7 professional tips to master monochromatic bedroom design

Monochromatic colour schemes use a single colour base but utilise all shades, tints and tones on the colour wheel to create fantastic depth.

The advantage of monochromatic bedroom design is that it keeps things simple and clean, and ensures there are no elements that look out of place. When things are monochromatic, spaces are meant to flow, but the wrong shade, tint and tone combo can have the opposite effect, making a bedroom dull and flat. Below are some professional tips to ensure you get it right, when designing your master bedroom or perhaps even your guest bedroom. Go on, make an impact!

1. Use tints, tones and shades correctly

With a monochromatic bedroom design, the trick is to predominantly use tints and tones and reserve shades for detailing. What’s the difference? Tints are lighter, tones are greyer, and shades are darker. You can use these different elements to highlight different bedroom areas. For example, your walls could be pastel blue, your bedroom furniture and door could be blue-grey, and your décor and bedding could be dark blue.

There’s a rule interior designers have called the 60-30-10 rule, and this also applies to monochromatic design – 60% tint, 30% tone, 10% shade. Keeping to this ratio will help you balance your bedroom and keep things stylish.

2. Don’t eliminate white

Your ceiling should be white, and so should your skirting boards and trim – these elements effectively frame a bedroom, so without them, designs suffer.

White helps to break up monochromatic colour schemes in a natural way. You should use it throughout your design to highlight features and bring order to things. If you’re not a fan of white, you can use an off-white instead.

3. Your bed is the centrepiece

Your bed should set the scene for your monochromatic design. Grey, white, or a wooden bed frame are the best options because they blend in with most colours. A contrasting bed will also highlight your monochromatic bedding.  

Another option is to match the colour of your bed to your colour scheme, such as a blue velvet bed if the rest of your bedroom is blue or a pink velvet bed if your room is pink  – just make sure the textures stand out.

4. Break things up with light fixtures

Monochromatic bedrooms can appear dull and flat even with careful use of shades, tints, tones and textures. The best way to break things up is with lighting, and you can do lots of easy things like changing the kelvin of bulbs (a lower kelvin means a cooler, bluer light) and installing light fixtures that stand out from the crowd.

A favourite trick is installing metallic light fixtures (shiny or brushed) because metallics give spaces an aura of utility. One of the issues with monochromatic spaces is they appear to have no function – metallics introduce this.

5. Transition textures from rough to smooth

Bedrooms with many flat textures are boring, and bedrooms with lots of chunky, rough textures have no structure. You want to balance these textures; the easiest way to do this is by creating flow from the floor to the ceiling.

On the floor, rough and ready textures rule – your rug, furniture and baskets should have tactile and exciting textures. Engineered Wood Flooring also lends a fantastic texture, adding character to your room. You can use smoother and cleaner textures as you work up to bedding, curtains and walls.

6. A contrasting pop of colour isn’t such a bad thing

Despite the appeal of a monochromatic design, sometimes spaces need just a tiny pop of contrasting colour. Something as simple as a mustard yellow beanbag in a grey room can lift it, making the space feel hugely energetic.

If you feel that your monochromatic bedroom needs some energy and positivity, a bright pop of colour is the best way to achieve it.

7. Introduce softness to make your bedroom welcoming

Give every surface (wall, floor and ceiling) a softer texture so your bedroom has a welcoming vibe. Doing so will lead people’s eyes to softer features, making your bedroom look and feel like a beautiful space. You can make your monochromatic bedroom feel softer with tall, flowing curtains, flowers and bonsai trees, nubby textures and soft lighting.

Your bedding can also play a significant role in making your bedroom look more cosy and inviting. The Fine Bedding Company has a wonderful range of bed linen, duvets, pillows and bedroom accessories that will turn your space around.