Black is back for autumn and winter interiors, so set it off with a little white, says Emma Harrowing.

Monochrome is a classic look for your home. In previous incarnations of this trend, the black and white was offset with bold red and then fuchsia pink – this year the colour has been drained from the palette to leave just black and white.

Get the look by painting the walls of a room white and looking for black, white and monochrome accessories. If you want to invest in this look, go for plain black or white furniture and add pattern through rugs, curtains, cushions and accessories.

If black and white is a little too harsh, add beige into the mix or look for beige and black flooring and accessories to give a muted tone to the traditional monochrome look.

Finally, have fun if you want to add a bit of colour to your room – look for pieces in autumn's berry colours of burgundy or purple, vibrant emerald green or spicy mustard to bring an accent colour to your room.

When all is said and done the monochrome look doesn't have to be just black and white.

For more design inspiration take a look at our pick of some of the best monochrome pieces available from the shops by clicking on the photo gallery link at the top right of this page.