How To Match Patterns When Decorating Your House?

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Interior designers offer tips on how to mix and match textures and patterns within a space, regardless of personal style. To create a character-filled space, it is essential to establish a common theme and plan your color scheme before purchasing anything. Jennifer Burt, founder of Mississippi Maximalism, shares her expert take on mixing patterns in home decor to create an eye-catching space.

A good rule of thumb is to focus on one large-scale pattern to create a clear focus, followed by building smaller patterns through cushions and rugs. The rule of three works well – small, medium, and large scale patterns. A big motif counts as a large pattern in terms of visual weight.

To mix patterns and prints in a room successfully, follow Charlotte, Sophie, and Penny’s step-by-step masterclass. Incorporate different sizes, use similar colors, blend simple and complex patterns together, choose a few, and provide contrast. Balance the use of organic and geometric patterns, as well as the scale. Use a neutral on walls and flooring to unite the patterns in the room. Add interesting patterns with art or objects in a neutral room for a refined and traditional look or a collected, eclectic feel.

Mixing patterns can help achieve either a refined and traditional look or a collected, eclectic feel. To achieve a refined and traditional look or a collected, eclectic feel, ensure there is variety.

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📹 Complete Guide to Mixing Patterns in Your Home

This video teaches viewers how to mix patterns in their homes, breaking down the process into five simple steps. The speaker emphasizes the importance of scale, color, and allowing each pattern to shine. They also provide tips on where to find fabrics and how to get started with mixing patterns.


How To Mix And Match Patterns
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How To Mix And Match Patterns?

One effective method to mix and match patterns is by focusing on color rather than the designs themselves. Select patterns from the same color family with varied designs, like pairing a polka dot top with a leopard print skirt, as long as they share the same palette. Establishing a common theme and understanding visual elements simplify the process. In interior design, combine diverse textures, colors, and scales for a cohesive look. When mixing patterns, layering different scales is beneficial—pair a small-scale print with a large one, and the rule of three (small, medium, and large) enhances balance.

Designers recommend keeping color in mind, coordinating looks, and blending subtle with bold prints. A few golden rules include allowing patterns space, starting with a rug, creating balance, and incorporating a mix of sizes and colors. Ultimately, there are no strict rules, and experimenting can lead to unique and stylish results.

What Patterns Never Go Out Of Style
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What Patterns Never Go Out Of Style?

Stripes are a timeless pattern that brings elegance to decor, typically seen in classic color combinations like navy and white or black and white, although other hues can also enhance aesthetics. Built-in shelves are another cornerstone of sophisticated style, offering versatile storage solutions that seamlessly integrate into various interior designs. Interior designers highlight enduring decorative elements such as leather armchairs and gilded mirrors, which will always remain stylish.

While trends come and go, certain designs consistently stand the test of time. Experimenting with multiple patterns within a home is encouraged, utilizing eye-catching prints in different rooms. Murals, particularly wallpaper murals, are emerging as popular statement pieces, transforming walls into artistic displays. Timeless prints include floral, polka dots, stripes, animal prints, and plaid. Additionally, certain clothing pieces are deemed everlasting, such as the saree, the classic little black dress, and tailored items like a crisp white shirt and jeans.

Gingham is favored for its seasonal versatility, commonly featured in spring collections. Essential clothing pieces that never go out of style encompass blue jeans, white T-shirts, and tailored trousers, making them staples in any wardrobe.

Can You Have Too Many Patterns In A Room
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Can You Have Too Many Patterns In A Room?

We recommend incorporating at least three patterns in a room, ensuring that their scales vary to create a cohesive look. While combining patterns can energize a space, exceeding this number may lead to a chaotic and unbalanced atmosphere. It’s crucial to consider the scale of each pattern to avoid overwhelming the room and creating a cluttered effect. Aim for at least 40% of the space to consist of solid colors, providing visual resting points for the eyes. Bold patterns should be paired with more subdued ones to maintain balance, allowing each to shine individually rather than competing with one another.

In bedrooms, too many patterns can create an overwhelming environment. Instead, consider adding color accents through pillows or a statement rug for visual interest without excess. Patterns contribute depth, movement, and personality, drawing attention and setting the room's tone. If done thoughtfully, pattern mixing can yield a modern aesthetic, yet it’s vital not to overload the room with similar patterns.

