Master Class - Mixing Patterns
If decorating were Ice Skating, a room with well blended color and a strong mix of patterns would be the equivalent of a triple lux, very high on style but equally challenging technically. So how do you pull off this gymnastic feat? Here are a few tips to help guide you.
Where to Start?
While there are no hard and fast rules about this style of design, I have found that finding a single large pattern fabric that I like, is a great place to start. Look for something that has multiple colors (this will help you later on) and a pattern that catches you eye in a delightful way.
There are a number of ways to use this pattern, I like to use a rule of thumb of 60/ 30/ 10, use the largest scale print on 60% of the room, smaller scale on 30% and solids on 10%, this of course is a rough guide, but I find it helps give me a framework for my selections.
Where do they go?
So if I am going to use the large scale print on the majority of my room, I am going to look to use it maybe as a wallpaper, or window treatments or if it's a bedroom as a quilt. It’s important to think about the size of the piece you are covering when selecting the print. A large piece like drapery can handle a very large design, where a pillow should require a smaller design.
When deciding where to put the various patterns, give some thought to the layout of your furniture, so that you can balance the patterns from one side of the room to the other. So perhaps you have a quilt on the bed with one pattern, maybe reuse that pattern as a table skirt on the other side of the room.
What patterns to choose?
There are several ways to build your palette of patterns. One sure fire way is to look to nature for inspiration, maybe take a landscape and use that as the beginning of your choices. One thing to consider is the structure of the patterns you are using. If there are a lot of loose florals, try to balance with a geometric or stripe that will give your choices some structure. One of my favorite tricks is to take the least used color in your large pattern and use that as a solid or a basis for other choices, it can really give your design a lot of depth.
I hope that this guide will give you some pointers on how to create a layered look. It is all about finding balance between disparate elements and commonality between others whether through color, tone or texture.