Introduction to Patterns
If you’re a lover of patterns, there’s some things you should know before you go to the store and binge on anything. Let me take you through a process I’ve found works for me in my home. So, save your nickels and dimes for now until you really know what you’re after.
Firstly, and this might be something you’ve already established in your home, what is your color palette? Your color palette will also be the foundation of your pattern decision making process. When you’re looking for your patterns, it will feel far less like chaos if you stick to a set of colors or set a color tone. For example, if you like earthy neutrals, you probably don’t have pastels scattered through your home.
What areas of the color wheel are heavy in your space and what areas are not so heavy? Do you want to stick to the same colors or balance out your color wheel? Are you open to introducing a new color, and if so, will it pop or will tone in down in your space?
A great way to decide where your colors are is by looking at anything you may have hanging on your walls, bedspreads, or even your clothes! If that’s nothing because you haven’t quite gotten there yet, then hopefully you have an idea of what you prefer. My best recommendation is to go on Etsy and look up some prints based on your style.
You can use this free website Coolors - The super fast color palettes generator! to make color palettes based on a photo to make it easier on yourself! Just upload a photo and let the generator make a color palette based on the picture. Scroll through them all and choose your favorite! You can export the image when you’re happy with the choices.
Next step is to establish your style!
What kind of style are you going for here? Do you want to have something “Henri Matise” or do you prefer something more “William Morris”? Do you reach for something colorfully Bohemian or do you reach for a neutral Scandinavian?
Once you establish all that for yourself, let’s get into the part you came here for! Your patterns:
So, we know our colors and we know our style, so we know what we’re looking for!
When you’re blending your patterns, the best advice I can give you is not to over work one thing too far. It’s like when you find a song you really love and then you listen to it five times a day, for two weeks and then you say, “Oh my gosh, please never put me through that song ever again!”
That means that I want to see you trying out the boundaries of the design! Yay, sounds fun right?
Trust me, this is the fun part! If you’re able to, go into a Home Goods store and just start throwing pillows around. Not literally but lay them out on the floor or a couch and play around with different concepts. Grab whatever you’re gravitating towards, even if it surprises you, and try it out!
The throw blanket in this picture is a great example of texture giving the illusion of blending in with the patterns. It doesn’t have its own pattern, but it lends well both the other patterns in this picture.
Throw pillows and blankets are just the beginning…
You also have curtains, lamps and lamp shades, and my personal favorite… wallpaper!
Wallpaper is my favorite way to bring in different patterns. There are so many varieties and colors to choose from and so many ways to incorporate them into your home:
going from wainscotting to ceiling in a room
an accent wall (one wall in a room)
sitting on a chair rail molding
covering a fireplace
framing around a window, with a trim border
And I’m sure there’s more! There is always more ideas!
Once again, the most important part is to have fun with it!