Decorating with pattern

Pattern is a fundamental part of interior design adding depth and visual kudos as well as texture, diversity and colour.  Now I happen to know from experience that many people are scared of introducing pattern and when I say pattern I mean anything from striped, flowered, checked, graphic, and geometric.

There are a few hard and fast tricks such as mixing up scale –consider paring skinny stripes with out of proportion flowers for example – yes you want the design to look cohesive but if you mix patterns as you would mix furniture it suddenly becomes easy peasy. Too co-ordinated and too matchy matchy makes for a very dull space.  Balance is so important as too little variety will make the room dull and too much pattern make the space chaotic. Confused – don’t be. Start small add a few patterned textiles, ceramics or a rug to skim the floor and you will suddenly see the dimensions of your room changing before your eyes. The colours in the pattern will also affect your space – high voltage contrasts create an energetic feeling whilst subtler hues a more subdued environment.  Its tough but if you start small with just one or two things you can then start adding to the layers as your confidence grows.

A beautiful mix of patterns, subtle in tone yet visually dynamic.  You don’t have to have a grand plan when it comes to introducing pattern a dash of spontaneity is a good thing if you like it go for it.

Fun, strikingly decorative and magical.  One big bold pattern adds visual distraction and depth to this bedroom.

I am coveting this rug from Anthropolgie to skim the black floor boards in my hallway. Subtler in feel than I would ordinarily choose I want the hallway to be a gentle introduction to my space to set the style and yet define the hall as a different yet cohesive zone.

 

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