Bold Moves in Home Decoration: Mixed Patterns

Arriving with the summer season, bohemian, floral, and geometric patterns that set the tone in street fashion and convey the dynamism of summer are now showing themselves inside our homes too. Upholstery fabrics decorated with vivid colors, floral patterns, and geometric forms have long since taken their place among decoration trends.
Patterned fabrics that in previous years were only combined with solid colors seem to have claimed the leading role in home decoration this season. Although it's very trendy to use different patterns and textures boldly in the same space, there are some rules to follow so you don't end up looking garish:

Balance Colors with Colors

If you want to use the mixed-patterns trend in your home but can't figure out where to start, first decide on the main color and theme that will dominate the whole decor. For example, if you're going to use green-dominant floral-patterned curtains and a blue-dominant floral-patterned sofa that harmonizes with those curtains, you can pick white as the wall color—it will balance the space and let the existing patterns take center stage. If you have any doubts about color, try pairing one pattern with warm colors with another that also uses warm colors. Because different tones of warm colors are a scale the human eye adjusts to more easily and finds comparatively more relaxing.

Be Bold but Measured

As we noted at the start, applying the trend of using mixed patterns together takes courage and, of course, a willingness to take risks. But you shouldn't confuse boldness with haphazardly using every patterned item you can find. The most important rule to follow here is to keep pattern choices from tiring the eye. For example, if you have a seating group with large geometric patterns, the pouf you pair it with should use a fabric with smaller patterns in the same style. Remember, the golden rule of creating a stylish space with different patterns in the same room is that the patterns should give a sense of continuity on top of each other. Another tip for achieving that sense of continuity is to use different patterns on surfaces of different sizes and volumes—like curtain and lampshade, or seating group and wall accessories.