How To Mix Patterns Like A Pro

“You’ll want your patterns to feel like they should be sitting next to each other, instead of staring at each other from far across the room.

We’re talking about one of my most favorite  styling tricks - mixing patterns. Combining patterns in an artful way is a skill that is essential to creating spaces that have that layered, dimensional, eye candy kind of appeal. It can be anything from a patterned tile combined + a contrasting wallpaper, to bedding, cushions, and window treatments that all have a similar color story. It’s one of the fastest ways to take a space from meh to amazing, when it’s done mindfully. It’s kind of an advanced styling trick, and one that can spin out of control IF you don’t have a plan, but if you do - it’s so, so good. I’m going to say that it’s possibly the #1 way to keep a space interesting - it works in any palette, with any budget. So today I have for you: a plan. Follow these steps and you’ll be combining patterns like a pro stylist in no time:

CHOOSE PATTERNS THAT ARE RELATED, BUT NOT AN EXACT MATCH

You’ll want your patterns to feel like they should be sitting next to each other, instead of staring at each other from far across the room. Mixing patterns successfully is all about balance - you’re going for depth without chaos. Patterns and prints are a big way to communicate the overall feel that you’ve going for, so consider what if any theme or inspiration you’re using, and choose patterns that speak that same language. Example: Imagine you want to create a super textural, well-traveled, bohemian type of space, you’ll choose patterns that feel well-traveled and bohemian. A preppy, graphic awning stripe, even in the right color palette, wouldn’t be a good fit.

DECIDE ON YOUR COLOR PALETTE, AND STICK WITH IT

This is the MOST common way for a mixed pattern story to go horribly wrong. Subtle color variations are important. If you’ve ever been to a paint store to try and pick a white paint color, you’ll know what I mean. In the color story below, I have black, white, off white, 2 complementary neutrals and varying shades of greens. This is actually a ton of options to work with, so finding patterns within this palette was easy. Even though every single color isn’t represented in every pattern, the ones that are are an exact match. Let’s say I was to include something in a dark charcoal gray. Gray is pretty close to black, yes? And there’s a lighter gray in the floral, so maybe charcoal would totally work in here? No. It wouldn’t. (Not unless you’re adding it in multiple places and intentionally making it a part of your palette.) Trying to sneak in another shade, when it’s not represented anywhere else in the palette, would confuse your eye. It dilutes the feeling that you’re trying to get across.

notice color saturation

Color saturation just means the intensity or strength of a color. It’s the difference you notice between the colors of something that’s never been used and something that’s been washed often, or left out in the sun. The point of mixing patterns is to create some good tension in a space, but stopping short of creating something dizzying that’s actually stressful to look at. So if we’re letting the patterns themselves break the rules, the colors have to follow them exactly. Aim to have the same level of saturation across all of your prints to keep them feeling related.

KEEP THE SCALE INTERESTING

The scale of your patterns is another area where you want to differentiate a bit. A well layered room is like going on a visual treasure hunt. There are things to notice hidden in plain sight, with plenty of opportunities for your eyes to rest and take it all in. A sofa full of pillows in mixed prints all in one scale tends to lose its impact. The prints all begin to blend together. There’s no moment that kind of punctuates the story, and instead of noticing all of the clever pattern combos, we get bored. We might not even see all of the patterns, and instead just write it off as one big mess. Varying the scale gives a space peaks and valleys, which is a good thing. We want the peaks and valleys.

Not sure where to start learning to mix prints and patterns? Head to a fabric store, or even print out some swatches online. Look at each print with your new “rules” in mind, and start separating them into groups by color, then scale. Keep an eye out for duplication, and if you might need to find some more options. This is where it gets tempting to settle - but don’t! The end result will be amazing if you really stick to the plan.