Simple tips to add monochrome chic to your living room
Monochrome: the most classic combination of colors, well, ever. There’s nothing like a clean, slick black and white decor to add instant class to your home and we believe the living room is the perfect place to add monochrome chic to your home. But, whilst decorating in two colors alone can seem somewhat as an easy task, effective monochrome decor is all about the execution. We’re talking textures, patterns, black and white wall art (obviously!) and of course, furniture.
So, without further ado, here are some simple tips to help you bring Parisian monochrome chic into your living room…
Remember: not all white paint is created equal!
Seriously, we’ve all been there, right? What you buy off the shelf in your DIY store of choice is not always the color that comes out on your walls. It’s a hard fact that not all white paint works for monochrome and unfortunately, a lot of people don’t find this out until they’ve spent a fortune on paint.
Go to a store and pick up several white test pots and use these on your walls in different areas of the room to show how the light will hit it. Rooms that boast a lot of natural light will give off a warm tone, so picking a cool shade of white with a blue or grey base can balance this out. We’re a big fan of Dulux ‘White Mist’ for that cool white tone.
Similarly, a smaller or artificially-lit room can benefit from warmer, beige or cream tinted whites. Also bear in mind that not all white matches, so be mindful of your furniture and accessories when picking a shade.
Play with texture and pattern
Geometric prints are great for bringing monochrome decor to life. We’re a big fan of the simple geometric reversible rugs from H&M, which add a perfect dose of busy to an otherwise simple monochrome room. Perfect under a coffee table to add some character to your floors.
Likewise, printed cushions dotted around a dark sofa (in the battle of black vs. white for sofas, we’d always suggest going for a dark charcoal to get as close to black as you can – white sofas are nobody’s friend) add character and comfort to any living room, whilst keeping in with your monochrome theme.
Add metallics & a splash of color
The Scandinavian style celebrates the beauty of nature, so indoor plants are a must. Low maintenance plants such as spider plants, aloe vera, and philodendron are a lovely addition to the home and of course, purify the air, adding to that calm, clean aesthetic.
Again, you can get a huge range of affordable house plants from IKEA and for those who aren’t too green-fingered, there’s always imitation plants! And if that isn’t enough, our range of botanical-themed posters are perfect for a splash of nature on your walls.
From floral art to striking geometric prints, our broad range of Black & White Poster Prints has something for every home decor style. These prints look great alongside splashes of bright colours from sofas, cushions and other accessories.
Introduce wall art to your space
Bring monochrome living room walls to life with quirky wall art that compliments your personality and the room theme.
For those who prefer a more timeless look, the black and white Bust print will bring a dash of Rome to your living room, or there’s the forever-classic Black Triangles print; guaranteed to add contemporary cool to any monochrome look.
If you’re seeking something a little more daring to break up the monochrome look, there’s Graffiti art that’s sure to get your guests talking, or our popular Neon prints, which we’re now able to create with custom text so you can have a unique print.
Gallery walls are also a great way to make art the centerpiece of your room. Check out our post to help get the fundamentals right when assembling your gallery wall.
Our "Tagged" prints are a great example of bold, striking graphic art posters, which are inspired by abstract Graffiti Ink tags.
Add Plants
Filling a monochrome living room with easy to maintain greenery will add a cool, airy and chic finish to your space. Failing that, a simple vase of foliage and white blooms will add instant class to a coffee table or sideboard.
If you’re going in hard with the monochrome look, plants are ever more important, enabling you to break up space a little and avoid giving yourself – and others – a headache!
We’d love to see how you’ve styled Ink and Drop wall art in your homes, so tag us in your monochrome looks on Instagram and share your top tips in the comments. We’re over at @inkanddrop and can’t wait to meet you.