Recently, interiors have trended towards the color rich and playfully patterned! Which has highlighted how crucial a skill pattern mixing really is.
No matter your interior aesthetic, incorporating pattern leads to instant design elevation! Learning how to successfully mix patterns, however, can be intimidating.
 |
| How utterly delightful is @houseonbrayton's dining room?! A playful romp of color and pattern, the space is a whimsical delight while retaining a polished touch. Featuring Celestine Green Floral wallpaper |
As a helping hand, we’ve assembled the best pattern mixing strategies to guide your new styling ventures:
Let Your Leading Pattern Take Center Stage
You’ve just fallen in love with a gorgeous, patterned wallpaper or fabric. Now you’re looking around your home to see where it might ‘fit in’… and to that we say, stop right there!!
A showstopping pattern deserves the spotlight! If you’re incorporating it into an existing space, you may need to re-evaluate the details.
For instance, do the current colors complement this new pattern? Should your layout shift to give your new statement piece the attention it deserves? Are there accents that clash with your new leading pattern that are better off removed entirely?
The prospect of fine-tuning – or completely overhauling – a space you love can be daunting. But the best results come from embracing your pattern’s star-power and allowing it to cue up your secondary design elements.
 |
| Our gorgeous Bygga Bo Neutral Woodland Village wallpaper is the loving focal point of this charming bedroom @jennasuedesign created for her daughter! Jenna wrapped the entire room in this delightful pattern, allowing it to set the tone for all the other colors and accents brought into the room. |
Speaking of, what’s important to consider for your supporting cast? For one, pulling from the same color palette. Utilizing lighter and darker hues within the same tonal family creates spatial cohesion, with just enough contrast as to not feel washed out or flat. It also helps draw the eye throughout your entire room.
For styling elements that go beyond color, check out these tips for incorporating metallic accents and texture into your space.
Create Balance by Contrasting Pattern Styles and Scale
With your focal pattern set, it’s time to consider complementary patterns. The most effective pattern mixing provides balance via contrast.
Playing with both pattern scale and style are great ways to create contrast. For example, if your focal pattern is large, consider sprinkling in smaller scale designs. In terms of style, structured geometrics and stripes are a beautiful counterpoint to more organic designs like botanical and animal-themed prints.
 |
| This bathroom by @suzannahstanley is an excellent example of using various pattern styles and scales to create a visually balanced and pattern rich design. Featuring Niki Beige Country Kitsch wallpaper |
Design complexity is also important to consider when pattern mixing. Incorporating too many patterns with multiple colors and robust detailing can quickly become overwhelming to the eye. Which leads us into our next point…
Build in Moments of Rest
Pattern mixing becomes more impactful when you give your patterns room to breathe.
Providing negative space in the form of solid color is critical to the success of your pattern mixing. This provides moments of rest, which allows your eye to truly appreciate and absorb the curated details that define your space. It also allows singular patterns and pattern groupings to stand out within the whole.
 |  |
| By building in large sections of soft pink, designer Virginia Fynes allows the floral patterns incorporated into her daughter's new and improved bedroom to shine while feeling cohesive with the overall design. Featuring Delisa Pink Floral Stripe wallpaper | |
Layer Intentionally & Over Time
In the social media era, it’s easy to buy into the fallacy that perfectly polished interiors happen overnight. In truth, the most impactful spaces are often years in the making.
Discovering and developing your personal style takes time. Even if the process could be rushed, we would argue it shouldn’t!
The more time you spend exploring design, the more crystallized your own personal style becomes. This, in turn, will empower you to pinpoint and create a home using only items you absolutely love.
 |
| Marynn of wildflowerhome.interiors has spend YEARS developing her own personal sense of style. And a large part of that process included flipping through her favorite publications for inspiration. Which made her layered and lovely primary bedroom being featured in The Cottage Journal Fall'23 issue that much sweeter! Featuring our Hui Beige Paper Weave grasscloth |
Take your time. The difference between visually cohesive pattern mixing and pattern mixing using only designs that speak to you is tremendous. Which brings us to our final point…
Pattern is Personal
Style is personal for a reason. One person’s cheerful pattern clashing may be too abrasive for someone else. And that’s okay!
At the end of the day, design ‘rules’ are simply a framework to build off of. Celebrate what works for you, toss out the rest, and enjoy the process!