It’s not as scary as it sounds if you try to embrace the whole idea of blending and matching. A little understanding and a good starting point – literally one great base – and you can achieve an interesting, layered look that will truly elevate your style.
Two of the best ways to achieve an inviting room are to make sure that all patterns in the space have the same scale so there is no visual static, and to relieve strain on the eyes by making sure the interior has no overwhelm.
Bold to Balanced
If you want to infuse your home with a lot of personality, trendy colour patterns are definitely a good way of achieving it. Furniture, accents, paint and flooring are all vehicles by which we project ourselves in life, and bold geometric patterns make for an extremely elegant expression of individuality. However, they are bold and eye popping – which can, in some ways, be a mixed blessing. If your inclination is to set your colour patterns against a neutral or light background, you’ll find that once a bold pattern becomes part of your scene, it usually works best as an accent, rather than becoming the main focal point of space. Bold accent colours in your home will turn your house from boring, drab rooms … into welcoming, cozy environments. Hotspots for coloured accents?
The 60-30-10 Rule
Even though ‘60-30-10’ is an abbreviation for a colour theory, you can pretty easily transfer it to the realm of pattern: use a large print for 60 per cent of your space (your dominant print), mid-size patterned items for 30 per cent of space (your secondary print) and small touches of pattern as accents (your accent print).
This way, you can use hero patterns to create impact and drama at a high level, and accent patterns to supply punch and pop while keeping the design balanced – not overwhelming the eye with competing patterns and colours all at once.
Textures, too, can create depth and dimension when mixed (texture mixing). But when you mix patterns and textures (texture and pattern mixing), it can develop your design personality in an organic way so that you can say ‘Who I am shines through in the way my home looks.’
Mixing Scales
Balance and proportion can also be adjusted in any space by choosing patterns with appropriate scale: a large floral motif works well for a small room but can be overwhelming in larger ones; similarly, cushions with a busy pattern might be unbalanced against furniture or area rugs but can work wonderfully as an accent.
Mingling patterns and textures is a great way to bring in a bit of your own personality and style into a space and, done well, can lend a visually interesting element to any space that will reveal something unique about you and your character.
Start with neutral colours as base colours and play with patterns by mixing them in a right scale: use different scales of patterns and the right amount of negative space you’re on your way to the perfect pattern mixing. Try different patterns in different combinations and always follow your instincts – the magic will happen all by itself and you’ll find yourself on your way to creating interiors that are very much your own! The Foyr Community will be there, every step of the way!
Find Common Colors
Bold colours generally are delimited by whites, greys and silvers – neutral tones that minimise these lively hues’ risk of dominating space and cause them to be focal points to the eye rather than an overwhelming colour layer.
Interior designers often use such pieces as accent items in the home – including floor rugs, pillows and curtains, for example – as a way of introducing more vibrant hues or patterns into a space with relative ease.
Symmetry seems a nice design principle to achieve more balance to a space. That is why any kind of matching bedside tables or mirrors would also fit into this discussion.
