Thinking about redecorating to give your home a much needed update? Want to change your look completely, but don’t want to fall into the trap of following a short-lived trend? Monochromatic decorating is a look that’s here to stay and can be highly effective in creating a stylish aesthetic in your home.
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What’s monochrome?
When you think monochrome, you’re likely to be imagining those crisp black and white interiors that feature in design magazines. While picture perfect, they often don’t appear overly welcoming or liveable right?
The monochrome look is more than just a restricted palette of black and white with a few token greys thrown in. It simply implies an ombré colour scheme that use tones to create a cohesive appearance. Not a fan of the black and white? You could have a blue monochromatic interior using shades like cobalt, royal blue and pastel blue.
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Rather than being the stark black and white interior, a monochromatic space can be of a warm palette too. Executed well, this style can totally transform your space with very little effort. In fact, choose one colour as the base and decorate with shades of this colour and you’re sure to avoid any decorating disasters!
Choosing your palette
Creating your monochromatic look starts by picking a base colour. This will be the dominate colour that features in your room, so choose one that suits your personality and also compliments existing furniture, materials or appliances in the home.
Once you’ve chosen your single base colour, start adding a range of tones, tints and hues of the same shade. Just be aware that some colours have certain undertones that look different in various lights. A shade with a really high undertone, may look out of place in your ombré scheme.
Large pieces of furniture, like your sofa, are great items to have upholstered in your base colour to reinforce your palette. Smaller furniture pieces and soft furnishings can incorporate the hues of your palette to provide the ombré effect.
Adding texture and pattern
An all-white interior can look pretty flat and dull, and an all blue interior can look a little, well, “matchy matchy”. Adding texture and pattern can work well to add interest to your space and break things up, so it doesn’t all blend into each other.
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The texture in timbers or woven natural fibres in the same colour palette can work really well. Consider soft furnishings like cushions, throws or rugs the ideal accessories to introduce texture and pattern into the space. Textured wallpaper and artwork is another great way to offset the monotony, and create interest.
To add a foreign colour or not?
Monochrome enthusiasts will likely say “no” to adding a colour that strays from your designated base. However, adding a pop of colour in a small dose can be effective, and give your interior an added boost. If you’re choosing a more neutral palette like black, white and grey or shades of white and cream, adding a foreign colour is another way you can break it up.
Source: Est magazine, photography by Sharyn Cairns
This could be simply adding a tan leather chair to a white interior, or a teal cushion in a black and white space. A timber coffee table can be a subtle addition to the space or a bright coloured occasional chair can make a bold statement.
Artwork is another way you can inject a touch of colour without dominating the space and disrupting the overall monochromatic look.
Finding the right furniture in your chosen monochrome shades can be a challenge, and not as easy as picking paint colours. That’s one advantage of selecting furniture that’s custom designed to suit your interior, leaving you no reason to compromise.
Here at Urban Rhythm, not only can you customise the furniture design, you can also choose from a large variety of fabric to ensure you’re nailing your monochromatic look throughout your entire interior.
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