Pattern Play
There is one product that is so important in the world of design, and you use it in your everyday life. In fact, life would be very difficult and often ugly without it. That singular product on which all beauty in the design world is hinged, is the textile. Merriam Webster defines textile as a fiber, filament, or a yarn, used in making cloth. Try to imagine a world without cloth, it is unimaginable! Now try to imagine rooms without anything woven, no pillows, and no softness, that too is unimaginable. Textiles are the things that bring a room to life and pull everything together visually. If I were to choose the most feared things in designing a space it would be picking a paint color first and blending textiles second because it can be a challenge to know how to blend different patterns. Let’s peek into two living rooms to see how patterns can play together to complement a space and bring it to life somewhere in the heart of The Villages.
• Basic Guidelines for using pattern in a room
I try to go with the large, medium, and small print if I can, but I cannot always use a large print. I usually have one large pop that will be seen first in the space. Often, that will be a rug. I like to find a second print that is medium and has similar colors to the large pattern in the space and use that print somewhere. Finally, the third pattern will still reflect similar colors, but it will be a small print or just plain. These are just guidelines and should be used loosely. The key idea is that everything visually relates to each other through color. The large print may have all the colors in the space, the medium and small prints might have two of the colors from the large print, and the plain print will be just one of the colors from the large print.
• Living room #1
This living room is open and the first thing you see when entering the space is the large print on the rug. The large palm fronds create a visual pop that commands attention and is very pretty. The key to letting the rug be the star of the show is to choose other fabrics that do not compete with the rug. Instead, you want fabrics that will complement the rug. This is where pulling colors from the large print works best. The chair has the second largest print in the space. You will notice that the chair has the blue and the crème from the rug and the beautiful thing about this fabric is that it has the tan from the couches. This one fabric has a visual connection to the rug and the couch, so it acts as a visual bridge bringing the space together. The third largest print in the space is located on the accent pillows on the couch between the windows. This print came with the sofa, and it is a palm tree print as well. The print looks great with everything, but we wanted to break it up by placing a plain pillow in front of the pattern. The plain pillow buffers the eye so that the pillows complement the art rather than compete. Finally, we inserted a fourth print on the sofa opposing the TV and that is a beautiful diamond pattern that is created with a teal cord and the pillow is crème. We used five patterns in the space, but the space looks inviting and calm.
• Living room #2
Living room number two is open as well and upon entry into the space, the curtains at the back of the room command the most attention due to their height even though they are only the second biggest pattern. The curtains are two colors white and blue. The pattern on the curtain is the classic trellis pattern. We shook things up a bit by adding an abstract rug into the space. The large pattern that has large movement works well with all the colors in the space creating a visual unity between the modern and the traditional. The two slipper chairs that are at the back of the space have a very small print that cannot be seen in the picture, but it works because it is just a blue and white woven pattern. The ottoman that sits on the rug is a solid fabric so that it does not compete with the rug or other patterns in the space. Finally, the pillows on the couch have a floral print that is large and graphic but applied in a small dose. The colors in the pillows are all found in other textiles in the space creating that visual unity that is so important in design.
• Pillows are the powerhouse textile
If you don’t want draperies and you cannot have rugs the pillow is your best friend. The pillow is the best textile to pull a space together when you can only rely on a few textiles. You could use large, medium and small print on the different seating pieces in your space to create a cozy finished look. Often, online retailers will have pillow selections that go together and can be purchases as a package. If you want to store away the pillows when guests come over, place a large basket behind a chair or in a corner and all the pillows can be stored in the basket and replaced when the guests leave.
• Rugs
Rugs are one of the best textiles and I encourage my clients to get big rugs! The bigger the rug the better the sound in the space and the more softness for your feet. Also, wool rugs naturally resist stains. Wool rugs will last for many years if they are cared for properly. Proper care includes proper cleaning. The best way to clean a wool rug is to have it taken out to a facility that will completely wet the rug and thoroughly rinse it by running water through it top to bottom. You can watch videos of this on the internet and it is fascinating.
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