Interior design: monochrome
As I’ve looked at different ways to decorate and design the interior of a room. One thing that I’ve found very important is to pay attention to the contrast of brightness and darkness. Just by looking at this, you can control a lot about how a room feels without even giving it any color. As I mentally plan an artwork, (interior design, digital graphics, web etc) I typically seem to start off with a monochromatic base, and than add color. This helps in being able to visualize the contrast, without being distracted by color. It also allows one to be able to add color sparsely which enhances the emotional effect of the colors added. For example, the image below is a good example of a white, minimalistic base, (being the walls and floor) and adding color through the decoration.
This next image introduces a little bit more contrast. The darker values make the room appear more balanced, and the several textures and shapes make the eyes work a little more to observe all the different details.
This final image has much more dark values in it. The blacks give the room a sense of power, but it also seems to shrink the size of room. (compared to if it was white) The lighter values doted throughout help to keep proper size perception.
I guess the general trend is that contrast allows for the viewer to focus on what you want them to focus on, without being distracted by other things. Using color in moderation also allows for this to happen.
