Achromatic Design

[Anchor Lead]

Wall paper and paint are crucial aspects to interior decorating. While some like having different colors for every room, others prefer monochrome black or white styles. Today, we’ll bring you a home with achromatic shades that make the house appear cleaner, more sophisticated and very comfortable. Take a look.

[Pkg]

At a large residential complex housing some 26-hundred homes, there is one house whose interior only consists of achromatic colors. An eye catching painting is hung at the entrance and the living space resembles a show room. The kitchen is done in refined black while dark gray shades in the bedroom give a calmer feel.

[Soundbite] Song Hyeon-ji(Apartment Owner) : "We personally designed our house looking at materials we collected through books and photos. We only commissioned the construction and we have an achromatic space just for our family."

Let's take a closer look starting with the living room. The balcony is expanded and a unified white color scheme is the dominant feature. Marble-like mat white tiles are used for the floor. The TV is hung on the wall. The electric cords are completely hidden making the TV set just a black square on the white wall. Gray and black sofas are in nice contrast with the white space, creating an urbane feel.

[Soundbite] Shin Dong-hun(Apartment Owner) : "A long sofa takes up space and it feels cramped. Placing a shorter sofa together with an individual chair works better as people can talk facing each other. It's also easier to move the chairs around for different use or atmosphere."

Now the couple's bed room. Just like the living room, only achromatic shades are used. The beddings are also gray.

[Soundbite] Jo Hyeon-jong(Interior Designer) : "The use of only black, gray and white produces a polished, modern style without having to do much decoration. The space also calms down compared to when various colors are used. One note of caution is using too much dark shades in which case rooms appear smaller. Other than this, going achromatic can be stylish."

Opening a door inside the bed room reveals the bathroom, the most cherished space by the wife. This larger family bathroom was created by combining the spaces of a couples' toilet and a closet room. Only white and black are used for the bathroom interior. A black colored shower is quite unusual. Lastly, here's a look at the kitchen. The dominant color of the cooking space is clearly black. An island created at the center and the black theme surprisingly helps to open up the space. The table and lights are also in black, elevating the refined look.

[Soundbite] Shin Dong-hun(Apartment Owner) : "I wanted to present a one of a kind kitchen to my wife through a black color scheme. My other focus was creating maximum storage space."

An entire wall of the kitchen is completely for storage and holds 70% of all household articles. There's still room left. This section that just appears as part of the storage closet is actually a door that leads to the utility room! It was a smart idea to have the door look the same as the storage closet for a unified look. Taking out the colors creates a sophisticated, urban and most definitely unique achromatic living space. Maybe you can give it a try.