Grisaille: A Painting in Shades of Gray

I received a Neiman Marcus home catalog in the mail the other day, and this "Italian Grisaille Panel" caught my eye."


"Grisaille is a term for a monochromatic painting, usually in shades of gray. 
Tones in the sepia range make this canvas unique."
From Tara Shaw. Reproduced from a European original found in Milan."
53.75"W x 0.75"D x 81.75"T

I decided to visit Tara Shaw's own website and found a few more grisaille items. 


A grisaille throw (72"H x 48"W).
Tara Shaw Maison

 A grisaille pillow sham.

Another grisaille pillow sham.

My favorite interiors have a classical air - a sense of elegance, history and patina. Grisaille textiles, murals or wallpaper panels provide a perfect way to add these three elements to a room. Here are some beautiful examples. 

"A rotunda with 18th-century trompe l'oeil wallpaper panels."
"For clients with a blue-chip art collection, [French decorator Frederic Mechiche] recently turned a nondescript office space into a grand, neoclassical apartment straight out of Versailles."
Photography by Jean-Francois Jaussaud.
"The Gilded Age" by Daniele Gerkens.
Elle Decor (January - February 2012). 
Originally published in Elle Decoration, France.

"In the entrance hall, marble columns are topped with Medici vases, and a pair of 18th-century Swedish stools is upholstered in silk." 
Photography by Jean-Francois Jaussaud.
"The Gilded Age" by Daniele Gerkens.
Elle Decor (January - February 2012). 
Originally published in Elle Decoration, France.

"The rotunda's powder room is hidden behind 18th-century grisaille panels."
 Photography by Jean-Francois Jaussaud.
"The Gilded Age" by Daniele Gerkens.
Elle Decor (January - February 2012). 
Originally published in Elle Decoration, France.

"A pair of mahogany Jacob chairs flanks a copper tub in a bathroom."
Photography by Jean-Francois Jaussaud.
"The Gilded Age" by Daniele Gerkens.
Elle Decor (January - February 2012). 
Originally published in Elle Decoration, France.

"The entry's framed wallpaper fragment and antique French chest establish the neutral palette of the house."
Home in Mountain Brook, Alabama.
Interior design by Paige Schnell and Doug Davis of Tracery Interiors.
Photography by Jonny Valiant.
Interview by Mimi Read.
"All Dressed Up" produced by Doretta Sperduto.
House Beautiful (March 2011). 

"19th-c. wallpaper panels, Linda Horsley Antiques. Antique French chairs in Vervain silk."
1921 Georgian manor in Richmond, Virginia 
designed by classical architect W. Duncan Lee, "a leading residential architect of his day."
Interior design by Suellen Gregory.
Photography by Laura Resen.
Written by Sallie Brady.
"Flair, Form and Color" produced by Leslie Newsom Rascoe.
Veranda (July - August 2012). 

"Contemporary art and an antique fragment balance gilt touches." 
1921 Georgian manor in Richmond, Virginia 
designed by classical architect W. Duncan Lee, "a leading residential architect of his day."
Interior design by Suellen Gregory.
Photography by Laura Resen.
Written by Sallie Brady.
"Flair, Form and Color" produced by Leslie Newsom Rascoe.
Veranda (July - August 2012). 

"Grisaille wallpaper panel, tole urn and garden seat, all antiques.
Tablecloth in vintage Fortuny fabric."
Renovation, interior design and landscape design by Furlow Gatewood.
Photography by Max Kim-Bee.
Written by Carol Prisant.
"Forever Charmed" produced by Carolyn Englefield.
Veranda (May - June 2011). 

"The powder room wall covering - an album of family photos printed on glazed canvas scrawled with white gold - was inspired by grisaille walls [Bunny Williams] once saw in a European dining room and by her client's love of the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat."
Manhattan penthouse.
Interior design by Bunny Williams.
Photography by Roger Davies.
Text by Kathleen Hackett.
Styled by Carlos Mota.
Elle Decor (February - March 2011). 

"In the bedroom, a painted canvas panel forms a dramatic backdrop for an antique English hall chair from Cove Landing and an Empire bench."
New York City duplex of Nina Griscom and Leonel Piraino.
Interior design by Nina Griscom.
Text by Nina Griscom.
Photography by Eric Piasecki.
"Shifting Gears" produced by Robert Rufino.
Architectural Digest (February 2012). 

"In the living room . . . a mural by Bob Christian serves as a backdrop for a Louis XVI chaise and a pair of 18th-century Italian gilt armchairs, covered in fabric by Nobilis and Claremont, respectively; the Louis XV chair by the fireplace is upholstered in Claremont fabric."
New York pied-a-terre of Los Angeles decorator Suzanne Rheinstein.
Interior design by Suzanne Rheinstein.
Photography by Roger Davies.
Text by Julia Reed.
"The Age of Elegance" produced by Anita Sarsidi.
Elle Decor (November 2010). 

 Another view of the living room.
New York pied-a-terre of Los Angeles decorator Suzanne Rheinstein.
Interior design by Suzanne Rheinstein.
Photography by Roger Davies.
Text by Julia Reed.
"The Age of Elegance" produced by Anita Sarsidi.
Elle Decor (November 2010). 

"The living room's walnut desk from Hollyhock and bleached-oak table are both 18th century; the wing chairs are vintage, and the curtains are of a cotton-silk by Rheinstein."
 New York pied-a-terre of Los Angeles decorator Suzanne Rheinstein.
Interior design by Suzanne Rheinstein.
Photography by Roger Davies.
Text by Julia Reed.
"The Age of Elegance" produced by Anita Sarsidi.
Elle Decor (November 2010). 

Louis XV cane armchairs with silk cushions flank a marble-top table with an antique wood base; the lamp is by Hollyhock, and the mirror is Georgian."
New York pied-a-terre of Los Angeles decorator Suzanne Rheinstein.
Interior design by Suzanne Rheinstein.
Photography by Roger Davies.
Text by Julia Reed.
"The Age of Elegance" produced by Anita Sarsidi.
Elle Decor (November 2010).