Monochrome Monday!

Monochrome - Consisting of varying tones of just one colour

Many people mistakenly think that the term Monochrome means black and white - to a certain degree they are correct, however it is not as narrow as that. Monochrome means that the colour scheme consists only of colours from one section of the colour wheel - to put it simply, a room consisting only of lots of shades of blue would be monochrome. Whether there are two blues or 12 blues, the room would be monochrome. Black and white, however, is probably the most popular monochrome colour scheme. As we all know, I am a sucker for modern homes, and you can't get much more modern than blacks, whites and greys. My living room is kitted out in these colours and I love it! Not only is it a modern colour scheme, it is stylish and professional. In this blog I am going to look at monochrome colour schemes in the home and what you can do to make them stand out. 

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This living room is stunning. The colour scheme is hues of black, which range from black right through to white including greys and silvers. This is a classic, simple design yet looks so clean and modern. The decoration is stunning and there are lots of straight lines and symmetry which I love.

Something else that goes well with this colour scheme, which can't really be identified in the colour wheel, is glass. It goes with everything, but I specifically like it in rooms with a colour scheme including black as it prevent them from looking too dark reflecting light from windows and doors and distributing it around the room.

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This room is of similar hues, however it is more black and white than anything else, which looks great. I love the high gloss coffee table which, again, reflects the light coming through the windows around the room, preventing the blacks to darken the room too much - like a glass table would. Also, mirrors are good to create this effect. 

The dark floor also creates this modern look that I love, it looks clean and professional and also doesn't show dirt as well as lighter carpets, so it is also more practical for those with pets or children. The grey chair creates an accent for the room.

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This bedroom is absolutely beautiful  - it looks so comfortable and luxurious. Your bedrooms should be a temple, and this is certainly that! Again, the monochromatic scheme here is hues of black through greys and a small hint of white. The lighting adds to that luxurious feel, and the subtle vertical striped wallpaper is also a fabulous accent (not sure that it can outdo the lighting however!).

This just looks like a bedroom that would be a pleasure to snuggle into on a cold winter's night. Isn't that what everyone wants in a boudoir?

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This room creates the same effect, using the same or similar lighting accessories. The thing I love most about this room is the grey slate laminate wood flooring. It is a stylish and modern take on the traditional beech laminate wood flooring, it ties in with the colour scheme and it looks stunning. with the black and white accessories and furniture, it goes beautifully.

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The next three rooms show what happens when you use a monochrome colour scheme but you throw in a splash of a completely different colour. This works so well and here are some examples that show this!

This room uses a monochrome colour scheme, however as a partition (as the room is open plan, the dining area and kitchen are around the corner) a beautiful purple floral wallpaper has been used to distinguish the two different areas, however the colour is flowing through with the purple flowers on the table. This works so well because it isn't contrasting, it doesn't clash, it works well and it still looks beautiful and very modern. it ensures that there isn't too much of one colour scheme, two rooms have different colour schemes but they are linked together without clashing.

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Here is another example of using purple to break up the monochromatic colour scheme of black and white. Although small and simple, the flowers in the middle of the dining table create the beautiful illusion of a virtual splash of colour, and breaks up the black and white.

One thing I love about this room is the interesting lighting choice, I love how they aren't all the same shape, it adds flavour to the room.

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This room is beautiul. I am in love with the lemon yellow colour that has been chosen as an accent colour, and rather than just having a couple of references to it, it is highlighted in most of the rooms features from the photos on the wall to the wallpaper to the lemons on the coffee table and the flower on the side.

I love it when an accent draws many aspects of the room together, and that is certainly what the yellow is doing in this room, and it works really well. I love this room and its design, I think it looks excellent!

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I thought I would show you all a few pictures of my own living room. It is still a work in progress, I am still looking to source some good quality grey slate laminate wood flooring, and some work still needs to be done on the furniture arrangements, but I am so happy with how it is turning out. See my take on monochrome below!