A Monochromatic Color Scheme Is Smart for your Main Line Home
We’ve got a term in the painting business: “color chaos.” Color chaos happens when you’re trying to find the perfect new color for your home. You choose a “statement” color for each room, and suddenly your home is looking like a Pennsylvania Dutch quilt, with a kaleidoscope patchwork of colors! Color chaos can also happen as you start decorating your home if you’ve collected a few eclectic prints and colors over the years, and now you’re working to find a color that ties in the whole scheme.
If you’re looking for a new paint job for your home, avoid “color chaos” by choosing a serene, monochromatic color scheme – you’ll enjoy a harmonious look that accents the natural architectural beauty of each room. A monochromatic color scheme can even save your pocketbook, considering how it adapts easily to your existing furniture and wears beautifully over the years.
Separate Rooms, Separate Colors? Rethinking the Patchwork
When shopping for paint colors, people tend to go to the store with a very specific mindset: one room, one color. Homeowners can be carried away by the array of choices in the spectrum, and can be overwhelmed by the idea of personalizing each room. But despite this fact, most people often don’t consider simplifying their color scheme. It’s almost like a mental block: repeating the same color in different rooms is just not people’s natural tendency. However, the new trend of monochromatic color schemes is showing that you don’t need a patchwork quilt of colors to give your home personality. In fact, maintaining a consistent palette of neutral tones with each room in your house lets the other elements in your home, such as the lighting and architectural ornamentation, take the spotlight.
It’s also important to understand that even though you are using the same color from room to room, this does not mean that there won’t be any variety. Lighting can completely change the look and feel of the color from one room to another. A slate gray color in one room with bright daylight could look completely different in a room lit by sconces. Using one color (or two) from the same paint strip can still offer a beautiful (and natural!) variation from room to room as the light changes.
Can a Color Scheme Be Long Term?
How can we make the most out of our furniture and maximize its potential – not just for now, but for the future? Not only do the neutral tones of a monochromatic color scheme allow for greater flexibility in choosing accents and furniture, but you can also move pieces from room to room, and they will always work. When your furniture is easily repurposed, you’re less likely to end up buying new furniture over the years.
A Serene Space Inspired by Fashion
Greys, grieges, and off-whites give a harmonious feeling throughout the house. This has been an extremely popular trend in recent years along with the monochromatic grey-blue tones. Fashion has consistently embraced the monochromatic look over the years: just look to your own wardrobe. When you’re choosing pants, you’re more likely to go with a neutral gray wool slack that will match any color shirt than you are to choose a brilliantly colored pair of pants that only goes well with one or two tops!
Along the Main Line, we have a lot of beautiful hardwood floors that tend to offer a yellow tone to the room. A blue-gray can offer a nice contrast to those hardwoods, while the cool tones cause the color to recede, giving your room a more spacious look. Just like the gray wool slack, a cool gray wall looks sophisticated and calm, and you can pair it with any other fabrics in the same color family. Off-whites offer many of the same benefits, as well as a clean, bright look.
Trying a Monochromatic Scheme
Every customer has a different challenge. Some are moving into a new home with no furniture and no color direction. Some are keeping their current furnishings but are looking for a change to freshen things up. Some have a color “mistake” that they regret and need help making the right decision the second time around. Others still love their current colors, but need to match that color to continue their monochromatic scheme.
Once you’re ready to start your interior renovation, Nolan’s team of professionals can help you with every step of the process, from finalizing your color decision with our color consultants, to finding just the right brand and finish to work with your room. We’ve been partnering with homes and businesses along the Main Line since 1979 to keep our community looking its best, and we can help you get started on your new monochromatic color scheme today. Contact us for a consultation!