It’s Sunday and a grey day in London. We started the day with continuing packing up the London flat since it’s only 4 days to the big move. After packing up, we went to a Sunday roast with family in Surrey. I really enjoy looking at the architecture to old houses when diving thorough Surrey. And for a split second, look into traditional English homes.
I’ve always loved the simplicity and the cleanness in Scandinavian design, but I feel it sometimes can it lack a level of warmth and character. A type of warmth that these traditional English homes are full of. What makes a lot of character to English homes, is their use of patterns.
So how do you start with adding patterns and how do you make it work in your home?
1. Choosing your pattern
When you want to add pattern to your home, it is important that you determine what kind of look and style you want the room to have. Pick a pattern that works for how the room is going to be used. If it’s a living room or a library – perhaps traditional patterns will work. If it’s a women power room – perhaps a feminine and floral pattern may work. Or if it’s an industrial flat in a city – perhaps a more modern pattern will work. Regardless of how the room is going to be used, make sure that you actually really love the pattern that you are bringing in.
Pattern in the same colour From Useful Home Decor
2. Include different sizes
To be able to achieve a balance in the room with pattern, try to use at least three different patterns and try to vary them at scale. It can be one large and two mediums, or it can be can be one large, one medium and one small.
A larger pattern will be more visually calming to a room compared to a smaller pattern that can make the room more busy. Therefore, make sure that you are aware over what kind of activity level you want in the room with the patterns. An example on how to balance this is to have larger patterns on larger items and smaller patterns on smaller items.
Large and small pattern in redFrom Issuu
3. Mix with same colour balance
Make also sure that you pick patterns that have the same intensity. If you have light shade colour with weak intensity in one of the pattern, try to bring in the same level of intensity to the other patterns. Ex. try not to mix a pastel shade with a jewel shade.
You can try patterns in the same colour, this will bring depth to the room – but perhaps not define the room in the same way. Start then with a main pattern and a main colour and add other patterns based on this colour.
Pillows and rugs in different patterns and same colour balance. From Preppy Empty Nester
4. Blend the patterns evenly
Make sure that you let the pattern be distributed through out the room. If there is just one corner with pattern, the room will appear unbalanced. Make sure to bland the patterns with solid colours, this to make the pattern appear cleaner and for the room to not seem too chaotic. A good idea to make the blend successful, take the colours that are in the pattern and replicate them in the solid colour items as well.
Pattern colours green and yellow matched in the same solid coloursFrom The Preppy Nester
Also try to add the same pattern in different items in the room. This can be done for example with the same pattern on the curtains, pillow cases or the lamp shades. Make sure that you do not do it more than 2-3 times to make sure that it’s not drawing too much attention away from the other patterns.
Have you ever tried to add pattern to your home?
