That color palette might start with a fabric you fall in love with. Or an art print. Or a rug. Whatever it starts with, keep that theme going. In my living area, I have aqua blue, navy, and kelly green accents with white/aqua walls and colorful (navy and kelly green) furniture. I love the feeling that these lighter colors give the space, but I wanted to make sure it tied into the furniture as well.
Just like in quilting, when you combine fabrics, you want them to serve different purposes. They can’t all have a bold print or they’ll be competing. I love pulling in a solid color to keep things from competing, but you definitely don't have to. In this case, I chose a kelly green geometric print with a small scale that gives a nice overall color and still has lots of interest when you’re sitting next to it. Then I have a medium-to-large scale print in this feathers print that brings in a lot of contrast to the bold colors but still has a decent sized motif.
You might love the swatch, but what will it look like from across the room? When you’re in a store, step back an isle and look at your combination further back–it’s amazing what a little space or a different angle helps you see. Shopping online is a little more challenging–you just can’t do that with a little swatch. So look for different views to get a good idea of the scale. I adore this feature; I wish all online fabric stores had it. If you're not shopping online, pull the fabric out and set it somewhere then walk away a few feet to see how it looks from a distance.
I like to mix a geometric with a “hero” pattern and one that’s a bit more natural or . In this combination, I went with the small geometric green print contrasted with the larger feathers. On the chairs, I added a buffalo check that contrasts with the floral pattern of the chair itself to play with a geometric and floral.
Ask yourself, “What feeling do I get with this pattern combination?” It’s taken some time for me, but I know I want my home to feel fresh, so when I looked at my choices I made sure they felt fresh and alive together. I made a few tweaks initially until I found this combination, and it just felt like “home.”
Let’s talk about the actual fabric for a second. Mixing textures is a great way to add really subtle interest to your decor. If you look closely at these pillows, you can see the amazing texture of the linen–it’s so subtle, but it’s a nice dichotomy when put next to the velvet couch.
You'll also want to make sure the background colors aren’t competing. You don’t want one with a white background and another with ivory or beige. It just won’t look cohesive. I chose patterns that all have white backgrounds, but you could also have a colored background as long as it’s intentional (so a same yellow or aqua background could have worked, but not ivory/white).
You have to live with it, so make sure you want to look at it all the time. If you do, you’re set! Choosing fabric combinations is a personal thing, and with a few tips to help you mix your style with design principles, you’ll be sure to find a winning combination.
What tips do you have to add for choosing pattern combinations? What works for you? I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments!