Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Mixing Patterns & Prints


I showed off my living room yesterday, and let me tell you, even though it is far from groundbreaking interior design it was a little bit of a stretch for me.  I say that because I used multiple patterns in one space.  I'm typically a little afraid of pattern and color.  I usually have one pattern and then solid colors that match that pattern.  In the old version of my living room I only had two throw pillows that had pattern on them.  Everything else was solid.  Solid couch, solid curtains, solid throw, and the 10 other pillows I had were solid.

Here's what helped me get over my fear of pattern and color.
scan of House Beautiful via
The February issue of House Beautiful had an interview of Christiane Lemieux, the founder of Dwell Studio. (Did you notice that she has the yellow rosette Target pillow on her bed? Love that!)  Usually House Beautiful is just pretty to look at.  I feel like I, a completely untrained, non-designer, could never duplicate most of the looks in the magazine, the products featured are mostly way out of my price-range, and the tips from designers aren't all that useful.  After looking through an issue I just think, "How do they do that?  How do they make that look good together?"

I was surprised to read something so helpful in the short feature on Christiane and her bed.  This is what she said when she was asked about the prints she used in her bedroom.
"...Usually my formula is three prints--one large, one medium, and one coordinate that ties the other two together with color."
How easy is that?!    I, the completely untrained, non-designer, found that sooooo easy to remember and implement. Some of you may be thinking, "Duh!", but I had never heard a tip for using pattern and print explained so simply before.
  

It's definitely a tip I'm going to keep in my pocket and use as I try to finish the rooms in the rest of my house.

How 'bout y'all?  Any mind blowingly, easy tips you've put into practice or wanted to put into practice as you decorate your home?  I'd love to hear more!

at

5 comments:

  1. UnknownMay 4, 2011 at 11:24 AM

    i typically am also afraid of drastic color, but i am throwing all that to the wind. LOL so many cute ideas out there.
    i think if the colors complement eachother and you have some prett patterns and you like it then go for it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. kristin shylaMay 4, 2011 at 5:24 PM

    I love your living room. So simple and inviting. I hear you about the patterns and bursts of colors. I am normally afraid of them as well. I think that I want to make the time to go thrifting and create shelves out of drums or something.. ;0) I would love to learn how to sew though too.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Brenda WattsMay 4, 2011 at 7:23 PM

    I think your room looks lovely...good job. And no I can't give you any tips...takes me 2 weeks to decide the wall color.

    ReplyDelete
  4. NettyMay 5, 2011 at 1:01 AM

    Thanks so much for pointing out that tip. Your living room looks lovely, and I think you did an amazing job of using pattern! It has always been SOOO difficult for me to figure out, but when I see it done right (usually by designers), I LOVE mixed patterns. Just looks more authentic in my opinion :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. UnknownMay 5, 2011 at 9:50 PM

    That's a great rule to follow, and you've rocked it in your living room! :)

    ReplyDelete

I love to read your comments and I appreciate all the feedback. Keep 'em comin'!