Monochrome, with lighter versions of black, is an alternative to bright white and dull magnolia

I confess to having magnolia walls in my house, even though the colour has been out of fashion since its monumental popularity in the ‘80s.

Back then, it was fresh and clean, after highly patterned, labour-intensive wallpaper was stripped from interior fashion. White was a no-no, except for woodwork, and considered too Mediterranean and at odds with our rain-soaked little island, so magnolia was neutral with a touch of warmth.

But its disadvantage was, and still is, a dull, murky tone on a grey winter’s day. It’s problematic in summer, too, because beautiful, warm rays of sunlight, especially those with the yellow hues of late afternoon when the sun is in the west, saturate it to a cigarette-smoke yellow. The morning doesn’t fare much better, when magnolia takes on the most unexciting tone of them all — beige.

No doubt about it, the quality of light in Ireland affects our more neutral decor choices, but is the current vogue for colour the answer? Not for me, I’m afraid, as confirmed by an evening surrounded by new, exciting colour charts by all the major paint manufacturers, from the wallet-friendly brands to the high-end, chi-chi, hand-mixed options.

Any change for me will be all-white, and brilliant white at that, even though cold light from the north, and greyish light reflection on dull, rainy days — which, let’s face it, is most of the year — can be unforgiving.

Monochrome, however, in all its starkness, is an eternally popular step away from plain white and works very well in bathrooms, which are stark and hard by their very nature.

Using it in other rooms runs the risk of being overwhelmed by the black aspect of it, or the space can easily take on an aggressively masculine aesthetic. This makes it challenging to introduce a pop of colour here and there, without it looking contrived and even out of place.

Inky black-and-white only works in small doses and can’t really form the basis of an interior scheme that will suit everyone, especially if you have the tastes and opinions of other family members to take into account.

So, consider the idea of warm black-and-white, which is the new approach to monochrome. It’s really just another way of describing the lighter versions of black, from charcoal and clerical grey through to dove grey and even the creamier mink. It is, in effect, somewhere between neutral and black-and-white, but achieves a softer, more liveable finish.

Unlike true black combined with white, it doesn’t have that masculine feel and will work with accents of any colour you may wish to add, especially this season’s fashion for orange and yellow.

Then, consider adding in a small touch of solid black in accessories, making sure they are combined with a little colour or pattern. Black-and-white rugs, especially cowhide-style, work so well in the softer, black interior scheme, thanks to their irregular shape and textured feel, which bring some liveliness to black’s flatness.

Next week, we talk to London-based Pinch Design about their chic furniture collection, which has a strong Irish connection