A room can benefit instantly from some patterned furnishing, as patterns add oodles of beauty and interest when used in the right way. I find patterns irresistible, they come in such an array of gorgeousness - stripes, floral, geometric, ikat, animal prints and so on and so forth. Yet, despite being individually striking, they are notoriously difficult to combine. How many of you have found yourself impulsively buying a bolt of beautiful pattern in a shop but flummoxed once you reach home and realize you have no clue how to use it in your living room.
Although it seems very complicated, it really isn't. I have put together a few basic rules of colour and pattern mixing. So next time you come home with that bolt of pretty fabric, you can use my five easy rules to help you achieve this look effortlessly.
1. Same Colour: The easiest way to work patterns is to have both patterned pieces and solid pieces in the same colour or compatible colours. This can keep the patterns from clashing with each other. This rule can work specially well in small rooms as a diverse mix of patterns and prints can make it look larger. You can put stripes with spots—and add much-needed dimension—as long as you stick to one colour.
2. Contrasting Colours: Another simple way to work with patterns is to use contrasting colours. This works because contrasting colours are visually appealing and give a coordinated look even if you have used a variety of patterns. Just remember to stick to a simple palette with two or maximum three colours.
3. Similar style of patterns: Try to pick all your small patterns from the same print family. It can be any style of your choice - floral, geometric, Islamic or tribal, but sticking to one group is an easy way to give a neat coordinated look to the room.
4. Only one big pattern: This is an important rule. After the simplicity of the first three rules, you may want to get adventurous with patterns. And rightly so, using bold prints confidently adds a whole layer of complexity to a room. But don't use more than one big pattern as it may bring down your carefully crafted scheme. The danger with using too many different patterns is the room might come across as cluttered. Avoid this by combining several small prints with one big pattern, this will act as the focus and give definition to the room.
5. When in doubt, pick Black and White: So you have filled your room with pretty patterns and they look really nice together. But you are having trouble picking the one big pattern to bring it all together. Trust me you are not alone, choosing the big pattern is often the toughest decision for me as well. The smaller ones usually merge together, it is the big one which stands out and is noticed. So if you are having trouble with this, think no further and just go with black and white. It matches with everything and will instantly anchor the room by providing a perfect backdrop.
