Most design schemes typically focus on using different colors and accessories to accent bedrooms. However, there is something to be said about a monochromatic scheme that incorporates bright, neutral colors and rich materials with subtle textures. The look is clean and elegant.
Monochromatic schemes in interior design create a harmonious, visually cohesive appearance. Combined with bright neutral tones, monochromatic combinations create a calming effect. Ultimately, that’s exactly what you want in a bedroom. After all, the bedroom should be the most relaxing place in your home. By adding bright neutral colors against a background of rich materials with subtle texture, or vice versa, you can achieve a balanced and appealing minimalist look.
A neutral color scheme is best achieved through the use of light colors. White or light cream is often used as a starting point. It gives rooms a fresh and clean feeling. Introducing natural light against bright neutral colors can really breathe life into a bedroom.
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Highlighting the Centerpiece of the Bedroom
In the example above, architectural clear glass frames the bed, provoking a sense of grandeur despite the muted color scheme. The resulting rectangular wall framed by the surrounding windows creates the impression of a large built-in headboard for the bed.
The bed is the centerpiece of the bedroom decor. The segmented cream fabric built-in bench surrounds the bed at the foot and sides. The actual back wall of the bed, made of the same cream fabric, has the same segmented pattern to connect it with the surrounding bench.
The two ottomans flank each side of the bed, serving a practical purpose. They act as additional furniture for seating or laying down items. Despite their contrasting cylindrical shape, they blend in color and texture with the bed material, giving it a cohesive appearance.
Despite the neutral color palette of bed linens and back wall, the bed becomes the focal point through the subtle color variations of the materials used in the room. The textured walls surrounding the bed serve as a backdrop for the featured furniture piece.
Raw Textured Materials
The textured polished colored concrete walls are bare, but the variation in texture and hue gives them a natural beauty without the need for embellishments. Materials in their original raw state can greatly influence the appearance of a bedroom.
They provide a contrast to the smoother surfaces surrounding them, but due to their neutral color, they do not detract attention from the centerpiece of the bedroom. The natural veining of the material is subtle but beautiful on its own.
Texture, when used against a monochromatic palette, adds a subtle layer of complexity. It creates variation in an otherwise subdued color combination.
The Effect of Light and Shadow
When light is introduced, it can breathe more life into these materials through the contrast of light and shadow. The window treatments on each side of the bed are subtle in size and neutral in color. They allow some light to filter through while also adding a bit of texture to the glass.
While light itself is a natural phenomenon that cannot be controlled, it can be manipulated to some degree. The size of the openings and the use of window treatments help achieve this. One of the peculiarities of light is that it’s dynamic. It constantly changes throughout the day.
This gives the room a different atmosphere depending on the time of day, natural sunlight, and the season. Shadow is just as dynamic, changing throughout the day and varying in contrast.
Neutral Floor and Ceiling Colors
The polished wooden floor tiles add warmth to the bedroom, but their smoothness and regularity accentuate the walls. Similarly, the smooth white ceiling with recessed lighting provides a clean canvas that complements the textured walls.
The textured pattern of the wooden floor complements the pattern of the bed material. Although it is arranged perpendicular to the bed, the pattern helps direct the eyes toward the centerpiece due to the pronounced joints running parallel to the bed.
Notice how natural light contrasting with shadow gives the flooring an enhanced luminosity. This adds a livelier hue to the monochromatic color composition of the bedroom.
Tints, Tones, and Shades
There are effectively three ways you can vary the colors used in a monochromatic scheme. Remember that a monochromatic scheme starts with a base color. In the example above, that color is beige.
By selecting variations of the color, you can alter the hue, shade, and tint. This can be achieved by adding different amounts of white, black, or gray to the base color used in the monochromatic palette.
Here’s a summary of how the three color variations work:
Tint: Adding white to the base color in varying amounts.
Shade: Adding black to the base color in varying amounts.
Tone: Adding gray to the base color in varying amounts.
This is useful when choosing paint colors and materials. When accessorizing a bedroom, you’ll want to use these color variations to diversify the original hue.
Room Size and Scale
While the bedroom in this example is fairly large, the concept works just as well in smaller bedrooms. In fact, using light and monochromatic colors can make a small bedroom feel much larger than it actually is.
Large windows, the use of mirrors, open closets (doors removed) are a few additional ways small bedrooms can appear larger. But ultimately, it’s the bright neutral colors that have the greatest impact.
By having light walls and a monochromatic color scheme for furniture and furnishings, a small bedroom can appear larger than it actually is.
Furnishing the Bedroom
Plants and flowers are great for accessorizing neutral spaces. They bring natural variations and changes in color without compromising the interior design.
The plant on the left side helps break the symmetry of the bedroom and gives it a more natural feel. This is done without distracting from the main focal point, the bed framed by glass openings.
Besides the plant, the only other accessory in the room is the mirror with a subtle colored frame. Artwork could be added to the composition as well. A modern, bright artwork—whether neutral or monochromatic—could possibly work to add some individuality to the bedroom.
The remaining pieces of furniture are the nightstand and the floor-to-ceiling freestanding closet with solid white doors. Like all other furniture pieces in the bedroom, it contributes to blending in with the rest of the composition through its neutral color.
Final Touch
In the example above, the bed lacks accessories to emphasize the minimalist feel of the composition. In practice, you would want to accessorize it a bit with throw pillows, a bedspread or coverlet, or even a throw blanket.
You could stick with the neutral light color for the bedspread or coverlet. The throw pillows are where you could go with a patterned design. A throw blanket could be used to add a bit of color, although you should stay within the monochromatic color schemes.
You have many options for furnishing the bedroom, the key is to stay consistent with the monochrome composition. You should be sure to either stay with warm or cool colors, depending on what is used in the color palette.
As long as you follow the rules regarding tints, tones, and shades, you can achieve a beautiful color scheme that feels both pleasant and calming to the eyes.