Looking at decorating with neutrals and monochrome colour stories feels familiar but it doesn't have to be boring. It’s a great way to build an elegant contemporary scheme adding pattern and interest to your home through printed textures. You can create subtle layering with accents of charcoals/blacks for depth and perspective. This kind of scheme creates a contemporary feel but doesn’t have to feel flat or soul-less.

Take a look at out mood board below for inspiration as to how to layer up fabrics and paint in this colour story.

Blacks and Charcoals can work well with pale neutral walls or for warmth a taupe or rust colour. Choosing larger prints such as the Nordic Trail for curtaining and the smaller prints for cushions or blinds works well. We love the Feather Blade Coal for curtains alternatively and it’s such a classic or it looks striking as upholstery for a statement piece.

Adding Black Lighting with contemporary angle-poise lamps or drop pendants create an industrial vibe and can really balance out prettier prints such as Honeycomb Coal. Cox & Cox have some great lamps and Ikea do some great black Anglepoise lamps.

Recommended Fabrics:

NEW Honeycomb Coal

Prestbury Blade White on Natural

Paper Leaf Pacific on Natural

Slade Stripe White on Natural

Nordic Trail Pacific on Natural

Nordic Trail White on Natural

Feather Blade Coal

North Star Pacific

Honecomb Pacific on Natural

Paper Leaf Coal linen blend

Recommended Paint Colours

Little Greene:

Lamp Black

Limestone

Mortar

True Taupe

Ceviche

Fescue

Cool Arbour

Serpentine

Benjamin Moore:

Edgecomb Gray

Revere Pewter

Brookline Beige

Maryville Brown

Chelsea Gray

Kendall Charcoal