Designers' Guidelines for Combining Prints"The eye wants rhythm and bounce," says
Kimberlee Jaynes of Kimberlee Jaynes Interior Designs Inc. "What's interesting in the room is the play off one pattern to the next. If there isn't contrast, then it all becomes one big mess."
The wall color, drapes, upholstery, artwork and pillows in these photos — all taken in the same room — perfectly demonstrate the principles of decorating with multiple patterns.The solid red wall serves two purposes: It gives the eye a place to rest, and it is a common color denominator for the striped drapes and the artwork. The yellow/gold tones in the chair's upholstery are echoed in the artwork. All the colors in the chaise upholstery — the dominant pattern in the room — are repeated in the pillows. The larger, more stylized flowers in the pillow also echo the upholstery, but the difference in scale keeps the two fabrics from fighting for attention.
This example shows patterns blending through the use of shared colors.
Excerpt from The Oregonian's Homes & Gardens"Pattern Recognition"
Photos page 8 & 9, Quoted page 10 & 11.
July 27, 2006.
