Mixing patterns and textures is an easy way to bring life and texture into any living room, whether through rugs, pillows, curtains, or wall paint.
Successful mixing relies on taking note of your color palette. If both patterns contain hues that tie them together, this can help them look cohesive and less disjointed.
Color Palette
One of the key aspects of mixing patterns is selecting a color palette. Make sure all your patterned pieces share one or two hues that run through them all and match their saturation levels; this helps create a cohesive composition that looks intentional rather than chaotic.
Use a color wheel as the ultimate way to do this and search for analogous colors (those next to each other on the wheel) or complementary ones (those opposites on it).
Once you have chosen your color palette, start by incorporating large-scale patterns like wallpaper or floor-to-ceiling curtains as the starting point for your room design. Choose coordinating solid fabrics for the rest of the space while including smaller patterned prints as accents in throw pillows or furniture to provide visual balance and interest. Finally, layer in some dimension by including textural fabrics like boucle and sheepskin that add dimension and warmth while softening any of your patterned accents.
Scale
Finding the right balance when mixing and matching patterns is of utmost importance when decorating with multiple styles. A great starting point would be one large pattern as a focal point and then building out with smaller-scale patterns like polka dots, stripes, and florals.
Add solid colors throughout the space for contrast and to break up patterns that might overwhelm it, including using different textures of solid color items like woven shag rugs or throw pillows to add depth and dimension.
To help find the ideal combination of colors, sizes, and textures in your sofa or chair upholstery fabric swatches may help! Simply arrange them until a combination that speaks to you emerges – this is a surefire way of finding what feels just right to you and ensuring you love what is eventually on offer!
Texture
Add textures to make any room more intriguing, whether that means through fabrics, window treatments, wall art or other means. Pair smooth textures like velvet and wovens with coarser ones such as faux fur, shearling or shaggy area rugs for an engaging visual contrast. Sarah Trumbore of Boston Design says having a color scheme as your guide when selecting textures will ensure a consistent look without overcrowding the space.
Always pay attention to the scale of each texture when pairing it with other elements in a living room design scheme. A small-scale pattern might look lost on a large surface while a larger-scale design might overwhelm its surroundings in a tiny cushion. Therefore, before making a final choice it is a good idea to lay out fabric swatches to gain an understanding of how each pattern will interact with its textures; then you can make confident and stylish selections that will enhance your living room design.
Focal Point
Focal point composition involves selecting one eye-catching subject in your photo as the focal point and drawing attention to it from surrounding elements. A focal point grabs viewer attention immediately and commands their focus despite everything else in the scene.
At the core of interior design lies patterns and textures – an effective way of adding depth and interest. Prints and weavings provide easy ways of creating focal points within the living room space.
Beginning by selecting one large pattern to serve as the centerpiece in your room and building smaller patterns around it, creating visual hierarchy will help keep everything looking uniform and harmonious.
Be mindful when mixing patterns to consider their size when doing so. A large-scale patterned wallpaper may overwhelm the space; to combat that effect, use pillows and rugs featuring smaller, medium and larger-scale patterns as complementary pieces to keep things interesting in your room and create an inviting, eclectic and memorable living room!