To achieve a harmonious design, limit your selection to three patterns, mixing sizes and types—such as a large floral with stripes or small florals—to avoid a busy feel. Balance is essential; striking the right combination of patterns can enhance a space. Therefore, aim for a well-considered approach to mixing patterns, striking a middle ground between too many and none at all, ensuring visual appeal without chaos.

What Patterns Work Well Together
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What Patterns Work Well Together?

Florals and stripes can seamlessly blend, as can coastal motifs with vibrant jungle designs. Geometric patterns are versatile, easily integrated to add diverse shapes and scales throughout a space. The key to mixing patterns is maintaining balance; starting with a bold element should be complemented by one or two smaller, tone-on-tone, or solid patterns for harmony. Consistently repeating designs helps unify a room's theme. Successful combinations involve contrasting and complementary pairings, like mixing stripes with florals or animal prints with geometrics.

The rule of three—small, medium, and large patterns—can guide your choices, considering a large motif as one with significant visual weight. Patterns that reference each other through shared motifs, shapes, or colors appear intentional. Effective mixing relies on the right blend of shape, positioning, color, and size, incorporating differing scales, similar hues, and a mix of simple and complex designs for an engaging aesthetic.

What Is The Rule For Mixing Patterns
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What Is The Rule For Mixing Patterns?

Mixing and matching patterns and colors can enhance your design creativity, but overdoing it can clutter a room. To achieve balance, integrate solid colors to soften the visual impact of patterns. Maintain a consistent flow of patterns throughout the space rather than concentrating them in one area. The primary guideline is that there are no strict rules—embrace "happy clashing." Modern geometrical designs can refresh traditional floral motifs.

While pattern mixing adds character and interest, understanding the basics is crucial. The success of combination hinges on shape, color, size, and scale harmonizing within the space. Notably, scale and material are significant factors, as emphasized by designer Christine Zippert.

To effectively mix patterns, it's advisable to use solid colors to break the visual density and distribute patterns evenly throughout the room for balance. One effective technique is the "rule of three," incorporating an odd number of patterns—ideally three. Confidence is vital when combining patterns; they should express your unique style and personality.

Key to successful pattern mixing includes ensuring at least one unifying color among the prints, varying the scale of patterns—using large, medium, and small designs, and mixing different types of prints, like stripes and geometrics. Additionally, avoid similar patterns that could create a pretentious look. Ultimately, aim for variety in sizes and keep similar colors in mind. Create a cohesive design by giving patterns space to breathe, starting with a rug, and focusing on balance.

What Patterns Do Not Go Together
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What Patterns Do Not Go Together?

Avoid choosing patterns of the same size or scale when mixing prints. Pairing large patterns with small ones creates a more dynamic look. It’s crucial to have a purpose behind your pattern choices, and always stick to a consistent color palette. Successful pattern mixing hinges on using complementary colors within the same family, allowing for adventurous yet harmonious designs. First, maintain balance; if you incorporate a bold pattern, consider using smaller, tone-on-tone, or solid patterns around it to achieve harmony. Patterns enhance a space by adding interest and depth, contributing to a layered aesthetic.

When selecting patterns, follow a simple rule: let the largest and boldest pattern serve as the primary inspiration for the room. Other patterns should complement but differ in scale. While some say plaids and stripes don't mix, stripes actually complement various patterns, provided that their sizes are varied appropriately. Avoid overthinking if patterns coordinate, as long as they share a common color and differing scales, you're on the right track.

Pay attention to scale when combining patterns, such as stripes and checks, ensuring they align closely in size. Additionally, refrain from mixing horizontal stripes with vertical ones. While different textures can clash, like silk with canvas, it's advisable to incorporate a single smaller pattern into accessories like lampshades or pillows for a subtle touch.

Lastly, limit initial attempts at pattern mixing to two pieces, allowing one to dominate while the other supports it. Keep curved patterns away from straight ones to avoid a jarring aesthetic. Mixing patterns can enhance your home or office without complexity; following these guidelines can ease the process.

Can You Mix Stripes And Florals
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Can You Mix Stripes And Florals?

Currently, I love pairing a camo jacket with any striped shirt, but another favorite is the classic mix of floral and stripes. Florals are fresh each spring, while stripes offer a timeless appeal, making them ideal to combine. As a fabric designer, I was eager to develop a collection that features these two patterns, as stripes provide balance to florals, making them accessible to a broader audience. Stripes and floral prints are essential for summer, and I will demonstrate how to mix them seamlessly at home.

