Pattern Filled Living: A Print Designer's Colourful and Eclectic Home
As a print designer I’ve never been scared of using pattern - the more pattern the better as far as I’m concerned! The endless possibilities of different colour combinations, shapes, and motifs continuously inspire me so naturally our home itself incorporates a lot of different prints and patterns.
Throughout my career as a textile designer and especially whilst decorating and curating our home, I've found that patterns can really bring life, personality and style to any room - however subtle your use of them may be. So whether you're looking to gain the confidence to introduce a little print into your house or want to go all-out with a pattern-filled space, I hope I can give you a bit of inspiration by showing you how we have used prints within our own home.
(Swatches: top left - Paloma home, top right - William Morris, middle left - House of Hackney, middle right - ticking stripe, bottom left - William Morris, bottom right - Studio Coverdale.)
Plants and Flowers
A theme that’s always been close to my heart for obvious reasons! My home simply wouldn’t feel complete without a celebration of all things floral. Whether it’s a delicate botanical or bright and bold blooms, introducing natural themes into your scheme can create a dialogue between the spaces inside your home and the outside world that surrounds it. The versatility of organic shapes and forms can bring a softness and tranquility to a space or add a vibrant pop of colour - there are so many styles of floral print to suit any and every taste. We have a lot of floral and plant themed prints within our home. Ranging from the delicate Arts and Crafts detail of William Morris, to bold tropical prints from House of Hackney we both love nature so of course these prints feature prominently!
Feathered Friends
Introducing elements of the natural world quite literally brings life into a space so using prints that incorporate animals or birds is a lovely way to liven up a room. I’ve always loved birds, often using them in my own design work so naturally we have a few patterns throughout our home which feature feathered friends. If you're looking for a playful and charming way to bring the natural world indoors, consider incorporating bird or animal patterns into your decor.
Decorative
Decorative prints, such as paisley, medallion, foulard, and border patterns, are a fantastic way to add visual interest and intricate detail to your home decor. These patterns can range from bold and colourful to subtle and sophisticated, making them versatile and adaptable to various design styles. In my own home, I've incorporated decorative prints in several ways - from vintage inspired rugs featuring intricate patterns to a simple repeating motif on our kitchen floor tiles. Decorative prints are an excellent way to bring a touch of elegance and refinement to a space, adding depth and character to any room.
Stripes stripes and more stripes!
You can NEVER have enough stripes. Whether its small pinstripes, ticking or bold painterly stripes, introducing these prints into your home can work well with pretty much any design style in my opinion. Our home features quite a few different stripes as they are just such an easy way to introduce colour and interest into a space. The same can be said for geometric or colour blocked designs, by just adding a bold stripe around a rug for example can give an unexpected pop of colour to a space or you could use a geometric print to tie all of the colours within a space together. Even a neutral tonal pattern can bring an element of texture to a scheme without the need to add too many colours. My favourite example of this in our home is the carpet we chose for the upstairs hallway and runner. Stripes may not be the obvious choice for such a large area but we absolutely love the way that the carpet works as both a neutral base but also as an interesting feature throughout the space!
Pattern Combinations
There is no hard and fast rule when it comes to mixing prints and patterns in my opinion. I love the look of a space with multiple sometimes clashing prints that somehow combine together and strike a balance. I think that many people find the idea of pairing different prints within a space quite daunting and it’s definitely not for everyone but when it’s done well it can give a room such a unique, layered and personal feel. I think the easiest way to mix different prints within a space is to use colour as a way to marry the designs together. If you have a consistent colour story within a scheme you can layer multiple prints harmoniously. This isn’t to say that you can’t add a new colour to a room though, sometimes a bold contrasting coloured pattern can give unexpected interest - if you’re brave enough to give it a go!
So whether you add a large amount of print through beautiful floral curtains or you just want to accent your space with a small pop of pattern through some pieces of home decor I hope I’ve convinced you to embrace pattern- even a tiny amount! The thing to remember is that there really aren’t any rules - I think that the key is just to choose prints you like, experiment and let your personality shine through! So go ahead, mix and match, play with scale and colour, and enjoy the process of creating a pattern-filled home that's uniquely yours.
Happy decorating!
Frances