Mastering Contrast in Interior Design: Insights from Notable Designers on Their Key Techniques
Contrast plays a significant role in enriching the visual and tactile experience of a space, adding depth and interest to even the most mundane of rooms. By strategically combining different colours, textures, and materials, interior designers can create a more pleasing and engaging environment.
Colour Contrast
One of the key methods for achieving contrast in interior design is through the use of colour. Pairing light and dark hues, such as light curtains against dark walls or vice versa, can create drama and visual interest. Employing a triadic colour scheme (three colours evenly spaced on the colour wheel) with a careful balance of warm and cool tones can introduce bold yet harmonious contrasts that emphasise key areas.
Texture Contrast
Mixing textures is another effective way to introduce contrast. Adding soft, plush textiles such as throws or rugs against sleek or hard materials like leather or marble enriches the sensory experience and depth of a space. Contrast can also be created between surfaces like glass or metal and natural textures such as wood and stone.
Architectural Contrast
Deliberately painting architectural features or wall sections in contrasting colours highlights details like bookcases, archways, or ceilings. This practice adds structure and sophistication without clutter. Contrasting blinds or curtains against walls can also dramatically enhance focal points and create visual tension.
Monochrome Contrast
Contrast can also be achieved in monochrome designs by using different shades of the same colour, or by contrasting warm and cool colours. For instance, a glossy back-painted backsplash can serve as a punchy counterpoint to simple matte white cabinetry.
Contrast in Various Forms
Mark Williams of Williams Papadopoulos Design explains that contrast can come in various forms, such as an antique buffet next to a Wassily chair, a dark colour next to a light colour, a smooth surface next to something with significant texture, or a traditional African craft piece next to a Barbara Hepworth sculpture from the mid 19th century.
The Importance of Contrast
Contrast is an important principle in interior design as it prevents cohesiveness from straying into monotony. It can evoke different feelings in a single space, such as elegance, serenity, and comfort. In a modern kitchen, for example, contrast can be created with white oak, stainless steel, matte white lacquered cabinets, and apple green accents.
In a living room, contrast can be made by pairing a curved sofa with an angular floor lamp, or by using a deep colour for a statement wall, a light sofa in the front, and a rug that blends it all together. These contrasts can create a bright, vibrant atmosphere and avoid monotony.
Interior designer Colleen Bennett of CBB Design Firm suggests these methods as effective ways to apply contrast in interior design to create a more pleasing visual and tactile experience. By following these guidelines, homeowners and designers can transform their spaces into engaging, balanced environments that are both visually stimulating and tactilely rich.
[1] Source for black-and-white patterned curtains against a matte black wall
[2] Source for triadic color scheme
[3] Source for colour blocking
[4] Source for mixing textures
[5] Source for contrasting blinds or curtains against walls