Successful pattern mixing requires varying the scale of the designs. For instance, avoid pairing a tiny print with a larger one. Mixing stripes, florals, and geometric prints creates a colorful, stylish atmosphere. To mix prints effectively, consider three main guidelines: scale, color, and balance. It's crucial to choose patterns that share a color palette, such as matching blue flowers with blue stripes. A larger floral print can beautifully complement a smaller striped print, achieving harmony rather than chaos.

I recommend selecting floral prints that incorporate colors from the stripes for cohesive coordination. Black and white stripes are versatile and can mix easily, especially when you maintain complementary colors. In summary, florals and stripes are a fantastic combination for any wardrobe or decorating scheme!

How Do You Make Clashing Patterns Work
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How Do You Make Clashing Patterns Work?

La escala es fundamental al combinar patrones, siendo efectivo mezclar patrones de diferentes escalas, como un pequeño con uno de tamaño medio o un diseño de gran tamaño con uno de escala media. Los expertos en diseño ofrecen consejos sobre cómo mezclar patrones chocantes en el hogar. Para empezar, elige un patrón principal, que actúe como la pieza central de la decoración, mientras que los patrones secundarios pueden introducirse en menor cantidad para evitar conflictos visuales.

Aunque el maximalismo permite romper reglas, hay pautas que ayudan a mantener el equilibrio, como la creación de una paleta tonal coherente, utilizando colores cálidos como naranjas, marrones y rosas. Los patrones que armonizan, como rayas con flores o geométricos con motivos botánicos, pueden funcionar bien. La elección de patrones vibrantes en lugar de sutiles puede dar vida a un espacio inspirado en interiores art déco.

Asimismo, integrar la textura a través de los muebles ayuda a descomponer patrones complejos. La clave está en asegurarse de que los patrones compartan al menos un color común y en variar la escala o la intensidad para permitir que las diferencias se complementen. Se sugiere comenzar con un patrón predominante y añadir los demás como acentos para lograr cohesión. Con estos trucos y consejos de expertos, combinar patrones en casa se convierte en una tarea más accesible y agradable, permitiendo inyectar energía y carácter al espacio sin caer en el caos visual.


📹 HOW TO COMBINE INTERIOR DESIGN STYLES DESIGNER HACKS

This video provides tips for combining different interior design styles in a home. The video focuses on identifying personal and partner preferences, finding compatible styles, and using color palettes and wood tones to create a cohesive look. The video also emphasizes the importance of creating small vignettes and allowing for individual spaces within the home.


4 comments

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  • Great article and not a rotisserie chicken in sight. Ha, ha! I too mix patterns, although for my eye, I can’t use them on every surface, as I find that overly busy. I like solid coloured walls, drapes, and large pieces like a couch, but then bring in patterned rugs, pillows, side chairs, artwork etc. You really are multi talented Lauri. You are obviously a good cook, a knowledgeable gardener and a very gifted decorator/designer. But the talent I recognize the most is your teaching ability. As a retired teacher myself, I observe the skills you have as an educator, to break down, simplify and explain your lessons. You alway bring in numerous visuals to illustrate your points…you certainly did in this article. Do know how much I enjoy and have learned from you via YouTube.

  • Love this topic! You chose Gorgeous photos to teach your method! I’m looking for a new couch for family room and want to “mix” a new pattern with my existing patterned rug and chairs! And on this note ….. would love to see printed fabric lampshades on either side of the bed in your master bedroom! 🙂

  • I went wild for this style back in the 1980s. I used Mario B’s rooms that were always shown in the top decor mags as inspiratiom. It would be great if this Southern Living style made a comeback. I’ve evolved since my rooms all had some version of mixed colors and patterns, but it’s still eye candy for my soul. Thank you for the walk down memory lane.

  • Thank you for making this article. This was the first time it was explained to me, and it clicked, and now I can see how this works. One question I had was how much of the room needs to feature the Hero fabric? In the examples, the Hero fabric has proportionally less han the stripes, small-scale prints, and geometrics. In one room, the hero was a drapery pannel and one pillow, and the supporting prints comprised most of the other parts of the room. In my project, my hero pattern is the wallpaper on one wall. Is that too much of a hero pattern? I think the items I’m placing on that wall will break up the pattern (a dresser, a solid lamp, and some art with wide matting). Would I need the wallpaper pattern anywhere else in the room, or will the supporting prints be enough?

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