What is monochrome?
Slick yet sophisticated, the monochrome colour scheme never goes out of fashion. It’s often thought of simply in terms of black and white, but ‘monochrome’ actually describes any colour scheme that features one colour or several shades of one colour.
One of the many great things about monochrome colour schemes is that they’re incredibly adaptable and easy to change and add to over time.
Choose your hues
If you’re decorating a room from scratch but keeping existing furniture or accessories, we recommend using one of these pieces as your starting point. Once you’ve settled on your one colour hue, you can choose a few different shades in varying strengths of the same colour. Dulux colour swatch cards each feature six tones of one colour, which makes this task seem not so daunting!
Create contrast
If you want to create a highly dramatic look, you can’t go past the classic monochrome colour palette: varying shades of black paired with crisp white.
The secret to giving this classic combination a modern edge is creating a high contrast between the two dominant hues – in the case of this sophisticated living room; chalky ivory and glossy ebony. Here, the black paint used on the walls and woodwork in the hallway beyond not only turns the corridor into a work of art, it also helps to highlight the dark furniture and accessories in the living room, creating a fabulous contrast between the black and white.
To add warmth to this dramatic look, you can use layers of comforting textures – think knitted throws, cosy cushions and fluffy rugs.
