The design trend of juxtaposing shades of a single colour to create a harmonious whole is making a comeback. While abandoning the full colour palette, textures and materials play a key role – they give spaces with a tone-on-tone aesthetic depth and dynamism. In this way, despite the uniform colour scheme, the interior gains interesting nuances and expressive character. Here are some tips on how to achieve the tonesurton effect.
The use of a monochromatic palette is the essence of elegance and subtlety in interior design. The French term ‘ton sur ton‘, meaning ‘tone on tone’ or ‘shade on shade’, describes a concept in fashion, architecture and visual design in general, based on the juxtaposition of elements maintained in different intensities of a single colour. It is a trend that has much more to offer than harmony and visual tranquillity. It also offers the possibility of fully immersing oneself in one’s favourite colour and an almost unlimited scope for experimenting with textures, materials and accents.
How do you decorate an interior in ton sur ton style?
A key aspect of a successful tone sur tone décor is the careful choice of colour. The base colour should not only suit our tastes, but also be in line with the atmosphere we want to create in the room. The next step is to play creatively with shades to bring out depth and emphasise the qualities of the space.
However, tone sur tone is first and foremost the art of composition. When deciding on a monochromatic palette, it may seem that colour plays the first fiddle, but it is the other elements that gain in importance. Materials play just as important a role here as colours. The foundation for this subtle play is the use of various textures and the contrasting combination of matt and polished surfaces. This is complemented by lighting, which brings out the nuances of the finishes, creating a multidimensional effect and emphasising the beauty of the materials used.
Is it worth opting for a monochrome interior?
The tone-on-tone trend owes its popularity above all to its versatility and timelessness. Interiors in this aesthetic effectively resist passing fashions, maintaining style and elegance for many years.
However, is designing in a single colour tone too much of a constraint, which can prove challenging for people with no interior design experience or even professional decorators? “On the contrary. This trend offers enormous scope for creative solutions. Within its framework, we can design both an interior with a modern character and a space full of classics – it all depends on the elements chosen. What’s more, tone-on-tone is a guarantee of harmony and consistency, giving each interior a refined and coherent look” – comments Monika Rogusz-Witkoś, architect at Craft of Interior.
Ton sur ton – thoughtful details in practice
The design by the Craft of Interior studio in Wrocław is dominated by warm, earthy shades of terracotta – a reddish brown – which appear both on the walls and in the bathroom fixtures and fittings, such as the mixers, washbasins, bathtub and accessories. The variety of textures – from smooth, shiny tiles to raw wall finishes to the satin surfaces of the bathtub and basins – gives the space a simultaneously cohesive and multidimensional feel. The minimalist forms and modern lines of the mixers emphasise the elegance and sophistication of the style, while subtle lighting brings warmth and an intimate atmosphere to the interior.
The key to success in this demanding style is to harmoniously match all fixtures and fittings in a single colour tone – which can sometimes be a challenge, especially when designing a bathroom. This is where the Polish brand OMNIRES comes to the rescue with its award-winning collection of baths and washbasins OVO M . In addition to the classic white, the collection offers six other shades – terracotta, coral, olive, midnight blue, ash grey and black lava – all with a pleasant-to-touch matt finish.
In a space kept in warm tones of reddish brown, the terracotta-coloured bathtub and washbasin are a natural choice. The Craft of Interior studio paired them with fittings from the CONTOUR line, also from OMNIRES. This collection impresses with its precision craftsmanship, thanks to diamond-milled details that allow for subtle play with texture and form. Available in four colour variants, the mixers in this line go perfectly with a monochrome interior, and the brushed copper shade chosen for this project subtly accentuates the depth of the colours, adding a touch of refinement while keeping the arrangement consistent without any unnecessary contrasts.
Creating ton sur ton interiors is a process that requires particular attention to detail, but an interior in this aesthetic will return the favour by showcasing the designer’s craftsmanship. The ton sur ton trend is a praise of simplicity and beauty hidden in monochromatic palettes. With the right choice of colours and materials, a space can be created that is not only elegant, but certainly also unique and memorable.
source: Omnires press materials
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