We don’t get much grey in the Algarve, do we? On the rare occasion I wake up to grey skies, my heart sinks … ‘Oh my god the sea is not its usual sparkling jade, the cliffs are not their vivid orange …’ I feel like I may as well be in England. But once I get outside and start walking along the cliffs, I see how many colours there are in that grey, how the ocean is liquid pewter, the horizon platinum and the beach a smokey gunmetal. I watch each shade becoming another as the Atlantic winds sweep the clouds across the sky and I realise grey has a beauty all of its own.
So here’s to grey in all its tones, from the palest duck egg to the deepest charcoal. You might not be the sexiest or the most exciting of colours – even if there are fifty shades of you – but I have to admit you’re a class act, you’re understated and sophisticated and full of hidden depth.
In deepest, darkest December, I took a photo at low tide when the sand was like wet silver icing and the shards of light slicing through the clouds bounced spotlights on the ocean. I couldn’t believe I had managed to take a picture that was actually in focus, let alone full of pretty greys. I got it printed on watercolour paper and hung it in a frame above the sofa. Every time someone comments on it, I say, “Aah yes, that’s a limited edition print by an award-winning but little-known landscape photographer.” And they don’t even laugh.
Coastal landscape pictures are really calming on a bedroom wall, the greyer and moodier, the better. There are lots of websites where you can have fun uploading your own photos. At Printão in Porto – www.printão.com – you can order prints on acrylic or board as well as the traditional framed photo print and shipping within Portugal is free when you spend 40€.
One of the great things about decorating with grey is that it’s not gender specific. It’s one of those colours that we’re all allowed to enjoy. Your partner probably quite likes it and nobody is going to have a meltdown if they come home to find you’ve painted the bedroom grey. If you’re a pattern-lover like me, you can add little areas of interest with decorative rugs or tiles to give yourself a lift without ruining the reassuringly grey aesthetic.
Grey sculptures add character to a grey living room and are very soothing at the same time. Jonathan at Aura Concrete in Porto creates male and female figures from smooth grey concrete. Made entirely by hand, each one is completely unique. They are solid and heavy and he sells them as bookends, but I wouldn’t hide them at the end of a bookshelf. They’re so full of personality they deserve to be a centrepiece. He also makes candles and vases in the shape of pert buttocks if that’s more your thing … well, this article is called Fifty Shades of Grey!
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How about displaying decorative stones in your home? Portuguese beaches are ideal places to look for wishing stones. A wishing stone is a rock with a distinct, continuous line of quartz or calcite that runs around it. Legend has it that if you trace your finger around the line while closing your eyes and making a wish, then throw the stone into the sea as far as you can or give it to another person, your wish will come true. Make a wish on behalf of someone other than yourself; then ALL your wishes come true. The best wishing stone has a single continuous line wrapped around it, unbroken and uninterrupted by other lines or streaks.
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If you aren’t lucky enough to find any wishing stones on your local beaches, you could fill a vase or bowl with stones in every shade of grey. I’ve got one in the bathroom and it’s really relaxing. Or you could buy some online from Sophia at Cabanas Jewellery in Lisbon. She spent many hours walking on beaches during lockdown and now has a shop selling wishing stones and other natural treasures.
