker.

Designer Darryl Carter mixes linen with artifacts to create a more modern, masculine feel in the master bedroom. I love the juxtaposition of the bold nailhead pieces serving as the headboard and the soft linen on the bed.

House and Home. This is one of my favorite applications of linen. The long dramatic drapery instantly creates a sense of elegance and grandeur, and notice how the linen puddles at the bottom creating soft lines against the hardwood floors and steel chairs.

1. Dwell Studio distressed metallic squares pillow-ABC Home 2. Letterpress coasters-Sesame Letterpress 3. Gold Ducks-Oly Studio 4. Quatrefoil Pendant Light-Ironies 5. Elizabeth Entertainment Center-Oly Studio 6. Ticker Tape Mug-Kate Spade 7. Queen Anne Mirror-Jonathan Adler 8. Flint Paint Collection-Restoration Hardware 9. Hermes cashmere and wool blanket

Elle Decor. This stylish living room decorated by Nate Berkus and Anne Coyle is a perfect example of midnight blue's universal appeal. While the color is inherently dark and masculine, it can instantly become feminine when paired with soft fabrics and shades of pink and purple.

Elle Decor. This kitchen showcases midnight blue in all its glory by allowing it to stand alone against a rather neutral and monochromatic palette. Natural wood and white are the perfect contrast to this dark, highly saturated color.

I absolutely love this entryway! The high-sheen floors and floor to ceiling midnight blue paint creates a dramatic introduction to the home and sparks great anticipation for what the rest of the house has to offer.

Miles Redd. Midnight blue is a great color for a wall of bookshelves because it transforms a utilitarian feature of a room into a stylish focal point. Because of the strength of the color, painting just one wall is enough to make a statement. Notice how the sterling silver detailing stands out against the dark shelves.

This rare midnight blue marble mantle could stand on its own without much accessorizing, but in this space it blends beautifully into the background and becomes a more understated statement piece.

In this bedroom midnight blue is used in a variety of shades, demonstrating how it can be used as both a matte backdrop or a bold focal point. Notice the variety of textures and materials used in this space...velvet, fur, leather, lucite, chrome...and yet they all work together beautifully.

I love this chandelier! This whole space is an interesting play on colors and styles. I love the contrast of the white marble and stark white walls against the bold chandelier, and the juxtaposition of traditional and contemporary pieces.

Amanda Nisbet Design. I particularly like the use of midnight blue in velvet fabric, adding to the richness of the color. The color also proves to be even more dramatic with a high-sheen finish.

Designer Miles Redd seems to have mastered the use of midnight blue. Using high-sheen midnight blue to finish the cupboards is a bold move, but by keeping to one color and minimal detailing, Redd prevents the space from being too loud and overwhelming. Pairing midnight blue with oak wood floors creates a very masculine feel.

Elle Decor. Designer Todd Roman blanketed this study in the perfect matte midnight blue paint. Much like black, midnight blue can be used as a neutral that pairs beautifully with other bold colors and patterns.

This very chic and feminine bedroom uses only two colors--white and midnight blue--and yet the use of various fabrics and patterns makes it far from simple. I love the contrast of the sharp edges of the greek key and hexagon pattern against the soft velvet and delicate draping of the canopy bed.

Miles Redd. The midnight blue lacquer wall in this sitting room is the perfect anecdote to the orange velvet tufted bench and original oak floors. Farrow and Ball has the best selection of midnight blue lacquer paint. This one called "Hague Blue" is a favorite of designer Miles Redd.

Elle Decor. While using floor to ceiling stripes is rather bold, the neutral gray tone prevents them from overwhelming the room and allows them to serve as a backdrop to the rest of the room rather than serve as the focal point.

Elle Decor. The white ceilings and white tile floor beautifully balance the striped wallpaper and emphasize the high contrast between black and white. I love the copper tub and the way that the artwork is hung off-set, drawing your eye directly to the back wall.

Markham Roberts. Another untraditional way to use stripes is to use them diagonally. Although the room itself is busy, the diagonal stripes are neutral enough that they appear more subtle.

Turning stripes horizontally not only creates visual interest, but also makes a space feel larger. I like how the designer balanced the large scale stripes with smaller artwork and a neutral black and brown color palette.

Continuing the wide stripes on the ceiling creates a "circus tent-like" feeling in this fun light-filled dining room. Stripes work particularly well when paired with wainscoating and moulding...helping to frame the stripes and preventing them from being visually overwhelming.

This is a rather bold welcome to a home, but it creates great curiosity about what the rest of the home looks like.

Blount Design. The combination of competing stripes goes against all rules, and yet the simplicity of the rest of the room allows for the visual tension to exist without being too overwhelming. I love the drum shade pendant light at the center of the room...you can get an inexpensive drum pendant that is very similar at http://www.westelm.com.

Bright yellow stripes work perfectly in this light-filled bathroom. Continuing stripes on the ceiling works particularly well when you have tall ceilings that are peaked. It closely mimics a cabana tent.

If you are apprehensive about stripes on the walls, you can reserve stripes for accent pieces such as a rug or pillows. Even accent pieces can make a bold statement and add visual interest and texture.

House Beautiful. The red and white stripe curtains add just the right amount of color to this all white and black office. I love the touch of the turquoise lamp on the side table....turquoise and red make a perfect pair!

I love this outdoor space! The sand colored striped cushions and bolster pillows blend beautifully with the beachside setting. Notice the eclectic collection of lanterns hanging from the tent...a great alternative to a large chandelier.

Domino Magazine. Using stripes on the ceiling of a nursery is such a darling idea and adds a touch of color without it becoming the dominant color of the room. The yellow, black and white color scheme is a great option for a gender neutral nursery.

The low flung bed and bold turquoise striped rug is a modern take on beach decor. I love the hanging ratan chair!