Tone-on-tone decorating may sound easy but it takes a keen eye to keep your home or rooms from looking basic and boring. We loved working on this North Shore Mediterranean-style home. I’m revealing several of our top tips to keep tone-on-tone decorating interesting and elegant.

Photography by: https://aimeemazzenga.com/

Architectural details work in your favor:

When you have architectural details like arched windows, coffered ceilings and beautiful moldings a neutral palette can let those details sing. If you are renovating, spend time and energy looking at those details and how you can make a statement with the architecture rather than with color.

Side note: green is a neutral! the pops of natural green really enhance the tone-on-tone family room

Mix your finishes:

Brass, polished nickel, black, iron, chrome…the list goes on. When you keep your color palette tone-on-tone your metal accents can stand out and (pun intended) really shine! Pay special attention to finishes through out the home and mix and match to make a statement. Lighting, mirrors, hardware, accessories and plumbing are all good items to consider.

Don’t be afraid to use black:

You need a few pops of black to give a tone-on-tone space contrast. Notice how the entry door and dining room chandelier make each of these images more beautiful with the contrast they are creating. Even small items like books and accessories can give you a pop of black for contrast and interest.

Window treatments elevate any space:

Adding dimension to your space through texture and softness make tone-one-tone rooms more interesting. One of the best ways to add texture and movement is window treatments. In this house, we chose airy linens with minimal or relaxed patterns to highlight all the beautiful windows but not overshadow them.

More on Window Treatments in this popular post: https://centeredbydesign.com/window-treatments-roman-shades-drapery-panels/

Elegance is simplicity executed perfectly:

Tone-on-tone decorating is such an elegant style when executed well. Focus on the details, such as architectural moldings, high quality painting, lighting fixtures, etc. When you do that, you need less in the way of decoration and can often leave the room more sparsely decorated.

If this is tone-on-tone look is one that you love, I encourage you to go for it! I hope the tips above give you a few new ideas to put in your decorating tool kit.

XO – CLAIRE

 

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