You can use the Boysen Color Trend palettes by choosing two or more colors from each palette. For this post, I will be choosing two paint colors from the BREATHE palette and add a light neutral to show you how you can come up with a monochromatic color scheme. This is something similar to the color pairings found in this post (click link) from the same palette but this time, we are introducing neutral colors that do not belong to the palette.

Tawny Colors

I love these colors Morning Yoga and But First, Coffee. They have brown tones which makes them feel warm and inviting. These hues are easy to pair with light neutrals like cream and beige (see paint names and codes below) and would look good with wood furnishings to heighten the warm, organic feel.

The two living spaces below are using the same color palette but in different interior styles.

Modern Rustic

Monochromatic Color Scheme from the BREATHE Palette | MyBoysen

Use this warm color scheme and choose not too polished wood furniture (hand-me-downs could work really well), a pouf embellished with raffia, then some clay pots. The feel is organic and rustic. Because of the materials used, the effect is warm and comfortable. This room is proof that you don’t have to break the bank to come up with something beautiful for your home. You don’t need to slavishly follow interior design magazines. Make a space that’s as unique as your DNA.

What gives this room that relaxed and bright ambience is the monochromatic color scheme with the subtle oranges and browns of the color palette.

Contemporary Chic

Monochromatic Color Scheme from the BREATHE Palette | MyBoysen

The same colors are used in this room but this time the effect is contemporary and chic. Choose a sofa that is minimalist and modern with clean, straight lines. The same goes for the floor lamp.

Wooden floors and walls provide the texture to make this room look interesting. The colors, of course, make the space look warm and cozy. If you have the means, get a beautiful painting that brings the colors together. Or you can also do it the other way around, and have an existing painting inform the colors of a room.

Read this post about minimalism to learn more about how you can imbue this interior style with more personality. Hint: the secret is in the colors you choose.

Monochromatic Color Scheme

There are certain colors that speak to each of us, and for me, Morning Yoga and But First, Coffee from the BREATHE palette are two of them. This is an instinctive pairing, instinctive because these belong to a color family. There’s a name for this and it’s the monochromatic color scheme, which means colors that belong to a single base hue. They may have different tones (adding white) or shades (adding gray or black), but they belong together.

How to Design a Monochromatic Color Scheme

Although it might seem like it would be easy to design a room using the monochromatic color scheme, it may end up looking boring or cold. The question is how to achieve variety with the unity of the palette. Here are some tips that will help make your living space look attractive and inviting.

1. Make sure your paint colors have a similar undertone

There are so many whites available. What changes would be the undertones. A white could be yellowish, bluish, pinkish, etc. It is important therefore that when you make your color palette, your whites should have a similar undertone to your other colors.

In this example, we have the paint colors Morning Yoga and But First, Coffee that have brownish undertones, therefore the other two colors White Meadow and Kingdom’s Keys have yellow undertones to complement the oranges and browns. If you are not careful about the undertones in your paint colors, your newly-painted room may look a little bit off.

It’s good to see the fan deck because the colors in a strip go together.

How to Use Boysen Paint Color Fan Decks | MyBoysen

But nothing beats buying paint samples in 200 mL pots so you can test them by painting them on the walls of the room you intend to paint. Give the paint time to dry and see how the colors change when the natural light in the space changes throughout the day. It is also important to see the colors when you turn on your lamps at night.

Do not rely on digital swatches like you see here in the blog or on our websites because changes in gadgets affect the colors.

2.  Use an object or art work to come up with the palette

Unless it’s a new house and you will be buying everything, remember that when you choose a color palette, you are not doing so in a vacuum.

When you are repainting, this usually means you already have existing furnishings so make sure that the colors will match the colors you’ve chosen for your walls. If you have an object like an area rug, a fabric, or an art work that contain the colors you really like, use that to guide you.

If you are savvy, your prized possessions can become the focal point of the room itself. The wall paint colors should bring out the beauty of your things.

3.  Use textures to add interest and personality to a room

Texture is an element of interior design that you can use to make the room more interesting. There are two kinds of textures, physical and visual. Explore how you can use both to add to the depth, interest and detail to a room. Combining different kinds of textures give character to a space.

Think of materials like wood, stone, fabric, metal, glass, etc., and see how you can combine these in a room. Also choose the paint sheen well so that there will also be a match with the materials and interior style. To know more about paint sheen and how this affects the look of your walls, read this article.

For more tips on how to design a room using a monochromatic color scheme, read 5 Tips for Creating a Monochromatic Room.

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Author

Annie is the Managing Editor of Let it B | MyBoysen Blog. An unrepentant workaholic, she runs this blog and her own company Talking Lions (https://talkinglions.com). She thrives on collaborating with people who are good at what they do, and working together with them to create something special. Annie learned interior styling while managing her own wholesale business in the Netherlands, importing high-end, handmade home furnishings to stock four outlets and a showroom in the country.

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