Well, hello there my dears! Waite here. 😊
Today we are going to talk about a topic that goes back to my days as an interior decorator at a fabric store. It was my first job when I got out of college and I loved it for so many reasons!
This week we are covering the idea of using multiple patterns in one room. It’s all about mixing the scale of your patterns!
If you can see the fabric in person before purchasing, then that would be extremely helpful. Especially if you can compare them all together in the same light and space. Remember to take risks – it usually pays off!
It can be a tricky thing to achieve the perfect balance of patterns, so I came up with these 5 tips to consider when designing a space.
- Have One Fabric with All the Colors in Your Palette
As we have discussed before it is so important to have a color palette when you are making design decisions for any space. When choosing your fabric (curtains, pillows, furniture, etc.) you should find at least one fabric with all the colors from your palette. That way it will pull the whole space together and make it feel more cohesive. Especially if you’re mixing design styles!
- Layering the Scale of Patterns
We touched on this already but it so key when balancing patterns – make sure to layer the scale of your patterns. For example, you want to have one larger scale pattern, one or two midscale pattern and one or two small patterns. You could also throw in a couple textural solid colors as well! On our couch we have a couple different textures, two medium scale patterns and one larger pattern on the blanket.
- Have A Focal Point
When choosing the fabrics for the space another thing to think about is the focal point of the room. Is it going to be your curtains? Artwork? Piece of furniture? Once you have that decided then I would recommend putting your largest or brightest fabric on that item. If it is not a fabric item, then I would put the largest patterned item on the other side of the space to balance it all out.
- Use Different Textures as Your Solids
One of our favorite fabrics to layer are textural ones! In our snug room we have used a crushed velvet, faux animal furs, faux leather and embroidered crewel fabric. One reason we did that in this space was because we want this room to feel cozy and all those textures make the room feel like a hug. Solid fabrics are fabulous to break up all the patterns and when they have textures it adds to the overall flow of the space instead of a stark change.
- Be Aware of Pattern in Other Places
When choosing the fabrics for a space make sure to be aware of pattern that could be in the space and would fight the fabric. Some places you would expect to be pattern would be wallpaper or rugs. Some unexpected places to watch out for would be wood paneling, wood molding, bricks or stonework, beams and windowpanes. When considering all those items, a floral would be a great choice to break up any of those patterns as opposed to a strong stripe.
Do you mix a lot of patterns in one room? Let us know how you accomplish the perfect balance. Leave it in the comments below – we’d love to hear from you!
xx
